Wesleyan Mountaineering Club
Seven Falls Bouldering Guide
by Austin Zinsser
Driving Directions: From I-91
Northbound:
Take I-91 north to the Middletown, RT 66 exit.
Take 66 East about ten miles into middletown.
Follow signs for RT 9 south.
Take RT 9 south about five minuets to exit 10, Aircraft Rd.
Southbound: Take I-91 south to the RT 9 south exit,
twenty minuets south of Hartford
Take Rt 9 south about ten minuets to exit 10, Aircraft Rd.
 

From Rt 9: Take the Aircraft Rd, exit, just south of Middletown.
Make a Right at the light, on to Saybrook RD,
In less than a mile, you will drive under the power lines.
Seven Falls parking area will be on the left and is marked by a sign which reads
"Parallel parking only."  If the gate is closed, park at the pullout up the road before the gate.
There is another place to park which is closer to many of the new boulders. See the map for the P. I do not know if it is legal to park here, but have never had a problem.
After making a right at the light, make a left onto Freeman Rd, just past the Coyote Blue Resturant. Drive about 1.1 miles down Freeman Rd, there will be a steel gate on the right across a paved Rd.
Park on the shoulder so as not to block the gate.
Hike down the paved road and you will soon reach the substation and the powerlines.
 
 


Boulders on the Map
1. Pancake Boulder,     2 & 3. Wesline Area,     4. Quartzite Corner,     5, 6 & 7. The Ridge Area
8 & 9. The Substation Area,     10. Powerline Area,     11. Cancer Cluster,     12. Gurgle Boulders,
13. Bible Rock,     14. Smurf Boulders

Topo map Notes:
Both the Problems and the Boulders are rated on a few scales.
Overall Quality: How fun is it? From zero* to three ***.
Landings: Pad means a boudlering pad is suggested. HB denotes a highball problem.
Difficulty: Who needs specific V grades? Easy, Medium or Hard.
E: Probably V0-
M: Somewhere around V0 to V4
H:  Anything I had to come back to send. Maybe ~V3 and up.
??: means it's a project or has not been attempted but looks nice.

This is the first boulder that Andrew Barco and I found at Seven Falls. He said that it looks like a stack of pancakes. It is pegmatite and Na and K feldspar and quartz crystals with sheets of Haddam gneiss on the the top. This means that it has face holds on the lower part part and slopy top outs. The pacncake boulder is probably the most climbed boulder at Seven Falls, or maybe Bible rock, which isn't saying much. It is the best for a nice warm up. It's relatively close to the car also.

1. Pancake Boulder
Directions:
From the Seven Falls Parking Area: From the parking area on Saybrook Rd, Rt 154, walk North West up Saybrook Road, towards Middletown, or up stream. Just after the end of the parking area, after Bible Rock Brook goes under the road, take the trail on the right into the woods. Walk in and make your way around the fallen tree and onto the blue trail leading to the left, (Northish-Westish) Take the trail up hill across the powerline cut, the blue trail joins the powerline trail for fifty feet up the hill. From the powerline, you can see the powerline area across the valley, that gives the map some real world scale.  The pancake Boulder is in the woods right on the trail after it crosses the powerline cut.

Pancake Boulder ** This boulder is real fun, mostly easy problems, but a few projects too. A WMC special, great for new boulderers.
Problems:
1) Unnamed, E, * Good warm up.
2) Unnamed, E, * Climb through small roof and up arete.
3) Low Traverse, M Traverse staying above low roof and below #2's roof. Try the underclings only contrivance also.
3) Unnamed, M Climb out through low roof.
4) Pancake Arete, M, ** Sit start and climb up overhanging arete and top out. Nice moves.
5) Slapjack Traverse, H, ** Traverse right to left, from jugs at the tree around the pancake arete, stay off the large horizontal.
6) Unnamed project, sit start.
 

2&3, Wesline Area
Directions From the Pancake Boulder: Watch Out! This one's short, but it's a bushwhack,
From the Pancake Boulder, follow the blue blaze trail North into the park, away from the powerlines. After hiking up hill about a hundred yards, make a left and walk into the woods wherever it is convenient. Climb over the small rise and down into the little valley. The outcrops of the ridge area are on the hill across the valley. You may cross an old road. Cross the ten foot boggy section and climb over the fallen trees and you should see rocks ahead of you, up the hill. The boulders are scattered across the hillside. I usually come in around wesline, the tall white face halfway up the hill. The rest of the problems are to the right of wesline.

Wesline Area
1) Wesline, H, ** Climb the tall bulgy face from the high left hand blocky sidepull. The topout is sharp.
2) Roof Problem, M, ***, Pad, This problems's short but great. Twenty feet to the right and uphill from wesline is a slab of gneiss sticking out of the ground, forming a low roof. Climb through the roof from the jug underneath. There is one good foot.
3) Unnamed Roof, M, fifty feet to the right of #2 is a dirty, blocky roof. Climb out of the roof using a small crack.
4) Pitfall Boulder, M, *, It's real short, but the rock is good and the topout is really interesting. It/s located way to the right of #3, and up hill, above a overhanging wet wall. Freeman Rd runs just north of the pitfall boulder.

5, 6 & 7 the Ridge Area
The Ridge area is the central northern part of the park. The ridge itself has some of the largest rocks that I've found so far.
Wanning Wall, Bird's Nest Boulder and the Brook Boulders make up the area. Of the Boulders, Birds Nest is, in my opinion, the nicest, Wanning wall is good, but only has a few problems. The Brook Boulder is sharp and has bad landings, be warned.


This Topo is definitely not to scale.
Directions to the Ridge Area:
-From Pancake Boulder: Follow the blue trail past pancake boulder for about seven minuets. The trail parallels a brook and then crosses the brook at the Brook Boulders. Cross the brook and walk about thrirty feet on the trail to a old log covered road on the left. Leave the trail and hike on the road about two minuets until it peters out near the base of Wanning Wall. To reach Birds nest, make a right turn and walk next to the rocks on a faint trail.
-From Two Trees Area: From the blue trail on the powerline, above the powerline boulders, Walk North, or across the powerlines away from the two trees wall. You will go through a thin stretch of woods and come out on the other powerline cut. Keep bushwacking across this cut into the woods on the other side.If you started in the right place, ha ha, you wll come to the base of Bird's Nest afte

Ridge Area Problems: Fom South East to North West
Bird's Nest Boulder,  One of My Favorites *** This one stays Dry, Landing is good in general, Mostly Haddam Gneiss.
Problems:
1) Unnamed, E, *, Ascend the slab side of the Bird's nest Boulder on its right side.
2) Crazy Brit, E, ***, HB, Ascend the slab up the middle between the bulges, climbing nice crystals.(~5.8R)
Problems 3-5 are on the thirty foot tall overhanging face. They do not top out, but finish on the juggy ledge halfway up.
3) Bird's Nest Up, M, **, Start on the large horizontal with old bird's nest, just to the left of the boulder with the blue blaze. Climb up until you can reach left to the juggy ledge.
3) Bird's Nest Traverse, M, ***, Pad, Start same as above. Traverse 20' left all the way to the dirty crack, finishing from small crimpers.
4) Unnamed, M, *, Climb up the middle to the juggy ledge.
5) Unnamed, E, *, Pad, Start at the dirty crack, climb up and right following the nice juggy ledge
5) Unnamed, M, HB, Pad, Climb up the dirty crack and finish leftish.
6) Unnamed, ?? HB, Climb through the roof around the corner from the overhanging face.
There are a few problems between Birdsnest and Wanning Wall. Nice Juggy roofs and Balancy stuff. Find them for yourself.
Wanning Wall, Steep and smooth **, Pad. Quartzite and Potassium Feldspar
7) Young Guns, M, *, HB, Climb up the big part of the overhanging face, Finish on the large Horizontal, mid way up.
8) Unnamed, M, **, Pad Start just to the left of the tree, climb up and out the overhanging bulggy face, top out.
9) Unnamed, M, *, Pad, Start as far left as there is still a problem, Climb up and top out.
Tunnel Boulder This Boulder is perched on the top of the hill above (North-East) Wanning Wall. It is sharp, but fun.
10) Tunnel Traffic, H, *, Pad. Climb up the steep side of the boulder right to the left of the tunnel.
Brook Area Boulders *, Pad, This area would be great if it wasn't so damn sharp. The babbling brook almost makes up for it
11) Unnamed,  M, Pad, Climb up near the right arete.
12) Unnamed, M, *, Pad Climb up on small sharp crystals, just right of the tree. Get a good spotter.
13) Unnamed, M These are on the Boulder just downstream, Dyno up or traverse along the central horizontal. Don't Bother.
 

8 & 9 the Substation Area
Directions from the other parking area-
There is another place to park which is much closer to the substation area and makes the approach to the cancer cluster and burgle boulders shorter as well. After making a right off the Rt 9 exit ramp onto saybrook rd, rt154, make a left onto Freeman Rd, right after the coyote blue resturant. Take Freeman rd 1.1 miles to a road on the right with a gate across it. I have never had a problem parking here, but don't block the gate. Walk down the road to the substation. Walk to the right around the substation next to the fence until you come to the powerline trail. Go left on the powerline trail for about a minuet or two. When you see the (dry?) pond on your right, take a faint trail into the woods. The trail peters out but just keep walking. After about fifty feet you will come to the rocks.

The Problems
1) Unnamed, M, **, Pad, Climb up the face using small crimps. Dustin Stevens put this one up
2) Project, H, ??, Pad, Climb up the steep face.
3) Substation Arete, H, ***, Climb up the arete using small high crimps, topout, watch for the loose? hold.
4) Unnamed, M, * Climb the low angled face.
5) Unnamed, E, *, Climb a slab, would be nicer if it was cleaner.
6) Unnamed, same as #5
The Blue Mood Boulder is uphill and to the right from the substation boulder area.
7) Blue Mood, M, **, Pad, This problem climbs out of the hole and tops out to the left. The topout is dirty, but the lower section is super fun. Also, move right at the bottom and topout, harder.

10, The Powerline Area
The Powerline Area is located on and just south of the powerline cut, roughly in the center of what this page refers to as Seven Falls park. It has a lot of potential for hard problems on the Two Trees wall and in the grotto area. The rock is mostly pegmatite and the holds generally range from nice and pleasant on some boudlers and real sharp on others.

Directions to the Powerline Area:
From the Seven Falls Parking Area, There are two way to reach the Powerline area, the easy way is to walk down the powerlines from theri intersection with the blue trail on the way to the pancake boulder. From this point the powerline area can be seen south, on the far hill.
The faster, and more aesthetic way is to take the blue trail on the saybrook road side of the powerlines. To reach the blue trail walk through the Seven falls picnick area and cross Bible Rock brook somewhere.  After hopping across the brook, bear right until you find the southbound blue blazed trail.Take this trail about five to ten minutes, crossing a small brook and passing an old  pile of boards and a trail on the right. You should come very close to the powerlines and the northernmost outcrop of the Powerline area.They are the first rocks which are big enough to climb on if you are over three feet tall.

The Problems:
The rocks right on the powerlines have a small sheltered cave like area near the woods and the blue trail. I know of  a few problems in here.
1) Unnamed, M, **, Pad, Climb up the vertical face at the rear of the area.
2) Unnamed, H, ??, Some guy at Prime Climb told me he did a problem here, If you know who he is please email me so I can  be more polite.
In the Woods around the corner from # and # is a short overhanging face with a slaby topout above it.
3) Unnamed, M, *, Sit start  from holds on the middle of the overhanging face.
4) Unnamed, same as #3
If you continue through the woods on the blue trail, it will curve left uphill to the powerline cut at a small boulder with a metal thing sticking out of it. Leave the trail and walk through the woods about thirty feet. The two trees wall will be on the left. It is really, really steep, and has two trees leaning against it.
5) Unnamed, M, **, Pad, On the left part of the wall, climb up to the large horizontal, long moves lead to the topout.
6) Two Trees, H, ***, Pad, To the left of the trees is a right hand sloper pinch just within reach. Climb up to higher edges and topout using the left edge of the large horizontal and holds near the tree. I think this problem is awesome, A Seven Falls Classic and the most difficult in the park. Shorter climbers might need to stand on crashpads or do the ridiculous sit start.
7) Project, There are few lines here waiting for the likes of Dave Graham.
8) Unnamed, ??, Pad, Dustin Stevens thinks it will be a super classic, whatever that means.

11, The Cancer Cluster
First, its called the cancer cluster because its right on the powerlines. We all know of the the link between electromagnetic fields and brain tumors.
Anyway, the Cancer Cluster is the large outcrop on the powerlines about a hundred yards south southeast of the powerline area.
It Dries Quickly, even if it rains in the morning, it is usually dry in the afternoon. The problems climb either rough or sharp pegmatite rock. The rough rock has good texture and isin't that rough if your hands are used to  frequent bouldering abuse. Some of the problems towards the left are just sharp and not that fun but, the problems towards the right are good.
The large slab is a great warm up high ball with some mild exposure. Don't forget to climb into the chasm between problems four and five.

Directions:
From Birdsnest Boulder; Continue along the blue trail from the birdsnest boulder, out of  the "ridge area." The trail forks in fifty feet, go right and up the hill in front of you. Follow the trail along a rock ridge and across the northern split of the powerlines. Continue on the trail into the woods seperating the powerlines and when you get to the other powerline cut, you will be at the Cancer Cluster.
The Cancer Cluster **, Dry
1) Unnamed, M, ** Climb from the hold with the blue blaze up and top out. Also try the sit start from small crimps.
2) Unnamed, H, *, Pad. This has a flat landing, but the topout is the crux, so a pad is recomended
3) Unnamed, M, **, Layback the water worn flake system to the good hold, and up. A pleasure.
4) Unnamed, M, *, Climb the slab, the right has tricky feet, the left is slightly easier.
5) Unnamed, M, Topout above the small overhang.
6) Unnamed, M, *, Pad, Traverse from large low holds right along the lip of the overhang. Topout on 5.
7) Unnamed, M, There are a few steep tricky problems that are somewhat sharp and not very fun.

12, The Gurgle Boulders
If you're quiet while bouldering here you can often hear the gurgle of a nearby stream, which explains the name.
The southern boulder (on the right) has a steep face and a difficult problem.
The northern boulder isn't very exciting, but may offer some entertainment to creative boulderers.
The rock is kind of sharp and its a long walk, but the one problem is interesting.
To reach the Gurgle Boulders, hike along the powerline trail east from the electrical substation.
Between the second and third set of steel powerline supports, the trail curves to the left and then back to straight.
The tops of the boulders will be visible on your rightabout fifty feet through the bushes.

13, Bible Rock
One late night in the basement of the science library I was procrastinating. I found a book on the geology of middletown and was flipping through when I came to the section on saybrook road. I almost spilled my coffee when I found a description of the coolest boulder in seven falls. Bible Rock is the only boulder at seven falls that wasn't named by someone I know.  Bible rock is two slabs of gneiss which stick up in the air. Their bedding planes are vertical and there is a wonderful crack through the entire slab. The Northern (New Testament) side is close to vertical. It has a slab side and a gently overhanging side. The edge facing Bible Rock Brook overhangs about ten degrees and is split by an excellent crack. Andrew Barco and I found this boulder right before he went to france. We named it Trango Boulder because the crack reminded us of the National Geographic article about Todd Skinner and friends on Trango Tower. Enough babble, on to the boulderin'.

Directions
From the Seven Falls Parking Area.
Walk north on saybrook road towards Middletown. After about two minuets there will be a yellow T intersection sign on the left (southbound) side of the road. Cross the road and hike into the woods through the brush,you will soon come to Bible Rock. If you get to the brook, you have gone too far, but are really close. When the leaves are down, you can barley see it from the road.
Tip: Bring a long piece of rope or webbing to ease descents.

Bible Rock Problems This is a tall boulder so you may want a pad for all of he problems.
1)God's Crack, H, ***, Climb the overhanging layback-jam crack to the slopy topout.
2)Project
3)Unnamed, M. *, Pad, Climb the overhanging face on the right side.
4)Unnamed, M, **, Start in the center and climb up big holds to a rail on the left. Topout, the high hold that looks loose is!!!
5)Unnamed, M, *, Climb the arete to the right of the offwidth, the small tree is off. Topout to the right.
6)Unnamed, M, Might be fun with out all that lichen so give it a shot. Climb the arete to the left of the offwidth.
7)Unnamed, E, **, Climb up the middle of the slabby side of the other boulder. To the left is a little harder.
8)Unnamed, M, ***, Start on the right of the slab side and climb up and to the left.

14 Smurf Boulders
Directions to the Smurf Boulders
Walk south on Saybrook Rd from the parking area. After passing the resturant and the house, go another minute. At a convenient place, leave the road, cross the brook and walk fifty feet up the hill. You should be able to see the boulder somewhere around.