Preserving Natural Treasures: Removing Graffiti from Wolf Rock at Catoctin Mountain Park

An autumn view from Chimney Rock, one of Catoctin Mountain Park's spectacular rock outcroppings. The views of the surrounding region from these rocky vistas have attracted hikers, climbers, and artists to the park for years.

NPS Photo

Initial employment to construct the Catoctin RDA was provided through the Works Progress Administration. The construction included this contact station that is now the park visitor center.

NPS Photo

Catoctin Mountain Park lies within the mountainous area known as the Blue Ridge physiographic province. This 5,890 acre hardwood forest park, with its refreshing streams and scenic vistas, offers a rare haven in a rapidly developing area of the country. Established as a part of the Recreational Demonstration Area (RDA) program in the 1930s, it attracts visitors from all over to hike, camp, and enjoy the park’s natural and cultural resources.[1]

A gem of the park is Wolf Rock, aptly named for the rock formation’s resemblance to the head of a wolf. One of the last things a park visitor expects to see while hiking through the natural landscape is spray painted graffiti. Unfortunately, until recently, this is exactly what park visitors encountered when they hiked past Wolf Rock.

Graffiti distracts from the natural surface of Wolf Rock.

Courtesy of John Zuke

It is not clear when the graffiti first appeared on Wolf Rock, but it altered the scenic views at this popular destination. Wolf Rock is located along a mountain ridgeline on one of the most popular sections of trail in the park. Wolf Rock and nearby Chimney Rock are part of the Weverton Formation which contains quartzite, metaconglomerate, phyllite, and metagraywacke. Chimney Rock and Wolf Rock are composed of the hardest rock, quartzite, which has eroded more slowly than the surrounding rock.[2]

Climbers at Wolf Rock.

Courtesy of John Zuke

Understanding the mineral composition of Wolf Rock was helpful when it came time to develop a plan to remove the graffiti from the rock. The ultimate goal was to remove the graffiti from the stone as safely as possible while protecting the natural resources and preserving views. Safety was a particular concern because the graffiti was located 20 feet off the ground and could only be accessed with the use of rock climbing equipment and trained climbers.

As early as the 1870s, the area along the Catoctin ridge became a popular hiking location to take in the spectacular views from Wolf Rock and nearby Chimney Rock. Until recently, rock climbing and bouldering were prohibited in the park. In 2016, the Mid-Atlantic Climbers (MAC), a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving access to climbing areas in the Mid-Atlantic region, worked with the Access Fund and Catoctin Mountain Park to open the park to bouldering, a popular form of rock climbing that is performed without the use of ropes or harnesses. Bouldering is now allowed throughout the park, and technical roped climbing is allowed at Wolf Rock.

This partnership between the rock climbing community and the National Park Service led Catoctin Mountain Park to host the 2017 Mid-Atlantic Climbers Adopt-a-Crag event, where volunteers worked with park staff in caring for climbing areas in the park. With this relationship in place, the park recalled the climbing group to access and eventually implement the graffiti removal project at Wolf Rock in April of 2018.

A climber removes graffiti from a surface of Wolf Rock.

Courtesy of John Zuke

Experienced climbers carried graffiti removal supplies to remove paint from Wolf Rock.

Courtesy of John Zuke

Catoctin Mountain Park staff, National Capital Region Cultural Resource staff, and Mid-Atlantic Climbers project coordinators organized the supplies, volunteers, and staff needed to remove the spray painted graffiti from three rock faces of Wolf Rock. In April 2018, the graffiti removal supplies, including over 10 gallons of water, a backpack pump sprayer, and climbing gear were transported to the base of Wolf Rock in a UTV, with the remainder of the supplies being brought in by hikers.

The project was challenging to organize because of the location of Wolf Rock and the nature of the work to be performed. Once the rock climbing access ropes were set up and all safety procedures were in place, the graffiti was sequentially removed from each elevation of Wolf Rock. By the end of the day the climbers had removed all traces of the spray painted graffiti using a solvent-based paint stripper, scrub brushes, and a backpack water pump sprayer. The project was a successful example of multiple groups coming together to restore Wolf Rock to its natural condition in order to improve the scenic views of this iconic feature.

The graffiti on Wolf Rock was located high above the ground. Catoctin Mountain Park staff, National Capital Region Cultural Resource staff, and Mid-Atlantic Climbers project coordinators worked together in the removal effort.

Courtesy of John Zuke

Discover More

• Plan your Visit: Catoctin Mountain Park
• Catoctin Mountain Park Cultural Landscape Inventory report
• What are cultural landscapes?
• Stay Inspired: Arts in the Parks
• Get Involved: Volunteer with the National Park Service

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[1] “Nature.” National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2017, https://www.nps.gov/cato/learn/nature/index.htm

[2] “Geology.” National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2016, https://www.nps.gov/cato/learn/nature/geology.htm


This article was contributed by Lindy Gulick, National Capital Region Architectural Conservator.

Unless otherwise noted, photos are courtesy of John Zuke, a member of the Mid-Atlantic Climbers organization.