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| Sand Box Corner   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Virginia, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 38.99370°N / 77.2499°W Route Type: Trad Climbing, Toprope Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter Time Required: Less than two hours Rock Difficulty: 5.4 (YDS)
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| Page By: Bob Sihler Created/Edited: May 21, 2007 / Sep 26, 2007 Object ID: 294976 Hits: 788 Loading... Page Score: 86.45% - 2 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
This is one of the classic Great Falls beginner's routes. Because it is an easy and popular 5.4, few experts bother with it, but many an expert familiar with the area probably climbed this route in his/her learning days. This route is popular with climbing classes and with people new to roped climbing. Another nice thing about this route is that its base is about 5 feet away from the 5.6 Sand Box Crack route; topropers might be able to use the same anchors for both climbs and therefore double the fun but nearly halve the effort.
Although experienced roped climbers rarely bother with this climb, it is great for climbers who, for whatever reason(s), aren’t using rope but are ready and prepared for something beyond Class 4 and entry-level Class 5 routes, and it was from the perspective of a free-solo climber that I made this page.
GETTING THERE: From the western part of I-495, a piece of the Capital Beltway, take Exit 44 for Route 193, Georgetown Pike; this is the second exit south of the Maryland border. Drive west for a few miles until you see the well-signed road leading to Great Falls Park. Turn right and follow the road about a mile to the entrance station. After passing the entrance station, make an immediate right and drive down to a parking area. This is the area used by most climbers and kayakers.
To reach the crag, hike toward the river for two or three minutes and then turn right on the River Trail. In about five minutes, probably less, you will see a sign indicating access to the Sandbox area. A few yards past the sign, a use trail heads for the top of the crag. Then scramble (Class 3) to the base.
THE CLIMB: If you’re toproping, as most technical climbers at Great Falls do, there’s little to say but “Have fun.” If, however, you’re after the thrill of climbing with no protection but your limbs and instincts, just know that although you’re looking at an ugly fall once you get about a third of the way up, all you need are a clear head and some patience to reach about and find the holds and foot placements that will work for you. Climbing this route roped strikes me as a rather uninteresting undertaking unless you're completely new to Class 5 climbs, but going without that protection will narrow your focus, grab your attention, and make you feel that you really do deserve that cold beer waiting for you in the cooler back at the car (of course, alcoholic beverages are banned within the park, but we’ll just pretend I didn’t mention that).
EQUIPMENT: Rock shoes and a helmet. And clean those shoes when you start to climb; remember that the base here is sandy!
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