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GPS: 34.32689, -87.46018
Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views: 19,409 total · 134/month
Shared By: Jason Watts on May 13, 2012 · Updates
Admins: Stonyman Killough, Luke Cornejo, saxfiend

Description Suggest change

This is the few thousand feet of virgin rock off of the Thompson Creek Trail in the Sipsy Wilderness in Northwest Alabama. While there is more development farther down the trail, there is so much rock here that it deserves it's own area.

Virgin Rock: Development of this area has just begun. With that in mind, some of the routes and faces are cleaner than others, some are more solid than others, some are downright scary. The rock is generally hard sandstone, but all holds need to be cleaned with a brush to feel comfortable throwing for them.

There are currently three distinct sections to the cliff-line, delineated by small streams (and waterfalls if it has rained) on the cliff face. Faces vary from south facing to west. However only the tallest southern faces receive direct sunlight. The western faces are the coolest.

Be ready for an adventure when climbing here. While there has been significant work establishing access routes to the top of the cliffs, they are still very new. There are currently no fixed protection or anchors on any of the routes, but trees exist in abundance along the cliff. This is no Sandrock (or even Steele for that matter) are far as ease of access, but know that there are 100's of FAs ready to be claimed.

Development will continue on this area and will include fixed anchors and bolts, but we are wanting to have more workers come in and help. This could be a really nice area with almost limitless potential if people just started putting in time to continue what has been started.

Getting There Suggest change

Trailhead is the same as for the Shiprock Section. I will update with better directions shortly.

Approach: About 1.5 miles on the TC trail there is a 90 degree bend in the creek that has caused a small island (when there is water in it). The trail splits up here with one fork cutting across the creek and one continuing on a contour around the valley. This bend is directly in the middle of the three sections and there are a few campsites scattered in this area as it is the coolest and water is abundant.

2 Total Climbs

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Location: BankHead Forest/ Thompson Creek Trail Change
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