West Virginia · Rock climbing · Fayetteville

Sunshine Boulder

7 bouldering routes in West Virginia spanning 5 difficulty grades.

7 routes
V2 – V8
Bouldering

Is Sunshine Boulder open right now?

No closures listed

The National Park Service lists no closures for New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

As of · Source: NPS · New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Sunshine Boulder

Best months: April–November. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

  1. Jan

    42° / 23°

  2. Feb

    46° / 25°

  3. Mar

    55° / 31°

  4. Apr

    68° / 40°

  5. May

    75° / 49°

  6. Jun

    81° / 58°

  7. Jul

    84° / 62°

  8. Aug

    83° / 61°

  9. Sep

    78° / 54°

  10. Oct

    68° / 43°

  11. Nov

    56° / 33°

  12. Dec

    46° / 27°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Anstead Hawks Nest Sp, WV, 3.7 mi away at 1,296 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Sunshine Boulder is a bouldering area in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia, managed by the National Park Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing areas, with Sunshine Buttress just 0.2 miles away and Jaws Boulder and 2 Bridge Buttress each about 0.3 miles off. The bouldering here is all on the same rock, with seven routes ranging from V2 to V8. Talon's Foot is the easiest at V2, and Spellcaster is the hardest at V8, with Max Blauer listed as its first ascender. The median grade is V5, so climbers can expect a range of challenges in a single outing. For timing, late spring and early fall are the most comfortable. Typical averages from a nearby weather station run from highs around 75°F in May to about 78°F in September, while winter highs sit in the low 40s. The closest trails are the Bridge Buttress Extension Trail and the Hawks Nest Connector Trail, both within half a mile. Paddlers can find Manns Creek about 9 miles away.

Routes (7)

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Interp BouldersPhoto: sbennett1298, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

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Rainbow Ledge AreaPhoto: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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Sunshine Buttress

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