Climbing Near Sipsey, Alabama

Shorter routes on the cool West facing cliffline near the bend. This area features the easiest access and the best rock quality all less than 100 yards away from the bend campsites. There are several routes that could be climbed ground up, on gear, however the rock is dirty so time must be taken to clean placements. From the TC bend: Take the fork that crosses the creek. Once you cross the stream, immediately trend East towards the clifline, you will connect with the other path. Continue up the hill to the face, where you will be met by a bomber dihedral crack. The face there and further south is The Journey wall. There are several scrambles that will lead you to the top to set anchors. While there is plenty of anchors available, there are some exposed traverses to contend with.

This is a new area and only a few problems are done at this time.

It may not be the first place you think of as a climbing destination, but Alabama has some excellent crags to choose from, most within a two-hour drive of Atlanta or Birmingham. Climbing in Alabama is mostly sandstone. The Cumberland Plateau, which hosts the great sandstone cliffs of Tennessee, extends into northern Alabama. Areas like Jamestown are similar to T-Wall and Sunset in Chattanooga, though the cliffs are not as tall. Other areas like Cherokee Rock Village (Sand Rock), by contrast, tend toward sandstone with a fair amount of conglomerate mixed in. For trad climbers, Jamestown is the top destination, with numerous excellent lines. Areas like Cherokee Rock Village (Sand Rock) and Griffin Falls have a mix of sport and trad, while Palisades Park is a great place for setting up easy to moderate topropes. Boulderers can enjoy the great problems of Horse Pens 40 and Moss Rock Preserve. Because many of Alabama's destinations are on private land, access has been a perennial problem. While there are some areas that have been closed with little hope of ever reopening, Jamestown is a special success story. In 2005, the Southeastern Climbers Coalition purchased the land that includes the Jamestown cliffline, reopening the area to legal climbing for the first time in 12 years. With luck, other off-limits areas can be reopened with similar tactics. See individual climbing areas for specific directions.