NROCKS Outdoor Adventures

I did the via ferrata climb over labor day weekend. It was insanely awesome; the notch, the bridge, and the head wall were all challenging but doable and really rewarding. The guides were professional and fun. I highly recommend it if you’re in the Seneca rocks area.

Looking for something fun to do on vacation? This is place to go! We had an awesome time at Nelson Rocks! The Via Feratta was amazing! My first time rock climbing and I have a fear of heights. Our guides, Nick and Geoffrey were so patient with me and encouraged me all the way! They were just awesome! Will definitely go again!

The guides here are amazing. They tell you what you need to know about safety but they don’t scare the crap out of you like most guides. The climb itself was challenging and fun. It wasn’t too short but wasn’t too long and by the end I was exhausted. I highly recommend Nelson Rocks to anybody who wants to see an amazing view and challenge themselves on the rocks.

This is a great place for an outdoor adventure. It requires as much strength as climbing a ladder, far less physically demanding than say indoor rock climbing but far more of a mental workout.
We arrived the night before and camped out in tents though they also have cabins and a lodge, for the less rugged. Only one gripe was the lack of information about the location of the camp site or how to get and pay for the firewood and ice, advertised on signs everywhere, when we arrived at about 7PM, after normal business hrs. We figured it out but some info on the front desk would have been helpful. Basically there is a caretaker on site 24/​7, you gotta get to the care taker; we stumbled upon the caretaker in an old trailer a few hundred feet from the main lodge, otherwise woulda been sol, maybe there was info about this in the packet that I didn’t read, shrug…
in the morn, super short introduction to the guide team… everyone gets strapped in the gear… short instructions of how to use the equipment… ok, lets go hang off the side of rocks. Ive done other «ropes courses» where the equipment is error proof, locking mechanisms that ensure that a person is ALWAYS tethered to the safety line… This is NOT that type of equipment… not idiot proof, but at no time did I feel unsafe as I followed the instructions and kept one tether on a safety cable, always.
IF you are with really out of shape or crap their pants on heights type people… you will find yourself out here a looong time… pack snacks but especially for the ladies, drink water sparingly… a little dehydrations will NOT kill you but the discomfort of a full bladder will kill all the joy of the trek. you’ve been warned…
Scariest part for me was the optional top head, whatever it was called portion. I would NOT do that if was more than a breeze out AND you’re already a lil scared of heights.
bring a bit of cash to tip your guides… these people seem to love what they do and the service and smiles received reflect that.

Do not make reservations in advance.
While the via ferrata is a very cool idea and there is great potential for the site, they also have terrible customer service and do not have an effective way to deal with contingencies. When I needed to reschedule a climb, the manager never even responded to my email. It was one of those, sorry this is our policy, you are simply out of $ 115. They will not work with you. I don’t know what they would do if weather was poor and not good for climbing. So before you risk losing out on a hefty fee, just call ahead when you are already there. We made reservations for 4^th of July weekend thinking it would be booked, but even on that busy weekend there was still availability. Given their overly restrictive policy and poor customer service, it doesn’t pay to reserve ahead. And with the other climbing opportunities in the area, this is comparatively expensive and you would think they would work harder to keep people happy.
I climbed the via ferrata a few years ago, so they are getting some stars for that experience. I was put off trying again because now they make you climb in a group with a guide. But my friends who completed the climb and did not have to reschedule said only positive things about the guides.

Based on my experience, I recommend Via Ferrata and zip line tour very highly. Accommodations (rooms in main building) were quiet, clean, and very relaxing. Staff was very kind, knowledgeable, and accommodating. My highest recommendation for folks looking for an adventure.

This place rocks! No pun intended. My Dad and brother went here with me a couple weeks ago. The guides were helpful and fun to climb with. I’ve never done anything like that before and was put out of my comfort zone, which was good for me. I never felt unsafe, but definitely had to push myself mentally.
I would highly recommend this place to anyone thinking about getting into rock climbing. It will let you find out if you’re made for it. I don’t think I am, but I thoroughly enjoyed Nelson.

My friends and I went in mid-​October for the via ferrata and LOVED the experience. The via ferrata was just challenging enough to incite excitement and a bit of fear, but not so challenging that we were worn out. The guides (Tony and another guy) were super nice and never rushed us. Our group of about 14 took three hours to complete the via ferrata, and along the way, had plenty of opportunities to rest and take pictures. I would definitely recommend going in the fall because the view from above is breathtaking!
We stayed at one of the guest rooms for two nights. It feels like a motel room with all the amenities. If you do not want to camp or if it’s too cold to camp, that is the way to go. The walls were a little thin so we could hear our neighbors. During our stay, a family that’s staying in the yellow house across from the building with the guest rooms were drunk and yelling loudly at each other at 2 a.m. A woman stormed out yelling divorce… To other travelers, simmer down, nature has no place for your drama.

A group of 10 of us stayed in one of Nelson Rocks’ cabins for two nights. The cabin had a great wrap around porch and fairly comfortable bunks (though some of my bunk mates disagreed). Not all cabins had the big porch. No running water or toilets onsite yet, but they are working on putting in a shower house/​bathroom. As it is now, there is only one port-​a-​potty on the whole site for multiple cabins! Our group was the only one there, thankfully, ’cause even then, there were some waits for the potty and some jogs outta sight… Some composting toilets would be welcome, but it doesn’t look like they’re going that route. There was also only one fire pit for the whole area, which again, could become problematic. The tent camp sites are no better in this regard. My partner and I were actually going to tent camp, but found the small camping area to be taken over by a girl scout troop. We had reserved a site, but it’s all just one big site. It worked out for the best, because the cabin where our friends were staying was up a long steep hill, that which my car would not climb and would have been a hell of a workout to walk up and down to hang out. If you didn’t catch my word of caution, 4 wheel drive is useful here! But not necessary, our friends did drag a kicking and screaming Kia up there. Anyway, I would choose to camp elsewhere next time, as I prefer wilderness camping to rustic cabins and kum ba yah around the fire, but I would no doubt return to and recommend Nelson Rocks.
Because the Via Feratta trip is an astounding experience.

I’ve been here twice. Once, many years ago before I got into climbing and a second time this summer, after the new management took over. Paul G. does a fantastic job of describing the climb for first time climbers. I can’t add much more on that front.
And so my review is specifically for the Full Moon Via Ferrata climb. I was privileged and honored to be part of the first commercial night climb. My friend and I found out that you could do the climb at night, by moonlight, from NROC’s Facebook page. We thought it was an amazing idea and booked right away thinking it might sell out. We were shocked to arrive and find out we were the only two.
The Full Moon trip cost $ 150 per person, and included an amazing dinner catered by Seneca Caverns (roasted chicken, fresh homemade biscuits, gravy, roasted vegetable orzo, watermelon, tea, coffee, and even at my request, huge birthday cupcakes for my friend complete with a candle!), a stay in the NROC rustic cabins, and the climb itself. The rustic cabins are extremely well maintained, the grounds have a great firepit stocked with firewood, each cabin had fresh water and grills, and the portapotties were the cleanest ones I’ve ever seen. We also saw that they are in the process of putting in a bathhouse.
Dinner was served at 6:30 pm and we were able to settle in, eat, throw up our hammocks and relax a bit before our guide Jason came back to pick us up to head down to the trailhead. He made it clear in advance that since it was just the two of us, we could take whatever pace we wanted and tried to time our climb so we hit the notch right as the moon was rising. We were a little early, so we just hung out in the notch, chatting, and generally enjoying being the only people on the entire system. When the moon did rise, it was stunning. It was so bright it cast shadows across to the other fin.
Jason let us keep the cooler that came with the food overnight so we could stash our breakfast and beers. We were back at the cabins, with beer in hand by 12:30 or 1:00 am.

First things first. I’m no rock climber. I’m not even a mediocre hiker.
This place made me feel like I was an all star though. They have a system in place, called the Via Ferrata. It means «Iron Road» in Italian. What this is, basically, is a system of metal cables and metal rungs pre-​drilled into a mountainside that allows for people like myself, to climb a mountain I have no business climbing.
It’s not incredibly easy, but it is nowhere near as difficult as it would be without these installations in place.
It is a great mix between having help and rock climbing. You will not always have rungs to help you but you will always have the pre-​installed cables to keep you safely tethered to the mountain.
I personally found it to be an awesome experience I never could have accomplished otherwise.
At first you wonder what you got yourself into but you quickly get in a groove and start enjoying it. If you ever feel scared or find yourself thinking this is not for you, there are three «outs» along the way. The first is right after you climb the first wall, the second is right before the suspension bridge, and the last is right before you get to the highest point.
At any of these points you can leave the tour. I cannot speak of how easy it is to navigate the way out as compared to soldier on, but I assume it is easier then going forward.
If you choose to quit, you will be robbing yourself of an experience. From having to navigate a climb around the wall, to gathering up the courage and faith to cross a bridge that looks like it should never be crossed, to being on top of the mountain and looking down over what you just climbed…
All WORTH it. I absolutely loved the climb and will definitely take the 7 hour drive from NYC back one day to do it again and «stop and smell the roses» so to speak.
The guided tour was 75 dollars each and we had four in our group. Our guides name was Gaiton (sp?) and he was wholly accommodating, allowing us to rest and enjoy the views on ledges, tell us a bit of history about the place and the idea of the Via Ferrata, and waiting while we took pictures.
Even after the climb he took us on a short hike to another peak.
The place also has a canopy tour with 12 lines which I did not partake in and according to the website has rock climbing of the non Via Ferrata sort but you need to be guided there as well.
If you have any sort of inclination towards wanting to rock climb or just feel like seeing what the real experts climb rocks for, I HIGHLY suggest doing this. Everyone in my group loved this experience. The best part was, there was supposed to be rain all day but our guide had a handheld radio that he used to get up to the minute updates on the weather from the system they had in the office. Lucky for us though as soon as we reach the peak, the sun came blasting through as if it was just waiting for us at the top.