Climbing Near Sharpsburg, Kentucky

This area is is almost completely overlooked for some strange reason. There is a mysterious pinnacle with an obvious viable route with no published history, some good untapped potential to the NW along the main wall and some obvious unpublished lines mixed in with the published ones. John Bronaugh explained to me in an email that the area was probably visited once or twice by Martin Hackworth and then forgotten. This didn't explain it's obscurity well enough for me. But there is still the mystery as to why this area has never been more thoroughly explored or developed. It is a mix of private and USFS land. After passing the kiosk you will cross the creek four times. The fourth time you will actually be driving a short distance up the creek bed itself. After the fourth crossing you’ll see a side road on the left. Turn here, cross the creek again and bear right into a field. Park somewhere and head NW up an abandoned logging road, or alternately hike up a horse/4WD trail along the drainage to the west of the field (still heading NW). Follow the ridge until you see J Rock, the obvious large pinnacle. If you take the alternate approach hike right once you near the wall to find the main routes, and then south along the ridge from Invisible Barrier to reach J Rock

This isolated crag hosts a few overlooked jewels of the Red including Quality Crack, and the infamous Wide Pride. From the Purple Valley parking area cross the collapsed bridge and continue on the well-worn horse trail as it crosses the stream twice. After the second crossing stay with the stream until you see the tributary Amos Creek on the left. Cross the stream and head up the steep hill to the right of Amos Creek, you will soon pass a limestone outcropping. When you see The Lost Ridge look for the obvious splitter crack (Quality Crack) just to the right of a bolt line (The Poacher). Wide Pride Approach: From the Purple Valley parking area cross the collapsed bridge and continue up the well-worn horse trail for ten minutes as it crosses back-and-forth over the stream. after the fourth crossing begin looking for a cairn on the left. From here, turn left and cross the stream once more forging uphill. Once you meet the crag follow it to the right. Hike with wall until you come to a sharp left turn with an outlying boulder. Rounding the corner you will see Wide Pride.

Blackburn has little to offer, other than the route Stranger Than Paradise. The cliff itself is impressive, but the climbing is scant. Follow Spaas Creek road a little ways past the mouth of Blackburn Branch. Head uphill to the right and bear left toward the main NW corner of the cliff. You can find Stranger Than Paradise by locating two enormous boulders near the main cliff. The route is the obvious splitter in low angle rock.