Lincoln Woods State park is located in Lincoln, Rhode Island, and is about 15 minutes from Providence. The park officially opens May 1, and closes in late October, however, the park entrance is open year round. Olney Road is a one-way road that loops around Olney Pond and is only open during the season. Off season it becomes a two-way road, but road blocks prevent you from taking a car all the way around the pond.
The best time to boulder here is definitely the Fall and Winter. The weather is usually cool to cold, dry, and, due to the lack of foliage, it's very easy to spot the boulders. Early Spring is about as good, but it tends to rain a lot. Summer can be a bit too muggy, and the end of May through most of June is the peak season for black flies and mosquitos. This is of particular interest since many of the boulders are located next to small ponds. Bring bug spray or regret it!
The worst time to go here is July and August. It's way too hot and humid to really climb well, but if you still want to climb go after 5PM. You'll still get up to 4 hours of bouldering, and it's cooler around this time. Some hardcore boulderers come here during the winter as well, and I agree that early winter is perfectly fine bouldering. I just don't like to climb in the snow.
Most of the initial development occured during the late 1960's and early 1970'. The development was done by group of local crag-rats called the Rhodie's Loadies. They earned their apellation from their penchant for doing grass, and hard boulder problems - at the same time! The man who is credited with creating the Loadies is Paul Baird. Paul showed his friends the woods and turned them on to the climbing possibilities there. Paul is reported to have hung out with the Vulgarians at the Shawangunks, and is known for his own crazy antics.
John "Whitey" McLane was a member of the Loadies, and developed most of the hardest routes in the area. Whitey still boulders there, and if you climb there enough you will eventually meet him. If you do, let him know you're new and he'll show you around. Whitey's most infamous problem is known as "try again". It took him and the other Loadies 10 years to send it! The first one to do it was "Tall Ed" Sewall, and he did it by dynoing past the hard lower moves. It took Andrew Sornborger to prove that short people could do it, too, when he solved the static Try Again.
Currently we have a very active bouldering scene here. If you come on a weekend, or after work hours during the week, you'll almost always run into climbers. Particularly busy areas are the Sit-down area, the Practice wall, and the Great Slabs. The climbers are almost always very friendly. They will show you around if you ask them. Most of the climbers are either coming in from Boston or Providence, but I've met climbers from farther away than that. I have met climbers from Virginia, and even one climber from Germany who had climbed at Fountainbleau.
The climbing here is strictly bouldering on gorgeous solid granite boulders. If you look hard enough you will find every type of climbing: straight up problems, sit-down problems, traverses, overhanging face, fist crack, hand crack, finger crack, even off-width crack. It's all there - you just have to know where it is, and that's what this page is for! There is only one boulder large enough to consider top-roping, so don't worry about bringing any rope.
Traverses are in no short supply, and some of the best problems in the Woods are traverses. The link-up possibilities are endless here so you get a good route finding workout as well. The top-outs tend to be rounded and non positive, so think of that when you decide to do a problem high off the deck! Plus, the landings are not usually friendly. The bases of these boulders are usually littered with rocks, tree roots, or it's inclining with a combination of the above. You will probably want a spot, and the locals are usually willing to trade spots with you.
It really does take a weekend just to see all of the boulders especially since the boulders are many and far between. You really need a map to help you out because most of the boulders can not be seen from the main road (Olney Road). The map is not extremely accurate, but it is enough to get you around the first time. The best way to see the Woods is on a mountain bike. The cycling here is superb (great trails), and you can cover the distance between boulders much better this way.
Some of my favorite areas include the Sit-down area, the Practice wall, and the Great Slabs. I find this to be a good circuit. They aren't too far apart (except for the Sit-down area, that's a hike), and they cover a wide variety of problems.
One more thing. Bring hand/finger tape! The rock here will tear your skin to shreds if you don't! I find that my skin gives out way before my energy does. This rock is rich with sharp edges, and painful hand/finger smears. Tape can mean the difference between climbing again tommorrow, or having to wait a few days for the lost skin to grow back. Please don't leave your used hand tape lying around, take it with you. So far the woods have been clean, but recently we have found used hand tape, and we aren't very happy about it.
The local ethic does not allow chipping or gluing of holds! If your caught doing this you will be ejected from the park! If the boulderers catch you it will be worse!
Take 95 north to Rte 146 north (exit 23 the Lincoln, State Offices exit) bearing left on the exit. You'll be on this rte for a few miles so keep a look out for the sign for the Lincoln Woods State Park. After this you will take the Twin Rivers Rd exit (you'll see a small Lincoln Woods sign after you get on the exit). Bear left at the end of the exit, and follow this road into the Lincoln Woods. At the main entrance you will have to take a right as the road is a one way loop around Olney Pond.
Take your mountain bike! It's a great way to see the boulders!
Take I-95 south to the I-295 south exit. Follow I-295 to the Route 146 south (towards Providence) exit. Follow Route 146 about 3 miles to the Twin River Road exit. Follow the above directions from there.
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