North Carolina Wall

Overview

North Carolina Wall is part of Linville Gorge, not incredibly busy due to the rough but not necessarily lengthy approach from the Table Rock parking lot. There are approximately 90 routes on the wall, only 30 or so that can be found in the Lambert & Shull's guidebook. The climbs range in size from 70 to 500 ft, many with multiple pitches.

This wall was first really established in the 1970's, after the Green Beret's and Outward Bound instructors (still there) had been using Table Rock for years. This, of course, means that a lot of the early ascents are now slightly under-rated in terms of difficulty, so be careful not to get in over your head. The nice thing is that many of these routes can be led a number of ways, giving slight variability in difficulty.

Getting There

To reach NC Wall, use the same parking lot and camping area as Table Rock. To get there from Morganton, follow NC 181 for 22 miles north, and turn left at the bottom of a hill at Gingercake Rd. Stay left to stay on Table Rock Rd, and follow this road for 2 miles until a right turn pointing to Table Rock Picnic area. Follow this gravel road for 3 miles to the Table Rock parking lot. There are spaces for camping here, but no running water, so bring it in.

Amphitheater Approach:
From the parking lot, heading north would lead to Table Rock, but to NC Wall, head south past the camping spots (Mountain-to-Sea Trail). Follow this trail for 0.6 miles, which leads to The Chimneys. This area is great for toproping after a short day. Cool formations of limestone make for interesting climbing at all difficulties. Continue down the trail for about 0.4 miles to three exposed quartz rocks on the right side of the trail. Turn right (west) down this smaller trail for 0.3 miles until you reach a large gully. There is a rough trail here, follow it down into the Class 3 gulley until you reach a large, flat rock. From here, head either right (north) to get to The Prow (5.4) on the north side of Amphitheater, or left (south) to get to the Mummy Buttress.

Main NC Wall Approach
Continue past the Chimneys for about 0.2 miles, taking a blazed trail right, following 3 minutes to another junction. Turn left, then immediately right through rhododendrons to a clearing. Follow a Class 2 gully until it ends behind a buttress. Cut left behind the buttress into a narrow corridor. Follow the trail right under the buttress and down one final gully to a climber's trail beneath the cliff. Turn left and go about 5 minutes to Pixie Wall (5.11c) just above some boulders.

Apricot Buttress Approach
From the Chimneys, continue down the trail for about 100 ft to a smaller trail leading right. For Apricot Buttress continue down the trail for 0.1 miles, and head down a steep, southwest-facing gully between Apricot Buttress and NC Wall. Apricot Jam (5.9+) is on the right.

Red Tape

There are raptor closures here from January to August, so watch for signs and check the Carolina Climber's Coalition website for updates.

Camping

Camping is free here at the parking lot, but has no running water.

Images

View North Carolina Wall Image Gallery - 4 Images