Most of the cliffs in Eastern Massachusetts are small and all of them are well-suited to top roping - still, many do provide a good opportunity to practice placing protection while climbing. Here are some of those areas that will provide the aspiring leader with a good training ground.

Crow Hill – Maybe the best lead climbing in Massachusetts. A couple of routes are more than one pitch.

Hammond Pond – Many short cracks to choose from, most are easy.

Joe's Rock – Sportclimbing, some of it quite hard.

Lookout Rock – A new area, with some good moderate trad leads.

Purgatory Chasm – Interesting and varied climbing, once you get oriented.

Quincy Quarries – A wide variety of routes, only a few of which can be led.

Rattlesnake Rocks – A little bit of everything, most with bad landings. A few can be led.

Redrock – A few good cracks to choose from.

There is good bouldering in Eastern Massachusetts. It is not as extensive as Lincoln Woods, RI or Pawtuckaway, NH, but it's right in your back yard and more is being discovered every day. Since all the areas have some bouldering, here's a list of the best areas (i.e. those with the greatest number/variety of problems).

Back Bay Fens – The locations aren't great but you can get a good finger workout on these urban walls, up to V3/4.

Black & White Rocks – Numerous short toprope routes and boulder problems; some very hard, some unrecorded.

Borderland State Park – One large boulder ("Ames") and numerous smaller ones, up to V7 so far.

Cape Ann (Gloucester and Rockport) – Cape Ann is chock full of boulders, hidden quarry remnants and seaside outcrops.

College Rock – The short section of the cliff (and its traverse) is good. There are some boulders, too; one has a V7.

Den Rock – The short toprope cliffs and a few outlying boulders have problems up to V7.

Hammond Pond – For years it was the best bouldering around, with many choices, up to V7 and higher.

Lynn Woods Reservation – There are reports of boulders hidden in the woods, but none are recorded.

Milford – Several good areas with problems up to V10; the hardest stuff in Eastern Massachusetts so far.

Quincy Quarries – The eastern half of Granite Railway Quarry has some very nice boulder problems.

If you are looking for ice climbing in the Boston area, you're pretty desperate. But with luck you might find something.

Auburn Ice Canyon – Just south of Worcester, this canyon offers a variety of flows to choose from. A hard freeze is required.

Black and White Rocks – The cascade to the right of Crag 6 ices up regularly. The wet gully on Crag 6 itself freezes also.

Breakheart Reservation – A couple of short flows form on Castle Hill occasionally.

Crow Hill – A few routes may form now and then under the right conditions.