Tamaqua Bouldering PA

Near the small
village of Lofty near Tamaqua. Although the area is small
quite a few interesting problems can be found here.
Directions
Using the map to the right, it is best to access the town of Lofty from I-81 and descretly turn left onto an unmarked dirt road near the center of town. Respect the landowners and private property. Drive this to old coal/strip mining land, park near the tracks and bushwack. You can also hike in from Tamaqua. I don’t know if parking near the tracks is legal but I have never had a problem. Use caution!

Overview
Tall, grey-colored flatirons jut out of the hillside near Tamaqua. These are the only features like this I have come across in the Keystone state. This area is very small and only worth visiting if you live nearby or are climbing at a nearby area. If you walk the ridge from the main area you will come across a large, round boulder called the Fun boulder. Find this by walking east on the footpath from the Flatirons. There are also some small boulders that overlook Tamaqua near the railroad tracks at the far east end of the ridge. Tom Kneiss and myself put up a handful of problems in the mid-90s here. We were lured in by the sight of this crag from the highway. From I-81 the area looks like a huge cliff; when you hike in you realize the side visible from the road is too low-angle to climb, but the backside has overhanging bouldering. Once again: this area is small, not high, and not worth driving far to come too. It’s a cool place to boulder is if you live in Tamaqua, and you probably don’t.