Boston Chapter Mountaineering Committee Supports Protection of Eagle Bluff

In April 2014 the BCMC donated $10,000 to the Access Fund to support the acquisition of 165 acres containing the Eagle Bluff cliff in Clifton, Maine (east of Bangor). The Access Fund has now raised the required $150,000 and the purchase and assignment of the land and the cliff to the local Clifton Climbers Alliance has completed.  
Few climbers know about Eagle Bluff, so here is an introduction to the area and the preservation effort.

Eagle Bluff

Eagle Bluff is a 200’ granite cliff that provides excellent climbing.  The crag features over 130 cracks and sport climbs as well as bouldering below the bluff. It is particularly useful as a place for instruction and novice climbers because it offers high quality moderate climbs and opportunities for top roping. If you google “climbing guide for Eagle Bluff, Maine” you can find the information you need to climb there.

There is a hiking trail that circumnavigates the cliff and a trail that leads to the top where there is an excellent view. The state of Maine operates the Parks Pond Campground just 7 minutes away so there is a place to stay nearby.

Protecting Eagle Bluff

In the mid-1990s, climbing access was threatened when the property was listed for sale. The Access Fund started working with the local climbing community to fundraise, but the previous owner was unwilling to wait, and local climber Donald Nelligan stepped up to purchase the property. Donald passed away in the Summer of 2013 with no provision for the future of Eagle Bluff, and the Nelligan family closed the cliff to public access due to liability concerns and immediately sought to sell the property, which includes the cliff and the surrounding 165 acres of land. The Access Fund launched a major campaign to raise $150,000 to purchase the property and make some modest access improvements. The fund-raising is complete and the cliff is once again open for climbing and hiking under the management of the Clifton Climbers Alliance.