Merriam Woods - A cautionary tale

[peakbagger]

https://www.climbing.com/places/sport-climbing-new-hampshire/

https://www.mountainproject.com/area/120706547/merriam-woods-aka-russell-crags

Looking at a WMNF map, it appears that the location is just outside the WMNF declaration boundary on the south slope of Russell Crag. The law of unintended consequences and the better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission appears to apply.

Although the internet is probably a big factor, I wonder if there were any commercial entities in the background promoting the area.?

 

[TCD]

I have not been there (although I have been to nearby Rumney many times). Thankfully most people involved here have had common sense and have worked together.

The main (perhaps only) mistake the developers made was not identifying and communicating with the landowner. They sort of skated around that in the article. But knowing who owns the land, and making sure what you plan to do is OK, is kind of fundamental, even if there are no signs posted or anything like that.

I don't think there was any commercial interest here. There is a lot of pressure for more climbing resources right now (especially sport climbing with short approaches). Stop by Rumney on a nice Saturday to see it. And climbers are always watching online for the appearance of "new" places to go.

 

[NHClimber]

Yeah, I believe that the crag was initially developed w/o a specific plan. I last climbed there a few years ago. It's Rumney 2.0 but the crags, while respectable, are not quite as nice and the climbs for the most part are on the shorter side. The trails to the upper crags are a mess and very steep/eroded. Use of fixed ropes is required to access a few of the upper crags. I suspect that in ten years or so, assuming everyone gets along, the crag could be developed to be a decent overflow for Rumney. Rumney has for many years been a complete zoo to the point where the crowds on the weekends are overwhelming. 25 years ago it was a lot more relaxing to climb there and the Rumney climbing community was of course smaller so you always saw the same people there, including many of the developers. As for Russell, a few years back the Tripoli Rd parking situation got the locals annoyed and the crag was closed for a while. I think now there is like a 10 car limit. No idea how that is enforced. I haven't followed recent developments so maybe others can chime in. There are a few other random, isolated crags nearby as well.

 

[ImYourHuckleberry]

Any place relatively close to Boston with a fair to large number of fully bolted routes is going to end up over-crowded, even if not deliberately promoted.

 

[skiguy]

Cart out in front of the horse. Do your homework. They are lucky they did not get shut down indefinitely. Mountain Bikers can be known for similar behavior. Don’t get me wrong I climb and bike but it is individuals on this kind of mission that can screw it up for others that play by the rules. It’s conservation land for a reason. Don’t be a Trail Bandit without checking first.

 

[NHClimber]

The Mountain Project page does them no favors as it spins the situation in a positive light that is not going to deter climbers from going there. If they don’t come to terms with a specific plan, there will be continued problems.

 

[JoshandBaron]

I haven't followed recent developments so maybe others can chime in. There are a few other random, isolated crags nearby as well.

The posted article does follow recent developments.

 

[NHClimber]

The climbing magazine article also paints a rosier picture.