Securing Climbing’s Future

Access to the crags we love is not guaranteed. Each year, more climbing areas face sale, development, or closure as public protections weaken and private ownership shifts. Sometimes the only way to protect a climbing area is to buy it.

That’s why Access Fund created the nation’s only revolving Climbing Conservation Loan Program—to act fast, purchase threatened crags, and transfer them into public ownership or long-term stewardship so they’re permanently protected. 

This model has already safeguarded access to some of the nation’s most iconic climbing areas—The Motherlode in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, Lower Town Wall in Index, Washington, and most recently, Lower Ghost Town in North Carolina. Each success reflects years of collaboration and the persistence of local advocates like the Carolina Climbers Coalition and Washington Climbers Coalition, who stepped up to protect their backyard crags when it mattered most.

A Partnership for Permanent Access

This year, Black Diamond is joining us in this effort with a powerful commitment: they’re matching every donation, dollar for dollar, up to $80,000. That means your contribution will go twice as far to secure the places we love to climb.

Your support helps us:

  • Act fast through our Climbing Conservation Loan Program, giving us the ability to purchase threatened climbing areas the moment access is at risk.

  • Empower local climbing organizations, providing the funding, tools, and expertise they need to protect and steward your backyard crags for the long term.

  • Secure permanent access, transferring acquired lands into public ownership or long-term stewardship so they remain open to climbers forever.

When you donate to Access Fund, you’re not only investing in permanent access, you’re enabling all the work that keeps climbing open, sustainable, and accessible for generations to come.

Donate today to double your impact—and help secure climbing’s future.