Durfee Hill Management Area Routes

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
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.

Coyote Slab
Just past and south of Roadside crag. Take a left at the trail junction and look for it on the right.

West Crag
This is a bushwhack off the trail. It is marked with a small cairn. Follow the cliff band on a rocky hillside.

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

West Crag
Unamed 5.9. Climb arete to the left of bolts.
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. Climb overlaps to the top.

Hemlock Ledge
Not to be confused with Hemlock Ledge at Beach Pond.
Follow the main trail and look for a cairn on a trail to the left. Take that trail and cliff is on the right after a 100 feet or so. Relatively long approach.

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

R