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.
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Birmingham, AL
birmingham, al
probably as much forgotten about the canyon as remains topical Nov 6, 2013
Birmingham, AL
Gautier, MS
The point of posting this is I'm looking for someone more experienced who might want to help develop this area further. The owner is ok with bolting up the lines. I didn't find much trad but it's probably there. PM if you'd like pictures or more information. Dec 29, 2018