Sections of the popular Rumney Rocks Climbing Area in New Hampshire are closed through the end of July due to a pair of nesting peregrine falcons.
The U.S. Forest Service announced the closure yesterday, saying they have documented a pair of actively nesting peregrine falcons on the Main Cliff of the Rumney Rocks Climbing Area.
Forest Service officials said parts of Main Cliff and Main Cliff Right will be closed until August 1 to protect both the birds and climbers. The closure only pertains to second pitches/extensions from “Via Ferrata” through “Free Bird” (including both of those routes).
The closure at Rumney Rocks follows similar closures due to peregrine falcons in New York, Vermont, and Maine.
Forest Service officials said they expect chicks to have fledged (i.e., left the nest on their own) by August 1 and the closure will be lifted. Until then, they said the birds need plenty of space.
But the closure isn’t just to protect the birds. Peregrine falcons can be territorial during this time period and may attack climbers who get too close to their nest.
