Durfee Hill Management Area

Directions
Directions are from Providence and points east so if coming from the south or west your directions will vary. Take Route 44 west. Take a left on Route 94 (Reynolds Road). Go for about a mile and a half. Pass the brown sign and parking lot for the Durfee Hill Management Area. Park at the next pull-off on the left (east). Walk diagonally left (south) crossing the road. You will see a well-defined path on right (west) side of the road at the end of the guardrail.. Follow it to the crag which is only a hundred feet or so from the road.  The South Cliff is about 1000 feet farther down the road.  Park either on the left (west) side (more room) or a pullout on the right (east).  

Routes
 The rock is granite and has routes on slabs and vertical and diagonal cracks. Practicing trad leading on easy routes is possible in many of the cracks. This was mostly a top-rope area for years but has seen a number of bolted routes put up by an area local. First Ascent (FA) nformation is what is known.  Sport routes were put up recently, so this route information is known. All first ascents refer to a route that has been led ground-up no falls or takes unless otherwise noted as a top-rope (TR) ascent. There are four cliffs that I have arbitrarily named by their location with the exception of Hemlock Ledge which is identified as such on USGS topographic maps. Some of the cliffs are a way in the woods and hard to find, especially when there are leaves on the trees.

Roadside Crag
This is the first cliff you come to.




Red-Durfee Dangler 5.11a. Orange-Dangler Direct 11c. Yellow-Durfee Straight 5.7. Green-Fat Hands 5.6.
Durfee Dangler

Roadside Crag 
Durfee Dangler 11a FA Ward Smith 1985
Dangler Direct 11c FA Ward Smith 1985  

Roadside Crag (west end)
Keep following the cliff band from the first cliff. There are multiple cracks here that have been led trad over the years.
 
Backbreaker Arete. 5.8. Dirty Deeds 5.9. Big Tree Route 5.8

Backbreaker Arete. 5.8. FA Jeff Sargeant July 2023. Climb starts on the ground..Not from the top of the flake.  Although the first bolt can be clipped while standing on the flake.
Dirty Deeds 5.9. FA Jeff Sargeant July 2023. Thin, crimpy start, then follow bolts up and slightly, right passing horizontal cracks, to 2-bolt anchor.
Big Tree Route 5.8 FA Jeff Sargeant, July 2023. Mxed. Gear to 3 inches, 3 bolts.Climb the face to right of the large tree on pockets and horizontals. Clip first bolt then mantle onto large ledge. Climb vertical face above following thin seam past three bolts. After 3rd bolt, you can place gear and sling a small tree on your way to 2-bolt anchor. 

 


West Crag 
This is a bushwhack off the trail.
  

Yellow-Rattletrap 5.6. Bolts-Overlaps 5.9+. Green-Unamed arete 5.9

West Crag
Overlaps 5.9+ FA Jeff Sargeant, October 2024. Climb steep rock past four small overlaps. From the fourth bolt, climb easier rock past two more bolts to the anchors.
Rattletrap 5.6  FA Jeff Sargeant, October 2024. Trad. Climb the large and sometimes loose left-facing corner to its top. From the large ledge at its top, climb the short face and left-facing corner above to the trees.
Unamed arete to the left of overlaps. 5.9 FA Jeff Sargeant, October 2024. Climb overlaps to the first bolt then traverse left to the arete. Climb the arete to a small ledge with a pine sapling. From this ledge step left to the southern side of the arete and climb through a notch in the small roof to the top of the cliff.






Hemlock Ledge
(Not to be confused with Hemlock Ledge at Beach Pond.) Located right off the trail. Relatively long approach.


Three unamed 5.7s
Unamed 5.7

South Crag
Located about 100 feet off the road about 1000 feet south of the Roadside Crag parking.


R
Parking for South Crag