Tennessee

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Description 

There's probably no place in the southeast that has such a high concentration of great climbing destinations as has Tennessee. Within an hour's drive of Chattanooga alone are eight crags with enough routes to last you a lifetime. And if you ever get tired of Chattanooga, there's plenty of other climbing areas to keep you busy, from Nashville to the west to Knoxville in the east.

Much of the climbing in Tennessee is on the Cumberland Plateau, a 300-mile ridge that stretches into Alabama and Kentucky. The rock is hard, high-quality sandstone, and the terrain can include long crack climbs and overhanging jugfests. The variety is incredible.

Tennessee boasts climbing year-round. In the dead of winter, you'll see climbers on the rock in their t-shirts at such south-facing crags as Tennessee Wall. When summer's at its hottest, Sunset Park is a great destination: its west-facing cliff stays shady until well into the afternoon.

There's plenty to do no matter what your climbing style. For trad leaders, T-Wall and Sunset are the top choices; other trad destinations include Suck Creek Canyon and Prentice Cooper. Sport climbers can clip bolts at Foster Falls and Obed. And there's a little of both at Leda. For the truly adventurous who want to carve out their own routes, there's Big South Fork, a real climbing frontier.

Guidebook 

For the authoritative guidebook to Tennessee climbing, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of the Dixie Cragger's Atlas by Chris Watford. If you plan to spend much time in the state, the DCA should be part of your climbing gear.

Featured Route For Tennessee

Razor Worm 5.9-  Tennessee : Tennessee Wall : T-Wall North

Rated three stars in the DCA, this is an excellent moderate with a great panoramic view of the valley.There are two basic variations to start Razor Worm. The easy way is starting at a huge flake, work up the right side of the flake, then follow a crack system up the face. A more exciting alternative is left of the big flake (and a tree); boulder up on good holds and continue up through a chimney section and on to the crack system. A ...[more]

Add Photo Photos of Tennessee

Waterfall in Fall Creek Falls.

Reel Cove, TN.