SCALING SANDISFIELD ’ S
Hanging Mountain
By Anastasia Stanmeyer Photos By Christopher Beauchamp
Hanging Mountain has it all : It ’ s the second-largest rock climbing location in Southern New England and the only one entirely owned by climbers . It has traditional and sport climbing . It has ample parking , established trails , and is open to the public . It is arguably the premiere climbing resource in the region .
Heading south on Route 8 through the Farmington River Valley , you won ’ t see a sign that reads “ Hanging Mountain .” Only a street number , 43 , hangs inconspicuously from a blue sign . And a dirt driveway that leads to a 240-foot high ( that ’ s 22 stories ) series of southeast-facing cliffs aching to be scaled .
Locals and rock climbers have known these cliffs in Sandisfield for generations . Portions of Hanging Mountain have shed significant amounts of stone ; other parts are quite stable . In the past , trails were underdeveloped . It was truly adventure climbing at its rawest .
Several years ago , the Western Mass Climbers ’ Coalition ( WMCC ) and Connecticut-based Ragged Mountain Foundation joined forces to purchase the privately owned portion of Hanging Mountain . WMCC member Christopher Beauchamp , who lives in New Haven , Connecticut , is credited with bringing the two groups together .
“ Hanging Mountain is three miles over the border in Massachusetts , and a highway goes straight to it ,” says Beauchamp . “ It ’ s as much a Connecticut crag , even though it ’ s in Massachusetts . It made sense to have both organizations pulling resources and talents .”
The partners reached out to The Access Fund , a national not-for-profit rock climbing advocacy group , for a bridge loan of $ 101,500 to purchase the land several years ago . The WMCC now owns the 14 acres , which it manages in partnership with the Ragged Mountain . The loan has long been paid off by the two groups through their members and fundraising . An astounding $ 93,500 in grants was received from other partner organizations that include The Access Fund , the Appalachian Mountain Club ( AMC ), Conservation Alliance , and MassTrails . ( A good chunk of that grant money —$ 54,000 — went to hiring a trail crew and to creating the parking lot .)
Hanging Mountain consists of a small access strip , a good portion of the cliffs , and the land below the cliffs . The Army Corps of Engineers owns a small section of the cliffs abutting WMCC ’ s property that is part of the Colebrook River Dam area . Climbing is not permitted on their land , but hopefully that will change in the near future , says Beauchamp . “ We have taken a lot of steps to be good neighbors .”
Right after the property ’ s sale , they went straight to work on an access road and parking area . Then the trail building began . The first portion was very steep and unstable , so they created platforms at the base and an overall infrastructure that included pathways and stone steps leading to staging areas where climbers could begin their ascent .
Certain parts also have boardwalks to protect vegetation . The project stalled when a good portion of the property was designated as “ priority habitat ” by the MassWildlife . “ We needed to do biological surveys to determine what is out there and submit our plans to the state to get them approved — how we would manage the access , where the trails would be , where climbing would and would not be ,” says Beauchamp . “ We concentrated on opening part of it so that people could use the resource .”
64 // BERKSHIRE 64 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE Spring 2023 Spring 2023