Creature Wall, The

Nestled in the woods off the east side of Route 73 (across from Chapel Pond) is a great, little crag with several quality routes.

The aptly named Creature Wall hosts a range of climbing from 5.5 to 5.10, and offers several routes referencing Steven King novels, such as "Christine", "Firestarter", "Pet Cemetery", and "Cujo". This cliff has the highest concentration of 5.8s (7 total) in Keene Valley, so if you are looking to test your meddle at said grade, look no further.

The cliff sits among a thick, forested hillside below Washbowl and is oriented toward the west. As a result, it offers shade in the morning and warm afternoons. To compliment this, all the climbs are single pitch, thus offering a nice option for those wanting to take it down a notch and enjoy a "mellow" day at the crag. The climbing is a healthy mixture of thin face and vertical crack climbing (from thin fingers to paw-swallowing handcracks), with the majority of the routes clocking in at around the 5.7 to 5.9 range. This is not a crag to visit when it rains, nor can you expect it to dry out quickly after it does rain.

On nice weekends in the summer and fall, expect to have some neighbors at this cliff. Because of its proximity to the road, and the ease of toproping, it is occasionally the site of guided groups. This cliff is also along the approach trail to the Washbowl Cliffs, so you may also see some traffic from people climbing at the crags above you.

Enjoy the climbing here for its quality of cracks, variety of movement, and beautiful views from the top of the cliff.