Desoto Sport & Trad

Idk

Sucky photos

Payne in my ass!

Would anyone be able/willing to educate me on the routes that are on the trail to the base of the falls? My wife, whom is from Mentone, and I haven't had much of an opportunity to scout out all of the possibilities that hide away in this heavenly place. And neither one of us are competent/confident enough to lead on the mystery routes. The hardware looked good and the lines look sick, so props to whomever took the time to develop it. Any and all information would be greatly appreciated

these went up, for the most part, around the time of the bulk of the new routing that was also going on at LRC......back in the late 80s/early 90s. There are also naturally protectable routes along that below waterfall pool approach trail that pre-date the sport routing by many years. Take some care in utilizing any fixed anchors you encounter. I vaguely recollect that there may be some incomplete routes and/or the use of what is now considered unorthodox anchor hardware.....such as cold shuts and the like.

Thank you for the info. Maybe one day I can get some guys psyched to retro the roots and develop a little more. Gorgeous spot. Does anyone have info on the fa party? Also my mother in law was a ranger at the canyon for awhile. Appreciate the help

Thank you for the info. Maybe one day I can get some guys psyched to retro the roots and develop a little more. Gorgeous spot. Does anyone have info on the fa party? Also my mother in law was a ranger at the canyon for awhile. Appreciate the help

Thank you for the info. Maybe one day I can get some guys psyched to retro the roots and develop a little more. Gorgeous spot. Does anyone have info on the fa party? Also my mother in law was a ranger at the canyon for awhile. Appreciate the help

Thank you for the info. Maybe one day I can get some guys psyched to retro the roots and develop a little more. Gorgeous spot. Does anyone have info on the fa party? Also my mother in law was a ranger at the canyon for awhile. Appreciate the help

Thank you for the info. Maybe one day I can get some guys psyched to retro the roots and develop a little more. Gorgeous spot. Does anyone have info on the fa party? Also my mother in law was a ranger at the canyon for awhile. Appreciate the help

Thank you for the info. Maybe one day I can get some guys psyched to retro the roots and develop a little more. Gorgeous spot. Does anyone have info on the fa party? Also my mother in law was a ranger at the canyon for awhile. Appreciate the help

All mostly forgotten.....but there are some routes by James Dobbs, Porter Jarrard, Maurice and Doug Reed.....and those are the sport routes. In my early encounters with climbing in Alabama, while living in Mississippi, we would go there (pre sport climbing, as a concept) and there were known trad routes presumably established by a previous generation of AL, GA, or TN climbers. Bouldering around the campground area went through a period of focus back in the early 2000s.

In the 'prehistoric' period of Desoto activity, Little River Canyon and Desoto were state-managed resources (LRC is now federal) and the head guy was a man named Talmadge, I recall.

Do.
Not.
SEEK.
The.
Treasure.

I climbed a few of the lines you mention back in 2010 or 2011. As I recall, the ones we found were 5.10 to 5.11 with a mix of hardware reliability. Some stuff was updated, some not. I also vividly remember one cruxy move above a broken off dead tree top 40 feet in the air that threatened to impale you should you take the whipper. As others have noted, take the hardware with a grain of salt and treat them mentally more like how you might approach a trad climb. They're good climbs, they just need a little cleaning up.

While Little River Canyon is federal land, I'm fairly certain that this crag below DeSoto Falls is still in the DeSoto State Park and therefore state land. I don't remember what that means for the legality of access, though. There is also some bouldering to be had at the park near the camping area, visitor center, etc. I believe there is an old Dr. Topo for it floating around somewhere.

Regarding climbing on state managed sites....I do not believe there is a state-wide comprehensive climbing management policy. Rather, it might be an activity managed on a case-by-case-by-site basis. So rather than unintentionally exploring the boundaries of this condition where it may not be clear what the policy is, I have always found it prudent to keep a low profile and try not to invite scrutiny.....or even curiosity. Also, above the cliff that is along the falls pool approach trail, there are some private homes. I don't recall that climbing brings the climber into conflict with any of them.....but just the same, be aware.

Thank you MP for all of your awesome info

Thank you MP for all of your awesome info

Jon Mosley & I did several trad lines down stream of the falls in the early to mid 80s. Its been a long time since I have been back but I remember a beautiful hand/fist crack that leads up to a roof then crimps & horizontals over the roof. Also a very nice thin face on the right side of a corner or recess . At the time Tri-Cams, Rock & Rollers & Ball Nuts had just come out, we called the new gear voodoo pro. The entire route was protected with the new gear & we named the route "We Do Voodoo". I know we did quite a few lines there but those are the 2 that really stick out. I sort of remember placing a fixed pin on one route, a moderate face climb.
Ken

Thanks for the info! You guys definitely have a keen eye as today lines are absolutely gorgeous. Be easy