Sunset Park Climbing

Stretching along the western face of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga is Sunset Park, home of some of Tennessee's finest single-pitch trad climbing.

Sunset has a long and interesting history, both for climbers and Civil War buffs. Lookout Mountain was an important vantage point for observation of troop movements during the siege of Chattanooga. Climbers began scaling the excellent sandstone back in the early 60s; Rusty's Crack, one of the earliest ascents, remains a classic.

Route development continued through the 60s and 70s, with pioneers like Tim McMillan, Stan Wallace and Bill Smith putting up numerous lines on old-school gear. In the 80s, the ubiquitous Rob Robinson and Forrest Gardner pushed the grades ever higher at Sunset with their ground-up trad first ascents of strenuous routes like The Prow.

Sunset has a great variety of climbing for anyone from beginners to the hardest trad leaders (there is no sport climbing at Sunset due to a total ban on fixed protection). New leaders can try their skills on routes like One-Ten, while 5.12s like Jennifer's World will make the most experienced leaders stop and think. And there's plenty to toprope for non-leaders.

Because it's a west-facing crag, Sunset is a nice destination in the summer months; it stays in the shade until well after lunchtime. This makes it a chilly place to climb in the wintertime, however.

Some important considerations:

• Sunset is a national park, so to help maintain future climber access, be aware of and observe all park regulations. One of the most important of these is to be off the crag before sundown; this is strictly enforced and rangers will be waiting at the trailhead to write you a hefty ticket after sundown.
• This is a residential neighborhood, and residents' attitude toward climbers tends to be hostile. Keep noise to a minimum and park only in designated areas (parking at the trailhead is extremely limited).
• Erosion has been an issue on the crag trail, and the Southeastern Climbers Coalition has been active in work to remediate this problem. Stay off sections that are closed due to erosion.
• Being an urban crag, there is no camping anywhere near Sunset Park. If you want to camp, you'll have to head over to nearby Tennessee Wall or Prentice Cooper State Forest.

The Dixie Cragger's Atlas is the guidebook for this area.