Jackson Falls

Jackson Falls offers the best sport climbing Illinois. Eric Ulner and other regulars have done a fantastic job of bolting hundereds of routes. The area is known for a plethora of sweet 5.10s, 11s and 12s. However, there are plenty of excellent, moderate routes and little need for fussy toprope anchors, making this a great area to take groups of mixed skill levels. Nearby Draper's Bluff adds to the selection of routes in "Southern."

Guidebooks

• Vertical Heartland: A Rock Climber's Guide to Southern Illinois (third edition) by Eric Ulner, is now in print. It is pricey, but well worth it.

• Short guide to sport climbing at Jackson Falls by drtopo.com. This guide is sparse and generally poor. Rely on it if you must, but for a weekend trip you will do much better with Ulner.

Weather

Unlike Draper's Bluff, Jackson Falls stays cool on hot summer days. This also means that you would probably not want to climb there on cold fall/spring days.

Getting there

Take I-57 out of Chicago for about 4 hours. Then take exit #44 onto I-24 East towards Nashville. Take I-24 for 13.4 miles, then turn left at exit #14 to US-45 North. Take US-45 for 9.8 miles. Then when you see the Ozark general store on your left, make a right on Ozark Rd. Drive on this road for 4.6 miles (it will make a couple of turns - make sure you stay on it), then, after a sharp left turn, make a right on Glenn Falls Rd. This is a gravel road that you will need to follow for 2.2 miles. Then before crossing a creek, there will be a turnout to the parking and camping area on your right. If this area is taken/full, you can turn left immediately after the creek - there are a couple of campgrounds there as well. You can also proceed on the gravel road uphill. There is no camping there, but you can park closer to the cliffs.

There is a short trail to the cliffline from the main camping/parking area. You will need to descend a scary-looking rope, or rappel on your own rope. Alternatively, you can go further south along the cliffline to the Dog Walk access gully.

Camping

There is primitive free camping with pit toilets only minutes away from the cliffs (look at the directions above).

Recommended Routes

Fine Nine (5.9)

Lovely Arete (5.11)

Hidden Treasure (5.12)

Archangel (5.10)

Tina's Soul Food Kitchen (5.8)

Deep Throat (5.10)

Group Therapy (5.10)

Big Wall Greg's Chicken Shack (5.6)

Venom (5.10)

Luscious Babes (5.8)

Birthday Route (5.10)

Amenities

Bring plenty of water--the "falls" are often dry. The Ozark general store on US-45 is not your best choice. The closest town with gas stations and restaurants is Vienna. To get there follow US-45 southwest to the other side of I-24.

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