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Where is the best family friendly bouldering area that is nearest to KY? I am training the next Sharma/Ondra in my garage and need to test his skills on real rock. He is two and can already send hard VO. We haven't tried V1 yet, but I can see it happening by the time he turns three in a month. My family will be setting new world records and I expect that DPM will want to know about this achievement.

Seriously though, I want to take my son bouldering this fall. What is the best area for a family to go to in the midwest or south? I need a bunch of super easy slabs, my son doesn't care for the overhanging stuff yet.

Also, I wouldn't mind getting on some quality moderates too.

Horse pens 40

Thank you, Josephine.

Satire, Satire.

Every bouldering place in the SE is family friendly...

Yeah, Horsepens for sure. Almost no hiking involved, so you can escape back to the car to eat mac & cheese at a moment's notice.

Little Rock City (Stone Fort)

Depending on where you're coming from, it might be a bit closer than HP40 for you, but dixon springs in southern illinois is extremely family friendly. A lot of the boulders are immediately next to a playground the mini sharma can have fun on if rocks get too hard, with no approach, and there is a pool open in the summer to cool off from the heat with. Not a ton of different routes or beta available (like HP40 and the like), but some decent climbs, and super convenient.

Shondra.

I would go HP40, I have never been there but like someone said earlier I heard there is no approach. Stonefort has a pretty short approach but there is not a ton of easy routes.