New guidebook to the Nooks, Squamish-style bouldering in Ontario

Thoughts of adventure and discovery run through The Nooks Bouldering, a newly developed area in Long May You Run country north of Lake Huron.

Developed over the course of the pandemic, this new area brings high standard bouldering to the Canadian Shield, within driving range of Southern Ontario and Northern Michigan. Silence pervades, as does the absence of light pollution and cell coverage. The rock is a gritty quartzite that has yet to be polished by overuse; and hopefully, never will.

Concentrated in the Gold Mine area, the Nooks tends towards the higher grades, but offers enough intermediate bouldering to make the trip worthwhile to many. Some of the problems rank with the best that North America has to offer, and the immersion into wilderness, if merely temporary, puts it into a coveted category of areas.

Guidebook author Brendan Baars shares his enthusiasm for the boulders that took extensive scrubbing realize, many of which need several pads to make safe. The Nooks Bouldering provides the first-time visitor all that they need to know to have a worthwhile outing there. Those that choose to go will be rewarded. Purchase it here.