fun route that takes a few tries before finding the right foot placement. starting off on the big triangular boulder at the bottom, there are some big jugs leading up to the first lower ledge about 25 feet up. The slopey wall after that is the crux, there is a few ways you can do it, some climb straight left from the ledge then go up, others will balance their feet on the slopey wall using a few tiny crimpers to get you to the next jug.

Mountain Laurel

Wishbone

Crow's Nest

Crystals

Jungle Jim

Branford Slab

Pronghorn

Sunnyside

Night Shade

Out of bounds

Crazy Diamond

Withywindle Wall

Quartz Jester

Climb a ramp up to a vertical, slanting right crack.  Fight through the pump and finish out above in the trees.

Gaping Crack on the left side of the wall.  Bring some big pro.  Flake on the left is creaky, not recommended for gear.

Start left of crazy diamond work up through some sharp crystals. Not sure where the original line continues, there is not much room between Crazy Diamond and the 9/10- in the center of the cliff. Just wanted to document something was there.

Right hand crack up to a hemlock tree.  Pumpy to start, usually toproped.

This is the slab a few hundred yards behind the main entrance wall, going climbers left from it. It could easily be bouldered but we had the gear and needed a clean so we roped up. Solid rock with nice nubs for hands and feet, pretty easy going up an easy face.

Climb up the obvious right-leaning Jungle Jim crack, continue a few feet up the crack, and reach left to the lower end of a diagonal right facing flake. Then continue straight up the face past a rounded left-pointing horn and shallow C-shaped scar to the top.

Short face on far left of cliff, a bit chossy. holds may have broken off since the FA. 

The short arete that starts on small holds and goes directly into gaston crimps. Dance along the arete for several moves to the top. Route is more difficult if you tend left at the top.  Apparently KN bagged it as a solo/highball in 1985. If you choose this style pads and lichen brushing highly recommended.  Route may have lost some holds since FA

Face left of withywindle wall. 

  Start as for withywindle wall (large layback flake) gain the left arete and make your way onto the left facing wall.

Works up into a shallow dish on the right side of the cliff nearly opposite a large tree. Crimpy moves straight up out of the dish to easier climbing. The Crazy Diamond used to be a large block handhold that I pulled off one day, it still went after that at 11-.

Steep face on the left side of the wall. 

  Climb up using a few jugs and crystals and top out above Wishbone.

to the right of Crazy diamond. Works up into an overlap roof which is the crux. I was only ever on this on toprope.

Diamond Ledges sits in a scenic location behind Holcomb Farm on Granby Land Trust property donated by Mary Edwards. It is a typically shady main cliff that maxes out at ~60ft high. The rock is a unique blend of gneiss and sharp quartz asperities. Routes at the main cliff range from 5.6 ~ 5.11+ and there is some room to expand. The cliffs on this property have been lookout points for many years and have had documented climbing since the 1970s.There is another ~45 foot tall cliff beyond the main cliff a couple hundred yards if you cut through the woods diagonally on climber's left of the main cliff. If you have information about the several routes there, please post, it looks like they haven't seen much love in a while. If you take the main broad hill trail up to the lookout where the foundation is this lookout sits atop the upper cliff.There are also a handful of boulders in the Diamond Ledges area, although they are not well documented and often require cleaning.- A cluster of boulders is located several dozen yards diagonally through the woods to the climber's right of the main cliff, they can be seen from the footpath that rounds to the top of the cliff if there is little/no foliage. - There is another round plump boulder located directly off broad hill main trail on the way to the upper cliff lookout.- There is also another "warm up" bouldering wall near the upper cliff lookout. This wall is to the climber's left of the upper cliff, for an easier approach take a right through the woods a couple hundred feet before the foundation at the lookout. Diamond ledges has several other rock outcroppings that exist in the slope north/northwest behind the main cliff. Much of these rocks have not been climbed due to quality and choss. Take care to stay away from houses on Broad Hill if you choose to adventure and search for new routes/boulders. Parking is located in a small dirt lot at a chain gate and a library box. Please carpool if possible especially on weekends, this parking can get full from walkers and climbers. DRIVE SLOW (less than 10 MPH) up Broad Hill, there are horses and houses close to the road, driving inappropriately could harm access.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Diamond Ledge