 Alabama
- Sandrock
Sand Rock Hoe-down March 13, 2004
info
 Location
Sandrock (a.k.a. Sand Rock, Little Rock City, Cherokee Rock Village)
is located in northeastern Alabama, near the southern end of 80
mile long Lookout Mountain, just north of the town of Leesburg.
(The next largest town is Centre, or Gadsen). The rock formations
sit atop Shinbone ridge overlooking the town of Leesburg and man-made
Lake Weiss. Sandrock is about 20 miles northeast of Gadsen, Alabama,
1.5 hours west of Atlanta, Georgia, and about an hour southwest
of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Top of page
 Description
Sandrock, Alabama, has something to offer for anyone from beginner
to expert. Approaches are short and easy, the climbing is typified
by large jugs and horns on friendly sandstone, with pitches averaging
30 - 60 ft. in length. Sandrock is best known for the large number
of excellent boulder problems found within its maze. The area is
comprised of huge islands of gray featured sandstone with a maze
of canyons, passages, and caverns between them, and some beautifully
uncharacteristic rock formations. Most routes are easily top-roped,
there are a number of fine bolted sport routes, and enough challenges
to keep a trad leader on edge. It is a very user friendly area for
novices, offering both traditional and bolted routes with little
exposure.
See larger view
of the rock formations pictured
Top of page
 Directions
North of Atlanta on I-75, intersect SR 41 north
at exit #118. Follow it north past Cartersville, detouring onto
Highway 411 (SR 20) west, passing by Rome, Georgia, on your way
into Alabama.
To use a route south of Atlanta, take I-20
(SR 402) west at exit #92. Connect to 278 (SR 6), and follow it
through Rockmart to Cedartown. From Cedartown, take either SR 100
or Highway 27 (SR 1) north until you intersect with Highway 411
West. Passing through Cedartown to find SR 100 can be confusing
as it is poorly marked; follow 278 into town, turn left at the church,
then right at the next traffic light to stay on 278. SR 100 is to
be found as you leave the industrial area on the outskirts of town.
The road will fork - you can take the fork to the right, or continue
a little further looking for the next road to the right (there will
be an overpass to the left). Travel a short distance up the road
to confirm you are on course with a SR 100 road sign.
Show large
view of Sean on The Whipping Post
Once on 411 West, follow it across Georgia
and into Alabama. Things get pretty sparse once your out of the
Atlanta area, so if you need to get supplies or a motel room, you'd
better not wait too long. Once you're into Alabama, follow 411 through
Centre to Leesburg. Turn right on Highway 68 West. You'll drive
2.7 miles up a long hill (gas station/store on right halfway). There
will be a few ramshackle shops on the right atop the hill, just
after the colorful "Welcome to Sandrock" sign. Look for a hard left
turn onto County Road #36 and continue 1.5 miles. Watch for the
sign on the left pointing to Cherokee Rock Village (photo) .
Turn left on an indistinct narrow asphalt road with a barbed wire
fence on both sides. (you may think it’s some farmers driveway).
This paved road winds uphill, and soon turns to dirt/gravel. Power
lines and a large tower will be evident on the right. Turn right
at the end of this road and continue uphill along the ridge top
until the road ends at a small parking lot. You have arrived. You
can camp where ever you find a spot in the woods. The rocks / deep
canyons / cliffs will be on your left as you drive up the gravel
road, be careful if you choose to camp on that side - don't walk
off a cliff in the dark!
Show larger
view of Cherokee Rock Village sign
Top of page
 Cliff
Access
The rock formations are visible from the parking area requiring
only a short walk to reach the closest. There are additional points
of access along the road which parallels the climbing area near
its terminus. A low rock wall has been constructed at the border
of the parking area to discourage direct ATV access into the climbing
areas.
The rock formations are typically free standing with routes on
all sides. Almost all of them offer easy access to the top via scrambling
or easy climbs to rig top ropes. Some of the more popular have permanent
anchors. Trails wind around and through the many formations, some
pass through small caves and slots.
See enlarged satellite
view of Sandrock
Top of page
  Guidebooks
The Dixie Cragger's Atlas by Chris Watford. 1999.
Published by Market Place Press, 425 Market Place, Roswell, GA.
30075.
The Deep South Climbers Companion
by Rob Robinson and Chris Watford is currently out of print, unavailable.
Top of page
 Routes
Classic climbs in the area include:
They Call Me Cruiser 5.10 b/c, Jaws 5.9, Reed's Eliminate 5.12
b/c, Champagne Jam 5.12 c/d, Pin Chimney 5.8, Loosy Goosy 5.9, The
Standard Route 5.6, Lands of Time 5.10 b/c, Knob Wall 5.6, Wall
of Horns 5.10b/c, The Sun Wall area (some good sport routes), The
Whipping Post area. Numerous beginner top rope routes can be easily
rigged on the Jaws Block making it a very popular place for first
time climbers.
Bouldering routes can be found on every rock formation, there
are hundreds of them.
Top of page
Land Manager:
Sandrock is owned by Cherokee County. It is hoped that one day
it may be developed into a park, but for the time being, it is essentially
unrestricted.
Cherokee County Parks & Recreation Board
Mr. J.C. Stallings, Chairman
Centre, Alabama 35960
Top of page
 Emergency
Information:
You are in Cherokee County. Dial 911.
Top of page
 Gear:
Typical bouldering gear, pads, etc.
Bring plenty of long runners if you're going to set up top-ropes.
For sport or traditional leading, a light to standard rack will
do. 50m ropes are adequate. You may want to bring several two foot
slings to tie off to the numerous horns. Many popular climbs are
bolted sport routes, and can be climbed with just a half dozen quickdraws.
Please pad all trees - they are few and far between, and need all
the protection we can give them to preserve their bark.
Top of page
 Facilities:
None. No water. An outhouse was located near the parking area,
but don't expect it to be in the best of conditions. There is heavy
day and night use for all forms of recreation and mischief.
Top of page
Seasons:
Climbing is best enjoyed during the cooler months, especially on
the southern exposures. Sandrock can be unbearably hot in midsummer,
though cool and shaded chasms and canyons can be found to provide
some relief if you search for them.
Top of page
 Access
Notes
One of the first things that might impress (or depress) you on
visiting Sandrock is the amount of abuse this area receives. Litter,
graffiti, fire pits, and general human impact are not hard to find.
It's easy access and rural location draw all kinds of traffic.
Climbers recognized the value of this resource many years ago,
and took it upon themselves to make an effort to keep the area from
being closed due to the abuse. Thanks to the efforts of the Southeastern
Climbers Coalition and voluntary work by many climbers, this
area has made improvements over the years and continued access appears
to be secure.
The SCC has sponsored an
annual bouldering competition, gathering and cleanup of the area
each spring for several years now. This event typically draws in
the neighborhood of 100 climbers. The cleanup effort usually fills
a large dumpster or two, often overflowing the capacity. Additional
support from the Access Fund, local and national climbing gear retailers,
and other sources has brought the support of the local county government
and shone a good light on the sport of climbing.
Top of page
Miscellaneous
Beware of loose nuts on bolts on some sport
routes, Holiday Block, & West End.
Be sure to read "A Brief
History of Climbing at Sand Rock"
Sandrock is located in a DRY COUNTY. You can be ARRESTED. Keep
alcohol out of sight! My personal experiences with this are recorded
in Sandrock
Night Life - a trip report.
Sandrock is in the Central Time Zone.
Thanks to Wendy and Gary for the updates!
Top of page
 Links
Show large view of Jim
on the Pinnacle
Top of page
Sandrock Trip Reports
3/28/02 Sandrock
Hoe-down - Submitted by Wayne Busch - Wayne and Jackie attend
the Sandrock Hoe-down
2/7-10/02 - Sandrock,
Alabama - Submitted by Adam Amarose - Adam and six friends visit
Sandrock
3/27/99 - Sandrock
Hoe Down - Submitted by Wayne Busch - Jackie,Wayne and four
friends attend the Sandrock Hoe-down
10/10/98 - Sandrock,
Alabama October 10th - 11th - Submitted by Wayne Busch - A group
of 10 visit over the weekend (short).
4/96 - Sandrock
Night Life - Submitted by Wayne Busch - Wayne tells the story
of how he learned Sandrock is in a dry county.
Top of page
|
![[ Yahoo! Maps ]](http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/mp/gr/mplogo.gif){kind=small}
