When you first start a new island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, there will be some areas you won't be able to get to right away. Once you get the vaulting pole from Blathers and can make your way across rivers, the last frontier is the land atop your cliffs. To scale both levels of these cliffs, you'll need a ladder; here's when and how to get it.
You'll have to complete a few other tasks on your island before you can get the ladder, and the earliest you can get it is the third day you've been playing. First, you have to have completed Nook's Cranny; see our full Nook's Cranny unlock guide for the details. We also recommend starting the museum unlock process so you have access to the vaulting pole, as parts of your cliffs may be blocked off by rivers.
On the day Nook's Cranny opens, go to the Resident Services tent. Tom Nook will ask you to select locations for three house plots, and as part of this, he'll give you the ladder DIY recipe. You need four wood, four hardwood, and four softwood to craft a ladder. In three weeks of playing, our ladders haven't broken yet, so they're either unbreakable or extremely durable.
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