The Atlanta Climbing Club Trip that has been originally scheduled for Saturday April 28th has been moved up to Saturday April 14th. This will allow reschedule dates if we continue with the weekend pattern of rain.
The club will be going to Palisades Park this Saturday April 14, 2018. If you’re new to climbing Palisades Park is a great choice. We will meet at the Thornton Road Park and Ride at 0700. (The park and ride is located on I-20 and Thornton Road). It takes approximately 2.5 hours to get to Palisades.
Located not far from Birmingham, Palisades is a Blount County Park with a nice little cliff line running just below its parking lot. There’s a good range of climbing difficulty, ranging from easy 5.4 up to roofy 5.12. Almost all routes can be easily top-roped without leading, and most have permanent anchors, so it’s a perfect place for a beginner’s first outdoor climbing experience. And if you’re just getting started on trad, Palisades is an excellent training ground; routes like Buckets (5.5) offer easy leading and plentiful protection. Be aware, though, that the grades tend to be sandbagged; Elephant Crack (5.6) and Box Lunch (5.7) are not for the novice leader. There’s no sport climbing at Palisades; no bolting is allowed.
All climbers must register at the park office and buy a $5 climbing permit (good for three days) or a $35 annual permit. From the parking lot, head for the cliff top near a picnic pavilion and scramble down a fourth-class gully/chimney to the base of the cliff.
Directions:
GPS 33.989, -86.458
From Birmingham, take SR 75 north to Oneonta. Take a left on US 231 (north); about a mile or two outside of Oneonta, watch for signs pointing to Palisades Park and follow county roads to the park entrance.
From Atlanta, take I-20 west to the US 231 exit. Follow 231 north through Oneonta, then follow directions above to the park.
