Do not confuse Little Stony Man with Stony Man Mountain or the Little Stony Man route to the summit of Stony Man. Although that route passes over the top of the cliffs on its way to the summit, the Little Stony Man Cliffs are a climbing destination unto themselves. Many people who climb the cliffs also hike to Stony Man�s summit before or after their climbs, but no one climbs these technical cliffs as a way of reaching Stony Man; it just wouldn�t make sense. Little Stony Man is a named feature found on USGS and Shenandoah National Park maps, and, to repeat, it is a climbing object, which is why I have made a separate page for it. If your interest is in hiking Stony Man, please visit the page for that peak. If, however, you�re more interested in the climbing opportunities at the cliffs, stay on this page.

Shenandoah National Park lacks truly challenging mountaintop routes if one is into scrambling or climbing (yet there�s a ton of bushwhacking if that�s your thing), but it has an abundance of sheer cliffs both right off Skyline Drive and deep in the backcountry. It�s no Yosemite Valley or Zion Canyon, but Little Stony Man is one of the most spectacular crags in the park, and the views from the top and, even more so, from the cliffs themselves, are staggering on a clear day. The cliffs are located a short walk from the parking lot and along one of the park�s most popular trails, but a few minutes into climbing them, you will forget the nearby crowds and become totally focused on the task at hand. You will suddenly be worlds away from that crowded parking area and the busy slice of the Appalachian Trail just above you.

From the large parking area at Hughes River Gap and the Stony Man Overlook on Skyline Drive, the cliffs of Little Stony Man are plainly visible. Rising about 100� from their base, the cliffs offer challenging technical climbs on wonderfully solid rock with a generally good supply of holds. Since it is so easy to hike to the top of the cliffs and anchoring opportunities there are plentiful, toproping is the predominant climbing method here, but lead climbs are possible, too. The cliffs offer numerous routes: gullies, chimneys, cracks, buttresses, and overhangs. Just study them from above and below and then decide what you want to attempt. I have not tried the hardest routes and cannot accurately rate them, but based on my knowledge of other routes that I have seen and whose ratings I do know, there is at least 5.10 climbing to be found here. Note: a book by Jeff Watson called Virginia Climbers Guide does exist and lists dozens of routes in Shenandoah National Park, but due to the facts that I have not read the book and that it has received mostly negative user reviews on Amazon, I have not provided a link for it and cannot credibly recommend it as a useful resource.

Some things to note:
� Although the rock is a very solid, ancient greenstone and offers plentiful holds and opportunities to place protection, it is in places covered with lichens or moss, making it slippery and, consequently, treacherous. Be forewarned.
� The cliffs face west. A warm afternoon makes for beautiful climbing.
� Strong winds often pummel this spot. They usually come from the west, though, and when they do, you might actually appreciate them as they push you closer to the rock. But free soloists on the technical routes should especially heed the winds before climbing. Hike to the top first and check out the winds. There�s a quick way back down, and I don�t mean by jumping (see Getting There).
� Timber rattlesnakes live in the park. It�s highly unlikely that they�ll be hanging out in such a heavily used area, but you never know.
� The park is open all year, but winter days can be bitterly cold. There could be unseen icy spots as well, epecially in the dark, inset gully described briefly in the next section and in more detail on the attached route page.

Some Climbing Opportunities

There are at least three reasonable routes for free soloists who don�t mind making a few moves entailing the kind of exposure that means certain death if one falls. On each of those routes, I have made it unroped about three fourths of the way, with the hardest moves being around 5.4, before encountering highly exposed sections requiring awkward moves. They were moves I could make with little trouble in a spot without so much exposure, but the drop and its consequences made me think twice about whether a father of young children ought to be risking it all on a cliff he can hike up instead.

The first two of those routes are on either side of a large buttress about midway along the cliffs. Look for a gully system snaking up the cliffs. Both run into spots where there is a smooth, steep, moss-covered ramp of about ten to fifteen feet in length; I climbed as far as this ramp on both routes and could see their conditions up close, but they are also visible from the ground below. Anyway, passing these spots without being roped would put the climber in a position where a fall I likely to send him or her all the way back down. Beyond these ramps, though, the good rock returns, and the rest is steep but very climbable for a good scrambler.

The third route is left (north) of the other two, about one third of the way along the cliffs from their northern end. Slabs and ledges, often quite exposed but not too difficult Class 4, low Class 5) link together in a slightly southerly direction as one climbs until he or she reaches a ledge from which continuation is no longer �safe� for the unroped climber. This spot is about two thirds to three fourths of the way up, and the top is plainly visible. Getting by and up to the next ledge, though, requires climbing to the left up a short wall that will have one tilting back over empty space, going straight up to the ledge via a steep, smooth face, or right to a gully that leads to that next ledge. The problem with the left option (or an unroped climber, remember), is the exposure that almost guarantees death if one falls. The middle option has no good holds; you need some seriously sticky hands and feet for it. The right option is the easiest, but reaching that gully requires an awkward stretch to it across a space where the holds are small and the exposure again means likely death if one falls.

Of course, experts will make quick work of those routes and could free solo the truly difficult ones, too, and roped climbers should have no trouble with them, either.

For scramblers and free soloists of more modest ability or ambition, there are still ways up other than hiking. The cliffs are their sheerest and hardest around the middle of the formation, but at both the north and south ends there are ways up that range from Class 3 to easy Class 5. The Class 3 routes are at the north end of the formation. Other routes there and at the south end, three of which I have successfully climbed, get into low Class 5 with minimal to moderate exposure. One route on the south end is particularly worthwhile; it follows a dark, inset gully (really a chimney) straight to the top. Most of the climbing through it falls into that nebulous world between Class 4 and low Class 5. There will be an attached route page showing and detailing this climb and a neighbor of it in a little bit.

Photo captions provide additional information about the cliffs and the climbing on them, including some of the routes mentioned in the preceding paragraphs.

Getting There

The Little Stony Man parking area is in the park�s Central District at MP 39 on Skyline Drive. If entering the park at the Front Royal or Thornton Gap entrance, drive south. If entering at Rockfish Gap or Swift Run Gap, drive north.

To reach the top of the cliffs, follow the Appalachian Trail south for almost half a mile. At the south end of the cliffs, look for a steep, eroded use trail that accesses the base of the cliffs.

To get directly to the base of the cliffs, hike on the AT to the junction with the Passamaquoddy Trail, which leads to a ledge offering a great view of the cliffs and then turns left to run directly beneath the cliffs.

Red Tape

It costs $15 to enter the park, and that provides access for a week. Annual passes cost $30. The interagency pass, good for yearlong entry to areas managed by NPS, USDA Forest Service, USFWS, BLM, and the Bureau of Reclamation, costs $80.

It�s common sense to wear a helmet when climbing, anyway, but it�s especially important here since people at the top might toss rocks over the edge.

The park is open all year, but Skyline Drive does sometimes close after snow or ice storms. The park site does not give current road conditions, so call ahead (540-999-3500).

To reduce poaching, Skyline Drive is subject to closures during hunting season. The information below, copied and pasted from the park site, illustrates the 2006 restrictions�
From November 13, 2006, through January 6, 2007
Skyline Drive
� between Front Royal (Mile 0 at U.S. Highway 340) and Thornton Gap (Mile 31 at U.S. Highway 211), and
� between Swift Run Gap (Mile 65 at U.S. Highway 33) and Rockfish Gap (Mile 105 at U.S. Highway 250),
will be closed daily between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.
The central portion of the Drive, between Thornton Gap and Swift Run Gap, will remain open for overnight access to Skyland Resort and Big Meadows Campground until those facilities close on November 26.
Then, beginning November 27, 2006, through January 6, 2007, the entire length of the Skyline Drive will be closed daily from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 a.m.

Camping

The nearest campground is Big Meadows, about 14 miles south. The campground is usually open from early March through Thanksgiving weekend. Reservations are strongly advised. The lodges are seasonally open, with Skyland opening earlier than Big Meadows. For more comfort, consider staying at Skyland Lodge, about three miles south, or at Big Meadows lodge. See the External Links section for links to pertinent information.

External Links

Official park site
Camping info
Lodging info

Images