Sandstone bluffs on Lookout MountainGloria Bell · CC BY 2.0
Raccoon Mountain & the River Gorge Climbing area

Tennessee Wall

Camping · Climbing · HikingActivities
Prentice Cooper State ForestTN
Tennessee Division of Forestry / Southeastern Climbers Coalition (access)Managed by

Sandstone trad crag, ~600 routes; classic winter season. Seasonal hunting closures in Prentice Cooper WMA.

2-mi sandstone band, ~200 trad routes; parking and access trail owned by Prentice Cooper SF; Tennessee Wall Campground (TWRA) open year-round; check Prentice Cooper hunt closures. Directions at seclimbers.org/project/tennessee-wall/.

Premier SE trad crag, south-facing (winter crag, Sep-Jun). Prentice Cooper WMA managed hunts close the area west of TN-27 to non-hunters. SCC-published dates: Fall 2025 Sep 20-22, Sep 23-26, Oct 9-11, Oct 18-19, Oct 23-25, Nov 7-9, Nov 29-Dec 4; Spring 2026 Apr 14-16, Apr 17-19, Apr 22-24, Apr 30-May 2, May 5-7, May 8-10. Spring turkey-nesting road closures (Persimmon Rd, all roads past Pot Point Gate on Tower Dr, Inman/Long/Elder Point Rds) until Jul 14; some roads closed Dec 20-Mar. Climbing prohibited at Indian Rock House, Snooper’s Rock and Bluffview. Bolting by permit via SCC area rep. OSM: node 2223141653 (35.07398,-85.40257) and cliff way 1316709365.

Fee: Free. No permit for individuals; guiding/commercial/group use by permit from Prentice Cooper SF.Dogs: Not stated on SCC page (WMA rules apply)Hours: Day use; primitive camping tolerated only near the parking lot

Parking & getting there

Gravel pull-off on Mullens Cove Road (River Canyon Rd) below the wall; the SCC-maintained approach trail climbs to the base.

Maps & guidebooks

  • Tennessee WallINTERACTIVE
  • Tennessee WallIMAGE
  • Dixie Cragger's Atlas: A Climber's Guide to Tennessee (Chris Watford)
  • Chatt Steel South, 2nd ed. (Averbeck & Gentry, Rockery Press, 2020)
  • ChatTrad (Rockery Press)
  • The Tennessee Wall: A Rock Climber's Guide (Rob Robinson, Southern Sandstone Publishing; out of print)
Directions Official page at www.seclimbers.org
Nearby

Close to here

Parking area2.4 mi

East Overlook

Hiking Mountain Biking Trail Running Raccoon Mountain & the River Gorge

Source: Adventure Chattanooga editors · Also listed at trgt.org seclimbers.org · OpenStreetMap (ODbL)