Lantern Hill

Directions
Lantern Hill is located in Connecticut about 8 miles from the Rhode Island border. From Rhode Island take Interstate 95 south to exit 92 (North Stonington). On the exit stay straight for about a mile until you hit a light. At the light take a right on to Route 2 west. Follow this for about five miles. After clearing a hill the Foxwoods casino comes into sight. Look for Milltown road on the right. (At bike path sign). Take this and it will bring you back under the RT 2 overpass. Cross RT 2 and on to Wintechog Hill Road. After about a quarter of a mile there will be a prominent parking area and trail on the right. Park here and follow the trail. The trail forks and the left trail goes up a hill. Follow the trial on the right which follows along the bottom of the cliffs to get you to the main cliff.. Follow this until you are directly under a prominent clean white quartzite cliff. You have to continue beyond it and take the first trail on the left to get up to the top to set up a top rope.

Protection
Bring extra long webbing or a static rope to set up top rope anchors. There are a few routes that can be led with decent pro. Everything else is pretty run-out.

Access
This is on private land owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. You climb there due to their good will. Please be respectful of that.

Routes
The cliffs are about 30 to 70 feet in height. The white quartzite offers clean, juggy, vertical to slightly overhanging routes. Most of the climbing is concentrated on the cliffs on the southwest side of the hill. Most of the route information was obtained from Ken Nichols and Chris Czapla. What route history is known is detailed at the end of the guide below.

Main Cliff (southwest side of hill)



Red - Starting Point 5.3, Green - Sharper Image 5.6, Orange - Blackbeard 5.7, Blue - Jolly Roger 5.8, Red - unnamed 5.10


Orange -Swan Dive, 5.9, Green - unnamed 5.10, Yellow- Zen Master, 5.10, Blue - Indian Wrestler, 5.10+, Red - Porcelain Arête, 5.9-


Red - Porcelain Arête, 5.9-, Yellow - Alabaster, 5.9+, Orange - Milky Way, 5.10+


Blue - Milky Way, 5.10, Red - Black Jack Crack, 5.9, Yellow - Skunk Dog, 5.8

Upper West Side



Green - unnamed 5.11, Red - unnamed 5.10+, Yellow - Hard Wall, 5.10, Blue - unnamed 5.11, Red - unnamed, 5.9+


Commitment, 5.8

Lower West Side


Yellow - Hunch, 5.8, Red - Guess What, 5.10-

North West Side


Green - unnamed 5.9, Blue - Spider Veins 5.9, Yellow- unnamed - 5.4


Red - Cam-a-lot 5.6, Yellow - South Wind 5.9, Blue - Air Pockets 5.8, Green - unnamed 5.5


Red - unnamed, 5.5, Yellow - unnamed, 5.8


Yellow - First Child, 5.4, Orange - Foxbite, 5.11+, Blue - Vulpes, 5.12-, Green - Borderline, 5.10-

East Side


Yellow - Black Vulture, 5.10-, Red - Stinger, 5.11, Blue - Dyno-Might, 5.10+

Known Route History

Main Cliff
Zen Master, 5.10, FA (TR): Christopher Czapla 1992 or 93,. FA (lead): Christopher Czapla, 1994

Lower West Side
Hunch, 5.8, FA (TR): Brian Phillips, Dec 2009
Guess What, 5.10-, FA (TR): Ken Nichols, Apr 2010

Upper West Side
Commitment, 5.8, FA: Brian Phillips, Jen Reed, Jun 2006

North West Side
Air Pockets, 5.8, FA Ken Nichols, date unknown
Borderline, 5.10-, FA Ken Nichols, Glenn Gello, May 2009
Cam-a-lot, 5.6, FA Brian Phillips, Jen Reed, Jun 2006
Foxbite, 5.11-, FA (TR): Glenn Gello, August 2008. FA (lead): Ken Nichols, May 2009
South Wind, 5.9, FA Ken Nichols, date unknown
Spider Veins, 5.9, FA Ken Nichols, date unknown
Vulpes, 5.12- FA (TR): Ken Nichols, May 2009

East Side
Black Vulture, 5.10-, FA (TR): Brian Phillips, Oct 2009
Dyno-Might, 5.10+, FA (TR): Brian Phillips, Oct 2009
Stinger, 5.11, FA (TR): Ken Nichols, Oct 2009

Photos


Ollie Lebrea on Swan Dive - Main Cliff


Porcelain Arête - Main Cliff


Dave Curry on Jolly Roger - Main Cliff


Ken Nichols on Stinger - East Side