Hemlock Hill in the Arnold Arboretum

Most of the bouldering in the Arnold Arboretum can be found at Hemlock Hill directly south of Bussey Hill and flanked by Hemlock Road, Valley Road, and South Street. You'll find a collection of rhododendron at the top of the hill and many of the trees are tagged for identification. There are occasional passers by, but very few people actually climb in this area.

HORNY TOAD & CHOMPASAURUS - the first two boulders can be found by following the dirt path up to the top of Hemlock Hill from Hemlock Road. They are mid-strength conglomerate rock that look like they're made of poured concrete that was mixed with marble-sized pebbles. The texture makes for lots of opportunities to cling to tiny crimps. These two boulders will not crumble as you climb but can be fairly sharp. It is 5-6 moves from start to finish for both.

THE THOUSAND YEAR OLD TURTLE - the next boulder of note is a short traverse that can be found directly west and downhill of the first two boulders. It is leaning against another rock and is rust colored on the top half and whitish on the bottom half. It is of the same quality as the other two, and problems consist of ~5 moves.

HALF SLABBA RIBS - the fourth, and probably the best boulder, is found to the East-southeast of the first two boulders. Head toward South Street until you get to a ravine with a boulder slab to your left and a short, vertical wall of rock to your right. This rock is a different quality than the other three. I am not sure what it's made of (looks like shale/granite), but it's strong and fairly smooth. The slab is ~7 moves.

UNNAMED - the fifth boulder of the area is northwest of the slab toward Valley Road directly north of the summit of Hemlock Hill. This boulder is like the first three in rock quality. It looks like ~6 moves.

MR FUGGLESTEIN - the sixth boulder of note is west of the fifth boulder about 50 feet uphill of Bussey Brook. It is the same conglomerate as the last boulder but is a bit shorter with the sketchiest landing of all the boulders. It has ~4 moves.

RHOCKODENDRON - the last boulder contains the longest and most difficult route. It lies halfway up Hemlock Hill about 50 yards uphill to the left from a footbridge that goes over Bussey Brook from Valley Street. The landing is sketchy, but the rock is strong, and the route is long. It has ~14 moves.

-No camping. -Some short TR possible with great natural anchors. -Help cleanup some of the trash left behind by less cool people. -Scan for broken glass.

EG & TD, 4/15