Elevation: 673 ft
GPS: 37.5066, -88.6816
Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views: 992,076 total · 5,066/month
Shared By: Ethan on Aug 30, 2007 · Updates
Admins: Aaron Mc, Dave Hug, Kevin Sierzega

Description

Jackson falls has the largest number of climbing routes in Illinois. Located in a forest canyon the 30-70 foot walls offer slopers, various sized pockets, roofs, and slabs. Jackson Falls Recreation Area is in the Shawnee National Forest on USFS land in southern Illinois. It can get hot and humid in the summer but there's plenty of shade.

In 2016, the Illinois Climbers Association partnered with the USFS Shawnee National Forest to manage the climbing resources on site. The ICA tackles hardware replacement, re bolting of existing routes to stainless steel using the highest standards available, and trail work. As of 2023, the ICA re bolted over 70 climbs at Jackson Falls.

Here's a map based loosely off the map in the Ulner guide, but done from memory. Red ATCs represent accessible anchors for rap points, brown paths over the cliff represent places I know are safe to scramble in. Blue is the creek bed, and brown are the cut across paths. The paths2013-09-289508.53.34.jpg2013-09-289508.53.34.jpg on the bottom and top of the cliff are not marked

Breakdown of all the roped climbing areas for reference.

Resources

[[Illinois Climbers Association]] ilclimbers.org
Founded in 2002. The Illinois Climbers Association is a charitable organization representing the climbers of Illinois. We are dedicated to preserving climbing and bouldering access in Illinois through education, conservation, and cooperation.

Mission

The Illinois Climbers Association is a 501(c)3 charitable organization created to:

  1. Promote and support conservation and preservation of both rock climbing and bouldering areas, and their respective natural resources in Illinois
  2. Encourage optimal recreational use of Illinois outdoor climbing resources through land stewardship education and by facilitating cooperation between climbers, private land owners, and public land managers
  3. Encourage and promote the development of policies and practices that will preserve climbing and bouldering areas in Illinois


HELP THE ICA REBOLT JACKSON FALLS! PLEASE DONATE
Click HERE to donate towards the Illinois Climber Association's re-bolting cause.

Getting There

From I24 turn North on highway 45 turn right (East) on Ozark road for about 4.5 miles. Turn left on Trigg Tower Road to the first farmhouse and turn right. The parking is about 2 miles down the dirt road just before crossing the creek.

Coming from the south, you can access Glen St Falls Road from Pope Co Road 2260.  However, it will require an off-road vehicle.

Guidebooks

In Illinois there are 3 guide books for the southern portion of the state. The first is Eric Ulner's book Vertical Heartland.

Vertical Heartland 3rd Edition

His guide is a good representation of the legal climbing destinations in the state and primarily focus on sport and traditional climbing.

The second is Matt Bliss's book Sandstone Warrior.

Sandstone Warrior

His guide beautifully lays out the majority of the bouldering found in S.I. and includes quality color photos to aid in your boulder problem deciphering. These two guides provide you with all the necessary tools to navigate our local crags. Pick them up and go enjoy the climbing that Illinois has to offer.

The newest guidebook (2015, by Brayackmedia Publishing):

https://www.wolverinepublishing.com/store/jackson-falls/

541 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Jackson Falls

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b
 211
Big Wall Greg's Chicken Shack
Sport, TR
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 190
Blue Spark
Sport
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 217
Stubborn Swede
Sport
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 194
Fine Nine
Sport
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 165
Through the Smoke
Sport
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
 218
Cheerio Bowl
Sport
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
 170
Venom
Sport
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
 143
Master Marley
Sport
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b
 132
Spiders From Mars
Sport
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b
 206
Group Therapy
Sport
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c
 147
Lovely Arete
Sport
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c
 139
Wild at Heart
Sport
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a
 113
Detox Mountain
Sport
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a
 114
Hidden Treasures
Sport
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a
 82
Everybody Needs Friends
Sport
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
Big Wall Greg's Chicken Shack A. N Canyon > A. Mr. Jimmy
 211
5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b Sport, TR
Blue Spark C. N Falls > E Spleef Peak
 190
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Sport
Stubborn Swede E S Canyon > C. Hidden Peaks > E The Monument
 217
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Sport
Fine Nine C. N Falls > D. Lovely Tower
 194
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Sport
Through the Smoke C. N Falls > E Spleef Peak
 165
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Sport
Cheerio Bowl E S Canyon > C. Hidden Peaks > D. Pricker Peak
 218
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a Sport
Venom A. N Canyon > A. Mr. Jimmy
 170
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a Sport
Master Marley C. N Falls > E Spleef Peak
 143
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a Sport
Spiders From Mars A. N Canyon > A. Mr. Jimmy
 132
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b Sport
Group Therapy B. W Falls > A. The Gallery
 206
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b Sport
Lovely Arete C. N Falls > D. Lovely Tower
 147
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c Sport
Wild at Heart A. N Canyon > I. Railroad Rock
 139
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c Sport
Detox Mountain E S Canyon > C. Hidden Peaks > C. Cranial/Detox Wall
 113
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a Sport
Hidden Treasures C. N Falls > D. Lovely Tower
 114
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a Sport
Everybody Needs Friends A. N Canyon > D. Beaver Wall
 82
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a Sport
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