The club trip to King’s Bluff near Nashville, TN is this weekend, Sep. 11-12. Below is some information on the climbing, as well as places to stay. Please be advised that Spring Creek campground is currently CLOSED for construction.
Some of us will be leaving early Friday morning, others staying late through Monday, and every conceivable combination in between. Post up on the Yahoo group if you’re looking for people to carpool with.
Kings Bluff TN
Kings Bluff is owned and maintained by the SCC!! The entrance is locked and gated, however the combination is available to climbers. Just visit the Southeastern Climber’s Coalition message board or stop by North Cumberland Outfitters on New Ashland City Rd across from King’s Bluff. Property taxes, as well as trail and anchor maintenance costs all fall on the SCC. If you enjoy climbing at King’s then please help us keep it open by dropping a buck or so in the donation box each time you visit.
Please contact our King’s Bluff Area Rep with questions or comments:
Scott Griggs – kingsbluff@hotmail.com
Sandstone is great! Steep bucket hauls and vertical cracks. It doesn’t get much better. How about some limestone? Go to Rifle or England , and you’ll find the hardest sport climbs are on limestone. King’s Bluff, near Clarksville , Tennessee doesn’t have the hardest routes in the southeast but it does have a wide diversity of difficulty (5.3-5.13) to test your mettle. Limestone tends to be more crimpy and power climbing rather than pumpy and endurance climbing.
Climbing at King’s began in the early 1990s spearheaded mainly by Walt Wilkinson. The resurgence of development in recent years has been the result of the efforts of several individuals including Joey Redman, Doyle Parsons, and Mark Ilgner. The routes range in height from 30 to 80 feet and are almost exclusively sport. A few routes are mixed. A small guidebook is available at North Cumberland Outfitters in Clarksville and Cumberland Transit in Nashville. A King’s Bluff section will also be available in Chris Watford’s new upcoming comprehensive southeastern guidebook.
Concerns: There is private property where some of the routes top out. Do not top out but rather rappel back down from the anchors (which are at the top of all routes). Keep the area clean. Hold the noise down in the quiet zone (to the left when facing the cliff) so as not to disturb the residents above. Climb only on established routes.
Parking: The entrance to the bluff is through several businesses. Do not park in their spaces. Drive through the gates and park in the cul-de-sac at the trail head.
Directions: Go on I-24 West to exit #11 (Clarksville/Adams). Turn left on state road 76. Continue about 3 miles, to a four-way intersection (Kmart on the left). Continue straight for another 2.7 miles to Max Court (just past the BP station, which is on the right). Turn left onto Max Court .
Camping:
There are no state parks that offer camping in the area. Camping is not permitted at King’s Bluff due to city ordinances. Each of the campgrounds listed below is about 20-25 minutes from the climbing area.
Clarksville RV Park $24.00/night 2 people per camp site
This campground is about 1 exit from the climbing area and right next to the highway. They have clean restrooms, showers and a pool. It is about a 20 minute drive from here to the crag.
1270 Tylertown Rd.
Clarkesville, TN 37040
931-648-8638
http://www.clarksvillervpark.com/
Red River Camping $10.00/night ($5 for kids)
This place has showers and bathrooms and sites on the river. I’m not sure if this place is as clean as the RV park but it is further from the highway. It is about 20+ minutes from the crag.
8002 Hwy 41 N
Adams, TN 37010
615-696-2768 (Jeff)
http://www.canoetheredriver.com/
Hotels:
Holiday Inn Express 700 Sango Road, Clarksville, TN – (931) 358-5800
Quality Inn South 1112 Highway 76, Connector Rd. , Clarksville , TN – (931) 358-2020
Days Inn Clarksville 1100 Highway 76, Connector Rd. , Clarksville , TN – (931) 358-3194
Super 8 635 Huntco Drive, Clarksville, TN – (931) 358-0810
Had a great time at Kings Bluff. Thanks to everyone for such a wonderful climbing weekend!