Tennessee

mop

Description 

There's probably no place in the southeast that has such a high concentration of great climbing destinations as has Tennessee. Within an hour's drive of Chattanooga alone are eight crags with enough routes to last you a lifetime. And if you ever get tired of Chattanooga, there's plenty of other climbing areas to keep you busy, from Nashville to the west to Knoxville in the east.

Much of the climbing in Tennessee is on the Cumberland Plateau, a 300-mile ridge that stretches into Alabama and Kentucky. The rock is hard, high-quality sandstone, and the terrain can include long crack climbs and overhanging jugfests. The variety is incredible.

Tennessee boasts climbing year-round. In the dead of winter, you'll see climbers on the rock in their t-shirts at such south-facing crags as Tennessee Wall. When summer's at its hottest, Sunset Park is a great destination: its west-facing cliff stays shady until well into the afternoon.

There's plenty to do no matter what your climbing style. For trad leaders, T-Wall and Sunset are the top choices; other trad destinations include Suck Creek Canyon and Prentice Cooper. Sport climbers can clip bolts at Foster Falls and Obed. And there's a little of both at Leda. For the truly adventurous who want to carve out their own routes, there's Big South Fork, a real climbing frontier.

Guidebook 

For the authoritative guidebook to Tennessee climbing, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of the Dixie Cragger's Atlas by Chris Watford. If you plan to spend much time in the state, the DCA should be part of your climbing gear.

Featured Route For Tennessee

Stan's Crack 5.8  Tennessee : Sunset Park : Sunset North

This route follows a great handcrack in a left-facing corner for about 65-70 feet, at which point there is an obvious off-width (direct finish 9+) to the left or easier terrain to the right -- the original route goes right following mellow terrain to the anchors. I found the route to be sustained at the grade with no particular crux. The face holds are plentiful, so the rests come easy as does protection. ...[more]