I've been a rock climbing enthusiast for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was a kid, the idea of scaling great heights while being safely attached to a harness and rope was the perfect mix of adventure, athletics, and well... SAFETY.  I've always had this absolutely weird AF desire to face my fears head on (seriously, I have no idea why... and if I could bottle that emotion and sell it, I'd make serious bank) but a fear of heights is most certainly up there on my list, so climbing really hit that niche well. 

That said - I'm an indoor climber.

When I was in 9th grade I went to one of these "outdoor" climbs in Joshua tree - beautiful scenery, cool crags, lots of that outdoorsy wilderness. But I have a very very distinct memory from that trip. One that really makes me never want to climb outdoors ever again. While scaling the rocks, I saw a nifty little crack that would make for a perfect handhold. So I stuck my hand in and grabbed on. Unbeknownst to me... that same crack was home to a GIANT FUCKING SPIDER who crawled out onto my hand, down my arm, and towards my face.

NAWP. That was it. After that I was done with this outdoor climbing racket.

Until I heard about Quincy Quarries. Now, I'm not necessarily a "nature" person. Sure I can appreciate it from afar... but bugs and me, we're not friends. I am fine with hikes, but normally only if there's a great story to the hike (Wisdom Tree) or there's something cool at the end of the hike (Heart Rock), but in general - hiking to enjoy nature doesn't really do it for me. Same with the thought of outdoor climbs...



But Quincy Quarries is different. It's more street art museum combined with history, set on literally the side of a highway, just a few miles outside of Boston. It's scenic and stunning, it has incredibly fun scrambles, and the views are totally worth it.

Located on an old granite quarry, this place provided a lot of the stones for the granite railway, which was often credited as being the first railroad in the U.S. It was active from 1825 through 1963 - and then after it was closed, the quarry filled with water. It became a popular spot for cliff jumping, which seems really short sighted given the heights of the quarry walls and the unknown depth of the rainwater filled pools. It became the place of stupid deaths, and also a lot of suicides. Thankfully, around this same time some rock climbers saw the nature of the crags as the perfect cliffs for courses and published a few books on how to take your climb to the next level.



In 1985 the Boston Metropolitan District Commission purchased the 22 acres of land and they figured out what to do with the safety issues. They used a bunch of dirt from the highway project to fill in the quarries - creating a lush, and beautiful park (albeit covered in graffiti) that became a favorite for climbers of all ages!

If you're looking to climb, you can hit up Rock Spot Climbing for guides who come with ropes, harnesses, shoes, and helmets and will help you plan out the perfect day! LOVED them, they were great to work with!!