Beauty Mountain

From West Virginia (WV) Cyclopedia

Fayette County: four-miles E of Fayetteville, WV

Beauty Mountain, is an area of cliffs and boulders along the rim of the New River Gorge, in southern West Virginia and was was so-named by area residents who had camped and picnicked on its cliff-tops for generations. Rock climbers and the National Park Service have since popularized the location globally. The cliffs (map (http://www.wvamaps.com/maps/index.php?lat=38.04457624441283&lon=-81.024169921875&place=-81.024169921875,%2038.04457624441283&pop=0&state=n/a&county=Unknown&scale=6)) provide exceptional overlooks of the New River and its gorge, part of the most popular rock climbing destination in the eastern U.S. The cliffs are protected by the National Park Service as part of the New River Gorge National River. The rock layer that forms Beauty Mountain is of the resistant Nuttall Sandstone.

Rock Climbing at Beauty Mountain

As has been said, Beauty Mountain is one of the most popular climbing areas in the eastern United States. Hundreds of climbing routes ascend its face, including some of the highest and most difficult routes in the New River Gorge. Many house-sized boulders approach the brink of its cliffs, providing a peerless bouldering area. Areas similar to Beauty Mountain, larger and smaller versions, outcrop elsewhere on the rim of the New River Gorge. The Endless Wall climbing area, the largest, is located to the northwest of Beauty Mountain. As with other climbing areas in the gorge, hard sandstones with a multitude of vertical cracks and striking features are only the secondary attractions: the incredible views and the large and active climbing community make the Beauty Mountain area a prime climbing destination.

See: New River Gorge Rock Climbing

External links:
Rock Climbing in West Virginia (http://www.wvexplorer.com/recreation/Rock%20Climbing/areas.asp),
Rock Climbing in the New River Gorge (http://www.newriverwv.com/Recreation_Rock_Climbing_.php)