I've been itching to visit this place for sometime now. Every time I drive on the PA Turnpike from Pittsburgh to the Donegal exit I can see these large boulders just off to the north side of the road on the western slope of the Chestnut Ridge. It goes by quickly when looking from the highway at 65 miles per hour, and you can see the rocks up the hillside with a trained eye. It looks just so easy to get to off the side of the road, but parking on the turnpike is illegal even in the emergency pull off areas.
So in order to solve my access dilemma, I consulted my trusty Pennsylvania Atlas & Gazetteer by DeLorme, and as usual I cross referenced the atlas with satellite images from Google Earth. The area can be found on page 72 of the Atlas and in the C3 quadrant. The satellite images show up with good detail just surrounding the rock exposures along the turnpike, but my designated parking area shows up with poor detail. Even though the images are of good detail surrounding the rock exposures, the rocks aren't noticeable without a trained eye. Compared to other rock exposures on Google Earth satellite images, I wouldn't even assume there would be large boulders by scanning the images of this area. I think the vegetation is mostly responsible for disguising the detail on Google Earth. Despite the poor detail, this place is well worth a visit from the avid rock climber.
The Turnpike Boulders can be approached from the New Stanton exit or the Donegal exit on the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I76). We approached from the Donegal exit and promptly turned right onto PA 31 East. We followed PA 31 East over the Chestnut Ridge, passing "Bear Rocks," and down the long hill to the bottom of the mountain arriving at the first stoplight at the intersection of PA 982. At the stoplight we took a right onto PA 982 North and proceeded for a quarter mile then veered right onto State Route 2006. We followed SR 2006 past a church camp on the right and through a tunnel passing underneath the PA Turnpike. Less than one quarter mile after the tunnel we arrived at the parking area on Button Hook Road on the right (east side of SR 2006). Button Hook Rd. is a public road and there are no parking restrictions here. Just after turning right off of SR 2006, park to the far right side of Button Hook Rd. on the spill off gravel. Look straight ahead and to the right of the road and you will see an abandoned gas well clearing currently being used as a small rifle range by the neighbors. The path begins through the forest on the backside of this clearing. We didn't pass beyond any private property signs from here all the way to the rocks. From the parking area please consult the trail I have designated on the satellite image in this blog. The trail is shown in neon green.
You have to bush-wack about 25 yards past the end of the gas well clearing until you get to the first noticeable trail. The trail is an unmaintained logging road about 20 yards up the hill from the clearing. Take this trail south from the clearing heading directly towards the turnpike. You will be able to see cars and trucks passing on the turnpike from this distance without the leaves on the trees, and you will definitely be able to hear the road even if your vision is obstructed by leaves. Continue on this logging trail through an old junkyard past a few abandoned vehicles. Once you have gone about one third of a mile from the parking area on this trail it comes closer to the turnpike as you pass through many briar patches. When you first notice a clear split in the trail to the right you will notice cars and trucks passing on the road beneath you. Take this split in the trail and descend down into the rocks. Again these trails are unmaintained, so please proceed with caution, and it is a good idea to have someone along with you especially if you are climbing.
I believe the Turnpike Boulders exist within the corridor of land owned by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commision. I didn't pass through any prohibited boundaries, and the map indicates that this area is public land. Please treat this location with the respect of PA State Gamelands, and do not camp here, nor visit during hunting season. The climbing in this area is entirely undeveloped, and is seldom visited by any type of recreation enthusiasts like ourselves. The entire climbing area is about one quarter mile in length along the turnpike. There is some excellent bouldering here on hard sandstone, and much of the rock is clean and unfettered by moss, lichens, and fungi. The wall, from which the boulders broke off, averages about 50 feet in height, and its length is only broken a few times from west to east. There is some great potential for top-roping on the wall as well as on a few of the boulders, and there is also some potential for practicing placement of traditional protection on single pitched leads. From here on our blog will feature photos of various potential climbs, and the photos will appear generally as they occur from west to east in this climbing area.
This is one of the first great boulders we encountered. This is an advanced, overhanging climb with a great top-out, and you need at least one large crash pad for protection. There are at least two sit-down starts to begin climbing this excellent boulder.
Another great boulder with a clean climbing surface. As with most climbs in this area I recommend using a crash pad for protection even though the landing area appears to be unobstructed. There is good potential for at least one challenging problem to be developed on this 12 foot high boulder. I suggest having a spotter to protect falls into the tree in front of the rock. The first sit-down starter to climb this boulder will reserve the right to name this climb!
The next three pictures will show the first section of wall with a great bouldering cave beneath!
Check out the features beneath the overhang to the right.
The ridge top exists mostly on state gamelands. Below is a closer up image of the large blocks on the north end of the ridge top wall.
The following image reveals some more great rock exposures above the western bank. All of these locations occur between 1650 and 1800 feet elevation.
Look at all this great rock! I don't think we'll be able to fit all these locations into one long weekend of exploration, and these images don't even constitute half of the rock that exists within the northern neck of the woods!
An apparent cliff feature appears looming over the northern rim of the Casselman river gorge just southeast of Somerset, PA. There are also some distinct boulders in the area.
The next location looks very promising. There is jeep trail access to the top of Big Savage mountain in Bedford County leading to this beautiful rock exposure.
