Not far from the Naval Warfare Research Lab in Maryland on the Clara Barton Parkway, nestled deep in shade, is a section of the C&O National Historic Park known to local climbers as Carderock. The area has been popular since the 20's and continues to be a local climbing destination. The beauty of Carderock and the peaceful seclusion is remarkably, only minutes fom the District of Columbia.
The facilities at the Carderock "CRAG" area boast a rest room with cold water, a large parking lot and NO GARBAGE CANS. The close proximity to the Billygoat trail and the foot path for the C&O canal makes it an ideal location to make a day of it.
Top roping is the order of the day although you could lead on selected routes, which approach 30-40 ft. A short walk from the parking lot brings you to the message board and the top of the crag where you can set up, rap down or walk down around to the right.
There is a variety of routes that can be mostly top roped from above. Jan's Face, Sterling's crack, Triple S, golden Staircase, and Herbies horror are among the author's favorites.
WARNING: MOSQUITOES ARE WELL FED HERE so dress appropriately for the feast and DO NOT FORGET the DEET!
Weekly Climbing
Carderock Wednesdays: PMC's Wednesdays after work at Carderock is a weekly climbing session ~4pm until dark during the regular climbing season. Everyone is
welcome. PMC members setup top ropes and related equipment for the members. Liability waivers are required by non-members and members alike for any PMC climbing event.(Please download and complete prior to showing up incase there are no blank forms and/or pens onsite. Thank you).
There are a couple of guidebooks avaiable for the area but the one
dedicated solely to the crag is the one produced by our Mountaineering
Section; Carderock Past & Present: A Climbers Guide. By
purchasing and promoting its use you are supporting our non-profit
organization
and it's mission to promote safe climbing. The guide is available
in local outdoor shops and from PATC's headquarters or online store (http://www.patc.us/store/PC200.htm) (Look under Menu Item [Publications]-[Printed Guides] for addition info on this guide book).
Chris Sharma graces the cover of the Carderock Guide as he demonstrates the 5.13 route he put up during a visit to the crag. At that visit NPR recorded a video interview of
Chris Sharma climbing at Carderock video!
When following the searching directions on the internet, keep in mind that 'Carderock' will find the community of Carderock, MD, but
the climbing area entrance is directly across from Naval Reseach Lab
Complex on the Clara Barton Parkway (of course this millitary
installation isn't displayed on the map); you
cannot miss this GIANT complex. Coming off the beltway on the Clara
Barton Parkway, heading west, away from the beltway, take your first
exit once you are on the Clara Barton. At that stop sign you'll be on
an overpass, take a left to Carderock-Right to the front gate of the
millitary complex. Go over the overpass and swing right, the road then
turns left then having gone under the "Carderock" overpass you will
arrive at a Stop sign affectionately called the "T". Make a right turn
at the T-intersection and drive to the very last parking area.
Follow the trail past the restroom structure to the message board at
the top of the crag...this was the approach; 1/7th of a mile if that.
you can walk around to the right to get to the base of the crag or
straight past the message board and over and down there is a craggy
gully to carefully downclimb (very easy).This crag is compact and
continuous. Once you approach the message board you'll see the tangle
of climbing anchors setup. You have arrived!!!! Enjoy!
View Carderock Cliffs in a larger map
Metro Bus Directions
(please verify these instructions with the METRO). Anyone will gladly drop someone off after climbing.
- Take Metro to Bethesda.
- There, ake bus line 32 and tell the driver to drop you off right in front of the Naval Warfare Research Lab (it took a little bit to convince my driver because there is no bus stop).
The main problems are:
- getting back in the bus in front of the Naval Lab since there is no bus stop
- last bus leaves around 6:20
- bus line only operates during the week
Gear
We recommend a top rope setup which includes ~100 feet of static line in order to reach anchors.
Historically, Carderock climbers have been able to use trees atop the cliff as anchors; however, due to the popularity of the cliff the trees are thinning out, so climbers must be careful to find large healthy trees, or be more creative in finding boulders and constrictions in the rocks to tie off.
Routes
Since people have been climbing at Carderock since the 1920's climbs at here range from 5.0 to 5.13.
Flood Stages
Since the crags at Carderock are located right along side the raging Potomac River, the bases can be underwater during high water events. This is much more likely with the down river climbs, those downstream from the center climb down, then those upstream. The following table will allow you to guess ahead of time where the water line migt be. (The water levels are taken from the gage at the Potomac Little Falls operated by the National Weather Service. Current data can be found following this LINK or LINK ). Named climbs can be found in Carderock Past & Present: A Climbers Guide.
| River Hieght (ft) |
First Named Climb Underwater |
| 6.5ft |
Cripple's |
| 9.5ft |
Biceps |
(Please provide any additional data point you can collect. Thanks).
Local Crags/Beta 
