I lived in Nashville for 3.5 years, and a centerpiece of my time in Nashville was climbing. I got to know a good few climbing areas close to Nashville. At some point we would travel somewhere every weekend to go climb! Now, three years after graduating from Belmont University in Nashville, I finally went back for a vacation. I wondered to myself why I had never written about my experience there in the blog! That’s why I’m finally creating this blog post: where to climb outdoors close to Nashville!
Now, I must say, Tennessee has more places to climb than I could know, but this post will focus on the ones I know well.
*This blog is based out of Colombia, South America. You might enjoy checking out some of its climbing spots. Who knows, you may end up coming!
Where to Climb Outdoors Close to Nashville
Stone Fort (Little Rock City)
This was the first place I climbed outdoors in Tennessee, and is my favorite to this day. I’m not sure if it’s my favorite because of the memories and sends I made there or because of the place itself, but both are stellar. From shearing crimps to beautiful slopers and from V0 to V12, this bouldering area has it all. The Triple Crown Bouldering Series has a stop here too!
Some boulders I recommend are: Super Mario and it’s extension, The Wave, Sternum, Toothfairy and, of course, Grimace. The first time I saw Grimace I swore I would climb it, every time I went to LRC I’d go look at it, and I eventually did send. It’s the best boulder I’ve ever seen, but I love slopers, so take that into account.
LRC has a great guidebook, which you can get here. To get to LRC, type in “Stone Fort Little Rock City” in your GPS and go enjoy!
Rocktown
Rocktown is a bouldering area with amazing boulders and is a relatively new area, so new stuff is being developed all the time. Technically, this place is in Georgia, but it’s on the border of Tennessee. It’s 3 hours from Nashville, which makes it a good place for a two-day trip, although it’s so good that it’s even worth a day trip too.
Two climbs I definitely recommend are Nose Candy and Inspired by an Idiot, two really fun V6’s. For more information on this area, like the dates the park is closed and the license you need to buy to enter, check out the Southeastern Climbers Coalition website! To get to Rocktown, type in “Rocktown Rock Climbing” in your GPS and get after it!
Foster Falls
Foster Falls has everything you need when it comes to sport climbing: from easy, vertical 5.8’s to crazy-looking, overhung 5.13’s. This area is highly developed because of climbers, hikers and runners, so it has amenities like camping (which you have to pay for), picnic tables and bathrooms at the parking lot. The waterfall, of course, is a huge attraction for climbers and non-climbers alike. Make sure you also check out the Left and Right Bunkers, two amazing cave-like formations that house some of the coolest climbers there are!
Definitely get on Bear Mountain Picnic, a beautiful 5.8, or Ethnic Cleansing, an overhung 5.12 climb with a dyno to finish it off. This spot is 1 hour and 45 minutes from Nashville. To get to Foster Falls, well, look up “Foster Falls” in your GPS! Once there, take the Foster Falls overlook trail, which will lead you to all the climbing.
The Obed
I can’t speak well enough about this climbing area. It literally has it all: trad, sport and bouldering, and everything from easy to very hard. You can go to different areas within the Obed where you park and walk a few feet to the climbing (Lilly Boulders) or places you have to hike 45 minutes to get to (Y-12). My favorite spots are the Lilly Boulders and South Clear. I enjoy Lilly Boulders because you’re in the woods getting on some beautiful climbs, and it is just as peaceful as it gets. South Clear is great because it has some insane roof climbs (and I’m emotionally attached to the place, I guess).
I definitely recommend getting on Solstice in South Clear, Barbwire and Lingerie in Y-12, and Saddam Hussein in North Clear. To get to the heart of the Obed, type in “South Clear Creek Climbing Parking” and go explore! This place has so many climbing areas, that you’ll definitely want a guidebook!
King’s Bluff
Though King’s Bluff doesn’t have the best climbing, it is extremely close to Nashville (although I’d rather put in the 1 hour and 45 minute drive to Foster Falls). Only an hour from Nashville, right in Clarksville, lies a beautiful cliff-line by the Cumberland River. It definitely is a beautiful, peaceful place. It’s perfect if you want to get outdoors but can’t take the whole day off and is a great place to start learning to climb outdoors.
To get there, put “King’s Bluff, Clarksville” into your GPS and go get it. There’s a gate by the parking lot that’s usually open, but if it’s closed, you can always get the code to open it at the Southeastern Climbers Coalition’s website.
Well, this tiny list by no means encompasses all of what Tennessee has to offer! It’s a very biased list too, because I love these places (ok, King’s Bluff not so much).
For a complete list of places to climb in Tennessee and close to Nashville, visit Mountain Project and get lost researching climbing areas. Also, Mountain Project has detailed directions on how to get to each place if you’re interested.
And of course, I can’t end this blog post without mentioning the Red River Gorge! It’s only 4.5 hours from Nashville and is one of the best places to climb in the world. Taking that into account, I’d say it’s close enough. A great place to go enjoy for a long weekend!
I hope this blog post got you psyched to climb now that you know where to climb outdoors close to Nashville. Until next time!
Make sure you check out some of our Colombia blogs!!
