Climbers Purchase Climbing Area in North Carolina
Carolina Climbers Coalition and the Access Fund have purchased and protected Lower Ghost Town
The Carolina Climbers Coalition (CCC) and Access Fund have finalized the purchase of Lower Ghost Town in Chimney Rock, marking the end of a 25-year effort to secure access to one of North Carolina’s most coveted but historically inaccessible areas. The acquisition was made possible through an Access Fund Climbing Conservation Loan and support from the Great Trails State Grant. Lower Ghost Town sits on Round Top Mountain, directly across from Chimney Rock State Park.
The newly acquired property, according to a news release from the Access Fund, will join nearby Rumbling Bald as one of the few permanently protected climbing destinations in the central Hickory Nut Gorge. According to CCC executive director Mike Reardon, the project required collaboration across decades, involving CCC members, Access Fund, the Village of Chimney Rock, Rutherford County TDA, the NC State Trails Program, Conserving Carolina, CR Glamping, and the Great Trails State Coalition. Reardon described the acquisition as the realization of a “lofty” dream shared by a wide range of partners committed to conservation and recreation access.
Climbers first explored Ghost Town in the mid-1970s, when the Silver City amusement park operated in the meadow below the cliffs and a gondola transported visitors from Main Street. After the park closed and a housing development proposal failed in the early 2000s, word spread about the area’s exceptional climbing: 400-foot walls, abundant crack systems, strikingly streaked rock, and unusual formations. During that period, climbers established several of North Carolina’s hardest routes, including The Good 5.13d trad, The Bad 5.14b sport, and the still-unclimbed project The Ugly. Increased visitation eventually led to posted no-trespassing signs, halting legal climbing access for years.
Access Fund eastern regional director Daniel Dunn called the acquisition a story of perseverance, emphasizing the long-term commitment of North Carolina climbers to protect and reopen the cliffs. The purchase secures 16.5 acres containing the key access point to Lower Ghost Town and roughly one quarter of the climbing at the site. The remaining cliffs lie within Chimney Rock State Park, where future access plans have yet to be determined. CCC intends to extend the existing Village Boulders Trail by 1.5 miles onto the new property, potentially adding a signature segment to the Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail.
The CCC parcel includes about 50 established routes, with room for more development and numerous yet-to-document boulders. Soon-to-be classics include Wide Erp 5.10+, Solar Slab, Lumberjack Crack 5.10a, and The Ugly, which, once completed, is expected to become the hardest climb in the state. Longtime North Carolina climber Tim Fisher noted that the acquisition could eventually double the number of south-facing climbs in the gorge.
Support from the Great Trails State Coalition (GTSC) played a major role in funding the purchase. The acquisition also aligns with the state’s vision for the Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail, authorized in 2017 as a roughly 100-mile public trail corridor. Early public surveys showed significant interest in climbing access at Ghost Town. In response, CCC partnered with the Village of Chimney Rock to build the ½-mile Village Boulders Trail in 2020, later designated as an official spur of the state trail. When Chimney Rock Glamping purchased the Lower Ghost Town property in 2023, the groundwork for a future public access corridor was already in place.
This is great news for local and visiting climbers to the area and it shows the importance of regional and national access groups. Follow Carolina Climbers Coalition below for more news from the area.
