New York’s Thacher Park, known widely among climbers for its grand limestone cliffs, is finally open for climbing again, but is it worth it? Climbing at this location may seem like a great experience, but first consider accessibility, who can go, safety, the grading of the routes, and whether or not it’s actually enjoyable.

Getting to climb at Thacher is no piece of cake. First, the visitor center requires mountaineers to manually fill out forms and get a two sheets printed out before they are allowed clamber up the rocks. Although, the next time they would go, they would only have to sign their name on a sheet to record their arrival. After wasting fifteen to thirty minutes filling out forms, they would drive to the entrance of the climbing area. This entrance can be simply annoying. The “Squeeze Box” is the first obstacle. Made out of wood, one must be able to slip through the narrow contraption in order to make sure they’ll be able to fit through the true entrance, “Fat Man’s Misery.” “Fat Man’s Misery” is a thin crack, just wide enough for one person (one small person in my case) to fit through sideways. It leads to the bottom of the cliffs. Descending about five meters, one must be able to shimmey through the crack while uncomfortably dragging their gear beside them. Once they arrive at the end, they would have to hike to the climbing area of the cliffs. Although the main trails are very well made and easy to follow, the side trails aren’t nearly as good. If someone wants to climb at Thacher, they must be prepared to deal with other things before they can even start to ascend the cliffs.

Accessibility might not be problem for everyone, but certain people still shouldn’t go. Many of the side trails to actually get to the climbing areas are steep and dangerous. Small children could easily slip and plummet down the cliff. In fact, when I went with some friends, we had to tether them to a tree to keep them from falling off! Also, many of the routes call for much common climbing knowledge, such as how to fall and what to do in case of a rock fall. For example, when an inexperienced friend of mine triggered a rock fall, it was a neighboring climber that had to shout out a warning because they just didn’t know what to do. Someone would have to think twice before bringing their non-climber friends for a weekend trip to Thacher. They would probably just have to settle for bringing a pet instead, which is allowed! Dogs can go to the climbing area of the park, but leashes are highly recommended. With these many things to keep in mind, certain people really shouldn’t go.

Safety is always a concern, especially at Thacher. One of the park’s well known aspects is its loose rocks. It’s almost as if there is a rock fall every day! The walls are covered in white “x”’s marking loose rocks. Often, belayers even stay far from the wall because they don’t want to get hit by falling stones. Other than that, the cliffs are fairly safe for climbing. All the routes are sport (a type of climbing) and the bolts are close together. They even provide a stick-clip at each cliff! Lastly, unlike the Gunks (another climbing area), the only snakes are garter snakes. There is no need to worry about aggressive black rat snakes attacking people out of the blue. Although the loose rocks are rather concerning, if people come with helmets, they can savor some safe climbing.

Once one is actually climbing, they might notice that the climb is not what the grade says it is. The grading is very inconsistent. Some of the easiest 5.11d’s and hardest 5.10a’s lie on these cliffs. It’s possible that all the handholds fell off. Locals state that the person that grades these routes doesn’t generally climb limestone, the rock that the cliffs consist of, therefore they can’t quite get them right. My experience is that it’s rather hard to find the right holds on many of the routes, especially with all the loose rocks. Although there are many climbs, it is very challenging to find one that would match someone’s skill level accurately.

There is one reason why people come to Thacher, and it’s to have a good time. The park is full of three-star routes. Its limestone cliffs offer a new sort of climbing for the area. Also, the horseshoe shape of the cliffs provides impeccable views! From the top of a route, a beautiful valley surrounded by a ring of stone is visible. Lastly, in the stone itself, there are millions of oceanic fossils. As the climber ascends the wall or is even still hiking to the cliffs, they can spot fossilized shells up to the size of a quarter poking out of rocks. Because of the many fun aspects of Thacher, climbing there is definitely a memorable experience.

Overall, climbing at Thacher park is very enjoyable. It is located in the state of New York, near Albany. It’s about a two hour drive from some big cities like Boston and Montpelier. There is a great deal of paved parking at the beautiful visitor but the parking area for the climbing entrance is just a field. Also, don’t worry about parking in the colder months, the cliffs are closed for climbing then. Lastly, the visitor center generally requires a small fee of six dollars.  As long as the climber knowns what is ahead, climbing at Thacher Park can be a fantastic experience.