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Southeastern climbers, rejoice! Newly inked agreements just secured access to two new climbing areas with sport, trad, and bouldering, with potential for more of each. Today, the Southeastern Climbers Coalition (SCC) and Access Fund announced in a press release that they have signed a long-term agreement with Lyme Timber Company, which owns the climbing area known as Little Brushy.
Stacked with around 75 sport routes ranging from 5.11 to 5.14, Little Brushy exists on land owned by the Lyme Timber Company. The climbing is located in the Sequatchie Valley along the Cumberland Plateau, just north of the Tennessee border with Alabama and Georgia. In the last five to 10 years, climbers had begun to explore the area in spite of access challenges. As the crag gained momentum, the SCC and Access Fund reached out to Lyme about letting climbers legally access the area. Daniel Dunn, the eastern regional director at Access Fund, personally worked on the project and called it a “multi-year priority” for local climbers.
As for Lyme, the company’s motivation in partnering up with climbers was about letting the local community enjoy the vast lands it owns. Established in 1976 in New Hampshire, Lyme owns over 1,300,000 acres of lands across Appalachia, the Great Lakes, New York, and more areas. Approximately 109,500 acres of its portfolio spread across northern Alabama and southern Tennessee, where Little Brushy is located. Lyme is opening up 409 of its Tennessee acres to climbers.
“Our company has a long history of developing creative partnerships that allows the public to gain access for recreation on private lands,” Sean Ross, Lyme’s managing director, told Climbing. Ross adds that he looks forward “to welcoming the local climbing community” onto its lands.
Little Brushy’s current routes exist on 75-115-foot-tall cliffs of high-quality sandstone. SCC Executive Director Ben Lowe says the rock quality is similar to that found at Woodcock Cove, a climbing area about 15 minutes from Little Brushy that the SCC owns. “It’s also mostly north facing, which makes it a viable summer crag,” Lowe adds. “Summertime crags can be a rarity in the South.”
Once Little Brushy officially opens to the public, Lowe says the SCC will add a mini guide to the Climbing Areas section of its website with parking details, trail info, route listings, and topo maps. In addition to the 75 routes, significant potential for more development exists. In addition to more single-pitch sport routes across a variety of grades, Dunn says there is also “some trad potential” plus an opportunity to expand the bouldering along the area’s namesake creek.
Currently, SCC is building out access infrastructure, including parking areas and approach trails. They anticipate opening Little Brushy to the public sometime this fall. The organization plans to work with local developers to facilitate more route development. Lowe says the SCC will issue bolting permits for routes. “That way we know they [the routesetters] have gone through a light vetting process,” he explains.
Just a week ago, the SCC scored another access win for an area just 30 minutes from Little Brushy: Pond Creek. Access Fund and the SCC were able to negotiate an access agreement with private landowner—and climber—Matt McBride. Similar to Little Brushy, Pond Creek is a sport climbing area on sandstone cliffs, but with more moderate routes. Around 100 established routes currently exist, ranging from 5.7 to 5.13.
Climbers eager to access these new Chattanooga-area crags can stay tuned for an opening day announcement from the SCC soon. In the meantime, the SCC is hosting two trailwork days in the area and invites the community to join. Trail Daze of Summer takes place on July 26, and another trail day will be held on August 3.
Beyond Little Brushy, this access victory adds to the momentum the SCC has been building, particularly in eastern Tennessee and the Chattanooga area. “The access wins that we’ve had over the past five years have helped elevate the Sequatchie Valley and Chattanooga as a world-class climbing area,” Lowe says. “We’ve barely scratched the surface on what’s out there and what’s been opened up to the public.”
As the climbing community gets more creative in how it secures access, Lowe adds that Little Brushy sets a great precedent for other companies opening up their lands to public use. “Lyme looks at climbers as good stewards of the land,” he explains. “We’re hoping it will serve as a stepping stone with other property owners in the Southeast.”
