Rock Climbing
Rock climbing is a difficult, but deeply rewarding sport requiring strength, balance, and a keen knowledge of safety systems. Chattanooga is home to some of the best rock climbing in the country. Sandstone boulders and cliffs surround the city and provide climbers with a lifetime of challenging lines. For beginners or those who would like to try climbing for the first time, Chattanooga has three climbing gyms as well as local guiding services that can get you started in the sport. Experienced climbers visiting Chattanooga will find a supportive local climbing community that is happy to show travelers some southern hospitality and share their knowledge of Chattanooga’s climbing. Remember! Keeping climbing areas clean and preserving our access is everyone’s responsibility. Please follow the posted rules of each climbing area and practice Leave No Trace.
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Foster Falls
Enjoy one of the most scenic and wild areas in Tennessee with a visit to the Foster Falls Small Wild Area. Located near Tracy City, 45 minutes from Chattanooga, this recreation area serves as a home base for exploring the south end of the Cumberland Plateau. An easy hike will take you to the top of Foster Falls. A short, but steep downhill hike takes you over a suspension bridge for a spectacular view of the 60-foot waterfall plunging into a deep pool. Mountain laurel, azaleas, and hemlocks add to the beauty of this area.
Foster Falls is known in the climbers' world as one of the premier climbing destinations in the Southeast. Foster Falls cliff offers difficult, but scenic sport climbs and the south facing cliff provides climbers with plenty of warm sunshine most of the day. Climbers can expect highly technical routes on steep, compact rock, with strenuous wall and roof climbs averaging 60 feet in height. Most climbs are in the 5.10+ range. The cliff line begins at Foster Falls, and runs downstream for nearly two miles, following the curving contour of Little Gizzard Creek.Directions
Difficulty
Climbing
Hiking
Running
Backpacking
Hours and Cost
Open Daily: Sunrise to Sunset
Cost: Free
Pet Friendly
Yes, on a leash
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Horse Pens 40
Horse Pens 40 is a premier bouldering destination in northern Alabama. Known for its heinous slopers and hard mantle top outs, Horse Pens 40 (HP 40) often humbles the first-time visitor. If one project spits you off, you don't have far to go to find the next. HP 40 is one of the most concentrated boulder fields in the world. The staggeringly beautiful sandstone formations will test the strength of your forearms and your sense of balance.
Horse Pens 40 offers camping and cabin rentals. For those who don't climb, the boulder field is a great place to wander and a few boulders even have steps allowing access to the top for a spectacular view.Directions
Difficulty
Rock Climbing
Hiking
Hours and Cost
Open Daily: Sunrise to Sunset
Day pass, October 1-May 30: $8
Day pass, June 1-September 30: $6
Camping, October 1-May 30: $15/night
Camping, June 1-September 30: $13/night
Pet Friendly
No
Contact
Horse Pens 40 3525 Co Rd 42 Steele, AL 35987 256-538-7439
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Rocktown
Located in Walker County, near Lafayette, Georgia the Crockford-Pigeon Wildlife Management Area sits on a finger of the Lookout Mountain plateau, jutting northeast towards Chattanooga.
The mountaintop has several acres of exposed rock formations, from 30-40 feet high, all carved into indescribable shapes. Gnarled with cracks, handholds, overhangs and other climbing features, the place is called Rocktown.
Climbers of all skill levels can find accessible boulders within the field. The first time you go, take an experienced friend and plan on doing a lot of exploring.
A Georgia Outdoor Recreation Pass (GORP) is required.
Check Crockford Pigeon Mountain hunting dates before visiting in late fall.Directions
Difficulty
Climbing
Hiking
Running
Hours and Cost
Open Daily: Sunrise to Sunset
Cost: GORP Pass or Georgia Hunting/Fishing license
Pet Friendly
Yes, on a leash
Contact
Georgia Department of Natural Resources 2592 Floyd Springs Rd. Armuchee, GA 30105 706-295-6041
Crockford-Pigeon Mountain Armuchee Ranger District 806 E. Villanow St. P.O. Box 465 Lafayette, GA 30728 706-638-1085
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Stone Fort
Located half an hour north of Chattanooga on Mowbray Mountain, adjacent to the Montlake Golf Course is Stone Fort, otherwise known to the climbing community as “Little Rock City”. Stone Fort is one of the most well-known bouldering areas in the country and has become famous as one of three venues for the annual Triple Crown of Bouldering competition.
The boulders at Stone Fort are divided into different areas, starting with the Front Area and going all the way to The Back Nine Area. With over 700 established problems, there's plenty for every skill level.
Stone Fort is on property owned by the Montlake Golf Club. Parking is available for climbers and golfers at the clubhouse, where climbers check in, pay the day-use fee and sign a waiver of liability for access to the boulder field. Please observe basic rules and courtesy when using this private property.Directions
Difficulty
Climbing
Hours and Cost
Open Daily: 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Cost: $8.75
Pet Friendly
Yes, on leash
Contact
Luken Holdings
9104 Brow Lake Rd.
Soddy-Daisy, TN 37379
423-332-3111 -
Sunset Rock
Stretching along the western face of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Sunset Park is home to some of Tennessee's finest single-pitch trad climbing. The hard sandstone provides great climbing and spectacular views of the valley below. Routes are plentiful in a wide range of difficulty, and the northwest-facing cliff offers a cool, shady alternative to other climbing areas during the summer months.
Sunset has a long and interesting history, both for climbers and Civil War buffs. A part of Lookout Mountain Battlefield in Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, it is highly respected and protected by the local climbing community and the National Park Service as a place of historical significance.
To protect access for climbers and also the mountain’s historical integrity, please respect and obey all of the NPS climbing regulations for Sunset Rock. The best place to park is Lookout Mountain Battlefield’s Cravens House.Directions
Difficulty
Climbing
Hiking
Running
Hours and Cost
Open Daily: Sunrise to Sunset
Cost: Free
Pet Friendly
Yes, on a leash
Contact
National Park Service Chickamauga and Chattanooga Military Park
3370 LaFayette Rd.
Fort Oglethorpe, GA 30742
706-866-9241
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Tennessee Wall
The Tennessee Wall, on the rim of the Cumberland Plateau above the Tennessee River Gorge, is known as one of the premier cliffs in the Southeastern U.S. Miles of hard sandstone offer 600 routes from the 5.5 to 5.13 range of difficulty.
Because the wall faces southwest, the rock face can get extremely hot during most summer months, so the best climbing occurs October – May.
Climbers can access the T-Wall from River Canyon Rd. in the Tennessee River Gorge, approximately one half hour from downtown Chattanooga.Directions
Difficulty
Climbing
Hiking
Hours and Cost
Open Daily: Sunrise to Sunset, execpt for hunt dates
Cost: Free
Pet Friendly
Yes, on leash
Contact
Prentice Cooper State Forest 3998 Game Reserve Rd. Chattanooga, TN 37405 423-658-5551
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Walnut Wall
Located on the north shore of the river, the City of Chattanooga’s Walnut Wall overlooks the Tennessee River from a 50′ high limestone pier of the historic Walnut Street Bridge in Coolidge Park. The wall is equipped with fixed holds and offers beginner-friendly top roped climbing in a relaxed outdoor setting.
The Walnut wall is used to host special climbing programs and activities through Outdoor Chattanooga and serves as a training ground for new student climbers with Chattanooga Area Interscholastic Climbing League. On occasion, the wall is open to the public for climbing. To see scheduled programs, visit our Events Calendar.
Directions
Difficulty
Climbing
Guides
Outdoor Chattanooga
Hours and Cost
Open by appointment only
Cost: varies depending on program
Pet Friendly
No
Contact
Outdoor Chattanooga 200 River St. Chattanooga, TN 37405 423-643-6888
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Zahnd
Nestled atop Lookout Mountain in Georgia, only 45 minutes from downtown Chattanooga, rests a wonderful assortment of fine-grained sandstone boulders ranging from vertical slabs and textured slopers to cavernous overhangs.
Zahnd boasts many established classics in the V0-V10 range, as well as plenty of unsolved problems and projects, mostly in the moderate range. Parking will be found on the right side of the road, southbound on HWY 157, just after mile marker 6. The boulders are a short hike from the parking lot.
This area is open to climbers with a Georgia Outdoor Recreation Pass (GORP) year round, sunrise to sunset. During hunting season it is open to climbers 10 am to sunset.
Public land borders have been marked by orange flagging tape in many areas. Do not go onto private land without permission.Directions
Difficulty
Climbing
Hiking
Hours and Cost
Open Daily: Sunrise to Sunset
Cost: GORP or Georgia hunting/fishing license
Pet Friendly
Yes, on a leash
Contact
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
2592 Floyd Springs Road
Armuchee, GA 30105
706-295-6041
Types of Climbing in Chattanooga
Bouldering is climbing on a very short cliff or boulder without a rope. Boulderers use crashpads placed below the climb to protect them when falling. “Spotters” (friends and fellow climbers) make sure the climber lands safely. Bouldering is generally the most accessible form of climbing as it requires the least amount of gear.
Top Roping appeals to beginner and intermediate climbers who are just starting to learn the ropes. The rope is anchored to the top of the cliff. With an attentive belayer, the climber won’t ever take a big fall.
Sport Climbing involves clipping quickdraws into bolts drilled into the rock as the climber ascends. Intermediate and advanced climbers enjoy the challenge of lead climbing above their protective gear and potentially taking larger falls.
Traditional (“Trad”) Climbing places the climber in complete control of his or her protective gear. Camming units (“cams”), “nuts,” hexes, and more are placed into cracks and holes in the rock. Trad climbers need advanced knowledge to place gear effectively and safely in order to minimize risk.
