Northern Alabama Climbing/Bivvy Spots

Hello all, I'm new to Mountain Project.

There's a couple of Yosemite locals heading toward Virginia, and we're trying to plan a place to stop in the Northern Alabama area to trad climb and camp for free.

Can one bivvy/stealth camp in Jamestown or somewhere in that region?

We're pretty advanced dirtbags and can respectfully stealth camp and leave no trace without anyone noticing.

Thanks.

I generally camp at HP40 when in that area, but you will have to pay. Jamestown and Palisades are both nearby.
You definitely cannot camp at Palisades. I'm not sure about Jamestown.

No camping at Jamestown as of a year ago. Keep heading up the road to Chattanooga. Camping at the base of T-wall is free and the climbing is top notch! Just be cautious, read a few other post in the section in regards to a few recent break ins. Enjoy!

Hopefully you guys are stopping in NC to climb on your way to NOVA. If you are checkout Laurel Knob and Whitesides. They are two of the longest(if not the longest) climbs in the east. LK is unique in that it is leased by the Carolina Climbers Coalition and is also in panthertown valley. Panthertown is referred to by some people at the yosemite of the east. It doesn't have the cliff height and huge waterfalls like the real yosemite. It does have a lot of awesome granite and free camping. A little further to the east is Looking Glass Rock . It has some longer trad/aid climbs as well. If you are taking 81 to NOVA it might be a few hours off course but well worth it. Just take 64 out of cleveland, tn (outside chattanooga) and follow it to cashiers NC. Then afterwards you can head to asheville (and LGR if you want more climbing) and take hwy 26 to 81. A lot of the climbing in TN is single pitch and maybe 2 pitches if you are lucky. Of course there are exceptions. Hitting LK/Whitesides will give you some climbs of 10ish pitches.

Laurel Knob isn't leased by the CCC - climbers own it outright. When the cliff came up for sale, climbers across the Carolinas and more pulled the money together and bought the tallest cliff on the East coast. The original loans are paid off and it's open to anyone who wants to enjoy it. You can camp at the parking area or down in Panthertown Valley.

I just wish someone would buy a chunk of land at the base of laurel knob and setup a campsite.

Im pretty sure that Little River Canyon National Preserve has some camping spots that are probably free. Its just up the road from Jamestown. You will have to do some research.

EDIT: nps.gov/liri/planyourvisit/…

Rock town has camping but has become much more regulated over the past few years. The bouldering there is among the best in the Southeast. Sandrock also has opportunity, but beware of locals. There is great bouldering, sport, and trad climbing there despite the local spray paint artwork stating "Benny wuz here." Both will require permits for access and camping. Good luck and enjoy.

Jamestown is certainly a cool place, but not a destination area. It has a handful of good trad climbs, but in the world of SE trad there is so much more concentrated areas around. Is it that you have been all over the SE trad and have a void to fill in Northern Alabama? If it has to be sandstone I would recommend Chattanooga over Alabama. If not sandstone, the granite and quartzite that NC has to offer is quite amazing. It may be too close to the climbing style at home, but the quartzite will be very different. There is so much free camping in NC on USFS land.

TomCaldwell wrote:Jamestown is certainly a cool place, but not a destination area. It has a handful of good trad climbs, but in the world of SE trad there is so much more concentrated areas around. Is it that you have been all over the SE trad and have a void to fill in Northern Alabama? If it has to be sandstone I would recommend Chattanooga over Alabama. If not sandstone, the granite and quartzite that NC has to offer is quite amazing. It may be too close to the climbing style at home, but the quartzite will be very different. There is so much free camping in NC on USFS land.

If you're coming up I-81 there's a few places in SWVA to climb. Let me know.

Not much in the way of bivy spots around here...too much private land. Twall is sadly your only real choice for not out of the way zones...but like was already stated, lots of break-ins lately, so exercise caution.

If you go to Rocktown, there is free camping there. Other than that...you're stuck at pay campgrounds, that don't cater to climbers (pretty expensive/generator noise, RV's abound/etc.)...Or Walmart.

That's about it. Good luck.

Thanks for all the great advice everyone. The main reason to come through Alabama on our way to Virginia was because we thought a more Southern route would be slightly warmer, and a really hot girl lives in Alabama that one of us wants to visit. But maybe we'll hit Chattanooga instead. Keep you guys posted as our route becomes more defined and we pass through some of all of your local climbing spots.

:)

It can be hotter, but it just depends on the weather. The best is just to be flexible to follow the good conditions and women.

No bivying at Jamestown.
Normal spots are Sandrock, HP40, and there is a nice RV/Tent campground near LRC.
I would advise against camping in LRC.

Indeed, there are more routes at Steele, but I would consider JT to be the better place for a passer through...taller, cleaner, classic routes.
Steele is dirty and chossy and the locals are always shooting guns and have wild dogs running the hillside.
Long climbing history, but unless you like pulling blocks or falling on 40 year old pins, JT would be the place to go.

But, really...
Chatt is right up the road.
Booku camping/climbing and there's the hostel.

In any case...
If you need more information about camping in Alabama, perhaps about better options than any listed here, PM me through the site.

P.S...As a longtime NC aficionado, I second Tom's points.

P.P.S... Alabama women are the hottest.

Br'er Rabbit wrote: Steele is dirty and chossy and the locals are always shooting guns and have wild dogs running the hillside. P.P.S... Alabama women are the hottest.

There is a toll at Steele to camp. Its a 5th of George Dickle, pay the man at the top of the hill.

Blake Cash wrote:If you go to Rocktown, there is free camping there.

George Evans wrote: Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure you still have to have the GORP to camp at Rocktown. georgiawildlife.com/Georgia…

Thanks for everyone's tips on the area. We ended up coming through the area a few weeks ago when it was drizzling snow so we all made a push from Horseshow Canyon Ranch all the way to Virginia in one go and didn't stop to climb.

We all climbed Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah and some limestone at Franklin Gorge in West Virginia. Headed out to Seneca in the near future.

The T-Wall might be a destination on our way back to Yosemite next month.