Linville Gorge: Guided Rock Climbing with Granite Arches

Description:  600 feet in some places, this steep featured granite wall holds some of the best remote wilderness multi-pitch rock climbing on the east coast. Additionally, many of the highest quality routes are very moderate in their technical grade making it an ideal location for novice and intermediate climbers looking for true adventure style rock climbing.  This area is not recommended for novice or intermediate climbers without a guide however; the frequency of storms, the remoteness and length of the climbs make them more serious in nature than most east coast climbing locations.   

Location: Linville Falls, N.C. is between Morganton, N.C., and Boone N.C. on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  It is an hour's drive from Asheville, N.C.

Climbing Season:  Climbing is best in Linville Gorge in the spring through the fall.  Linville Gorge is cooler than most areas in the summer due to its elevation, but can be quite hot.  The winter can be frigid, but good climbing days can still be found in mid-winter.

What We Offer: Granite Arches offers professional rock climbing guiding and instruction year-round at the Linville Gorge.  Granite Arches offers private guided instruction only, so you or your group will not be with any other climbers.    Our 'courses' are not set in stone, because our instruction is private and custom tailored to each client.  Instead, instructional goals of varying levels are integrated into "focus areas" to be seamlessly woven into your climbing day at the crags.  The focus areas covered by you and your guide are determined by your technical skill and practical knowledge and follow a natural progression.  

Our Credentials: Our climbing guides are  professionals who have climbed and guided rock, snow and ice allover the Southeastern US., but also in South America, Greenland, Europe, and Canada. They bring that experience to your rock climbing adventure. Swis Stockton, head guide at Granite Arches, is one of only four American Mountain Guides Association and United States Mountain Guides Association certified guides in the southeast U.S., and the only one with Wilderness Advanced Life Support (WALS) and Wilderness Paramedic certification and training.

This page was developed to help you find our services.  To learn more about the Linville Gorge, our guiding services and the courses we offer, click here.