The holds are pretty good up until halfway.

Deceiving Slab

No Bargin

Standard Route

It's All Buckets

Five Nine Crack

The Wave

It's a Bargin

Cool Route

Mother Superior

Broadway Joe

Sister of Mercy

Nine to Five (Variation)

Larry Joe Bird

Smokey Joe's Cafe

"This was the original rating. It starts at the base of Standard Route  and comes up the left-facing corner. It has a good place for a cam in the corner before moving out right to the edge of the roof, then pull the roof. A hold broke off just before pulling the roof."

There is a spot to put a cam in before pulling the roof. It ends at the top of the Cool Route.

"There are two bolts on the top you can use to top rope off. If leading, you need a few big cams for the bottom." 

  I am pretty sure the bolts in this comment have all been chopped.

This is a short climb of about 15 feet high on the far right side of The Wave.

Climb the same start as for Smokey Joe's, keep going left under the roof, and follow the crack up. You can use Smokey Joe's anchor or trees that are way back there to top rope.

"Right of Mother Superior  there are two bolts on top of the overhang to toprope The Wave." 

  This is kind of a scramble route. This is the slope that splits the left face from the right face. I have not gone up this yet, but the word has it you can go up the wave to find bolts. They must be ancient now. Or just set up TR from trees.

There is a hidden pocket just above the roof that makes the climb easier if you use it. You can also place a small cam before pulling the roof.

Use the lay back holds on the right before traversing left under the roof.

This is to the right of Sister of Mercy. It has no bolts. Go up The Wave to set up a TR.

Start at the first (slightly) overhanging section from the right side of the cliff (approaching from the access trail). Pull through the small roof (about 10' off the ground) or stay to the right. Move to the left-slanting crack that leads to a bulge.  Stay left of this bulge, and follow the left-diagonaling (slight) overhang.  There is a deceptive crack underneath this overhang that seems promising (when observed from the ground), but offers little protection.  The last 10' before the ring anchors is the crux; this is when the gear gets a bit thin.  Make a reachy move to a round, baseball-sized hold at the very top.   

  This route starts right of the double-trunk tree, and finishes to the left (at two ring anchors used for Five Nine Crack).

This is straight up and fun == 

  There is not tons of info on this route. As of July 2011, this route is marked by a fallen tree resting against the face.  Bolts were here once upon a time, but it looks like the web says they were chopped back before 2002.  For a TR, you have to climb down to find a place to set up.  The route looks great.

Start just left of the notch in the roof instead of following the left-angling crack (as for Five Nine Crack). Climb up steep buckets to a sloping ledge. Use a hueco-type pocket and an undercling to traverse right into the roof notch. The move into the notch requires a bit of balance and is reachy (5.9 crux). You may have to find some intermediate crimpers/slopers if you are shorter. There are a few solid holds that can pull you through the notch. The rest of the climbing is only 5.5. This leads to the (2) ring anchors at top.

Climb the featured, steep face to the right of The Wave, which is the distinguishable 5.0 - 5.2 slab splitting the lower-left, overhanging cliff from the upper-right, taller cliff. Climb a short crack, and step right around a bulge to a comfortable ledge (at about 10'). Continue right or left of a small overhang/bulge. The right option is steeper with big jugs but less protection (i.e., ledge fall potential). The left side has slopers and more options for gear placement. Continue straight up the less-featured face (crimpy crux) with a single bolt to the chain anchors.

This is a small cliff (about 60 feet high) off of Route 121 in Wrentham, MA at the Joe's Rock Conservation area. 

  The rock is rather crumbly (I've had a couple large holds break off in my hand), and the ground is covered with broken glass and other debris. 

  It is only open dawn till dusk, and it is monitored by police (most of whom are courteous to climbers) because of past incidents with partiers. 

  There used to be quite a few bolted routes here, but most of them were chopped. There are still 2 bolted lines, one at the right end and one more towards the middle of the cliff. You can set up toprope anchors above just about anywhere on the cliff though sometimes pretty far back (as much as 40 feet), and routes can be as hard as 5.12. 

  I've also done some bouldering on the shorter parts of the cliff.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Joe's Rock