| Spitzbergen, Purple Horse, Crag X Mountain/Rock |
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| Spitzbergen, Purple Horse, Crag X   | 
| Page Type: Mountain/Rock Location: Maryland, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 38.98270°N / 77.2431°W Activities: Trad Climbing, Toprope, Bouldering, Scrambling Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter Elevation: 112 ft / 34 m | Page By: Bob Sihler Created/Edited: Nov 2, 2007 / Aug 24, 2008 Object ID: 352914 Hits: 1658 Loading... Page Score: 88.34% - 11 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Overview
Spitzbergen, Purple Horse, and Crag X are located within a few minutes' hiking of each other along the first and most rugged section of the Billy Goat Trail, the popular hiking and scrambling trail that travels Bear Island from Great Falls of Maryland south almost to Old Angler's Inn. Bear Island forms the eastern (Maryland side) side of Mather Gorge, and the gorge is where the best climbing crags in the Great Falls area are concentrated.
This page's namesake crags are small ones with a handful of routes each, and it is thus hard to justify a separate page for each one. The climbs are also short ones, with the highest climbs reaching just 35' and most of them in the 25' range. The best climbing by far is at Spitzbergen, which has the longest climbs, is the most aesthetically appealing crag, and is in the most dramatic setting, with sheer cliffs rising directly from the deep, dark Potomac River. Purple Horse is alongside the river, but the climbs themselves are mostly set back from the water in most conditions. Crag X is in a vegetated area set back several yards from the river.
From the parking area described in the Getting There section, Spitzbergen is the farthest and Crag X is the closest. Access information is included in the section on each crag.
Spitzbergen  Names and Diagrams of Routes
Spitzbergen Rock resembles Spitzbergen Island in the Arctic in that there are rocks at both and water abuts each. Beyond that, I have no idea why Spitzbergen Rock is named as it is. Perhaps a Norwegian immigrant nostalgic for home saw this austere-looking crag on a raw winter day and was somehow reminded of that island far to the northeast (no offense intended to any Norwegians-- Spitzbergen is actually, believe it or not, a dream destination of mine).
Spitzbergen (see this page's primary image) is actually quite striking when viewed from the south or the west. Sheer, cracked cliffs virtually devoid of vegetation reach straight up from a still, dark section of the Potomac, almost creating the appearance of a ghost ship afloat on a placid, murky sea. The rock is whiter than much of the rock surrounding it and gleams even in overcast conditions. Up close, small pinnacles and outcrops draw the eye and entice photographers, scramblers, and dreamers.
To reach Spitzbergen, hike along the towpath from the parking area for about 5 minutes until you reach the southern end of Section A of the Billy Goat Trail (on your left). Follow this trail through woods and over boulder fields for about 20 minutes until you see the downstream-facing cliffs of Spitzbergen (pictured on this page) off to your left. You can find a variety of ways, ranging from Class 2 to Class 3, to reach the base of the crag. A good way to tell that you are very close to Spitzbergen is to look for Trail Marker 2, which also indicates and "emergency exit" directly back to the towpath. Spitzbergen is just a few yards beyond this marker.
The named routes on Spitzbergen range from 5.7-5.10. The longest route, AAU Crack, is about 50' in all, but almost half is a traverse, making the vertical climb just slightly more than half that. Vertically, all the cimbs range from 25 to 30 feet. Most people toprope the routes out here, and a strategically placed rope could allow one to try most of the routes in one outing, but the crack routes are leadable. Please see the photo with route diagrams included in this section; it shows and lists all the named routes on Spitzbergen.
Although there is only one established route up the river-facing wall on Spitzbergen, there are many other climbing opportunities there for those who are more interested in a fun climb than they are in following the exact steps and moves someone else put into some guidebook. Climbers choosing to enjoy Spitzbergen this way will have to rappell down to get started, but they will also get to experience the thrill of climbing directly above the river.
Scramblers and boulderers can find numerous short routes and problems on and around the crag.
Purple Horse
About 15-20 minutes from the parking area, hikers on the Billy Goat Trail pass two ponds and then arrive at a sandy beach before turning to climb some rock outcrops as the trail continues upstream. The low, broad crag on your left as you reach the beach is Purple Horse Rock. The climbs here are only 25-35' and the rock is not too visually spectacular, but the crag does have a couple of nice roof climbs and a good wall on which beginners can practice. Mostly, though, Purple Horse sees scramblers and boulderers playing on its faces, cracks, and outcrops.
Although I've never seen any roped climbers on Purple Horse, I am still listing the named routes on it, from its upstream to its downstream end:
The Prow (5.10)-- One of the roof climbs; see attached photo.
Barn Door (5.9-)
Barn Roof (5.9)-- The other roof climb.
River Wall (5.4-5.8)-- Many options here; I scrambled something near the left end of the wall, but it didn't feel like 5.4 (more like Class 4 with one or two 5.0-5.2 moves); a photo in this section shows this wall.
Swing Low (5.10-)
Crag X
10-15 minutes' worth of hiking on the towpath and the Billy Goat Trail from the parking area gets you to a rocky section with a dropoff on the left. From here, look for a small, upstream-facing outcrop whose base is populated with sand and scrub. That is Crag X, and some Class 3 scrambling will get you there. The river is visible from the rocks, but the river won't be close enough to be a factor in climbing considerations unless flood conditions are occurring.
Crag X has 10 toprope routes in the 5.6-5.10 range (if interested in them, please consult one of the guides in the links section), but the routes are only 30-35'. On the plus side, many of the routes are clustered enough so that one good setup will allow for the climbing of several different routes.
Crag X also has considerable bouldering appeal. The ends of the outcrop are particularly suitable for bouldering and scrambling, but the crag's short height and sheer faces also make just about anywhere on it crashpad-friendly.
Crag X is nothing exciting, but it is a place to go if you want a crag to yourself. As the Billy Goat Trail does not pass directly beneath this crag, few hikers visit the rocks at Crag X. The same most certainly cannot be said of Purple Horse a little bit upstream.
Getting There
From I-495, take Exit 41, just north of the Virginia line, heading west on the Clara Barton Parkway and then onto MacArthur Boulevard. About 3 miles from the interstate, look for Old Angler's Inn on the right side of the road. Across the road from the inn is a parking area. Park.
The parking area fills early on nice weekends. Do not park at Old Angler's Inn. If the parking area is full, look for roadside parking along the south side of the road or continue along MacArthur until you reach the entrance to C&O Canal National Historical Park. There is more parking here, but you have to pay a $5 admission fee, and you will also have a longer hike to the crags, especially to Purple Horse and Crag X.
Red TapeNo admission fees, but the area is on NPS land and all regulations for C&O Canal NHP apply (see links section).
The park closes at dark. Do not alter the rock in any way to place gear. Beware poison ivy and copperheads.
CampingNone
External LinksC&O Canal NPS site
An excellent resource for the area is Eric Horst’s Rock Climbing Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. The section on Great Falls provides one-sentence overviews of the routes. Also, consider the PATC Climbers' Guide. It focuses just on the Great Falls area and details more crags and routes than the other guide does.
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