Farley Ledges

Farley Ledges
View from top of ledges
Highest point
Elevation 1,067 ft (325 m)
Coordinates 42°35′50″N 72°26′47″W / 42.59722°N 72.44639°W / 42.59722; -72.44639Coordinates: 42°35′50″N 72°26′47″W / 42.59722°N 72.44639°W / 42.59722; -72.44639 
Geography
Location Erving
Parent range Northfield Mountain
Geology
Age of rock 400 million years
Mountain type Metamorphic rock
Climbing
Easiest route Metacomet-Monadnock Trail + rock climbing access trail

Farley Ledges, 1,067 feet (325 m) is a bluff knob located on the southeast side of Northfield Mountain in eastern Franklin County, Massachusetts. The ledge is notable for its extensive rock climbing ascents; it rises 700 feet (210 m) above the small village of Farley (part of Erving, Massachusetts) and has been used by rock climbers since the 1930s. The Western Massachusetts Climbers Coalition has been active in purchasing land to preserve access to the mountain; 2007 purchases included a parcel along Route 2 developed into a trailhead with a parking lot and access corridor to the ledges. The 110-mile (180 km) Metacomet-Monadnock Trail ascends the wooded north side of the ledges where Briggs Brook Falls tumbles from the ridgecrest; a marked rock climbing access loop trail departs from the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail to traverse both the summit of the ledges and the extensive boulder field beneath.[1][2]

Climbing access at Farley is an ongoing concern and the crag has faced closures by landowners in the past.[3] Landowners have requested that no online or printed guides containing climbing route descriptions or grades are published.[4] As a result, climbing at Farley Ledges is a social affair for new climbers who must seek out experienced locals for climbing information.

Briggs Brook Falls

See also

References

  1. ↑ The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail Guide 9th edition, (1999). Amherst, Massachusetts: Appalachian Mountain Club.
  2. ↑ Western Mass Climbers Coalition Retrieved September 17, 2010.
  3. ↑ Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  4. ↑ http://www.mountainproject.com/v/farley-ledge/105987560 Retrieved July 19, 2014.


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