Circus Boulders

The area is access sensitive!

🔴 This area is water level dependent. It is only climbable in the late fall through early spring. Crow's Nest is climbable year round if you have a boat to carry your pads over there. The Pirate Boulder is climbable pretty quickly, but the Globin Boulder will take more time. You can find the current water level at:
https://www.lrh-wc.usace.army.mil/wm/?basin/kan/sug

Driving Directions: From Fayetteville, turn right and drive on US-19 north for 20 miles, crossing over two bridges (the NRG bridge and the Meadow River Gorge bridge), then through 2 stoplights, and over one more bridge over the lake. Take your first right onto Farmhouse Lane after this third and final bridge, and another immediate right into the parking lot. Googlemaps handily designates this as the Pirate's Cove Parking. Be careful parking behind the hill, as hiding your car from the freeway could make it easier to break into (or cut the catalytic converter off of). This is not a common problem here, but it happens every once in a while.

Hiking:
From the parking area, pass behind the gate and take the gravel logging road up the hill, cutting up and right on the lesser traveled road at the fork near the top. Come down the other side of the hill and at the next fork, cut down left on the smaller trail and cross the creek. Walk up the rocky road and after the road veers left, take another fork right into the woods. At the next obvious fork take a slight right instead of the slight left. After another 5+ minutes of walking, a well traveled singletrack trail cuts down to your right and into a stream bed and then a staircase heading down next to a waterfall. The well worn trail heads straight out from the cliffline toward the lakebed, the curves around left to follow the cliffline. Follow the cliffline for about 20 minute, passing the Orange Oswald rope climbing area and going all the way to Circus Wall before stepping out into the lakebed.