Tennessee · Rock climbing · Chattanooga

Upper Passes Left

Upper Passes Left in Tennessee has 7 traditional climbing routes across 6 difficulty grades.

7 routes
5.8+ – 5.11c/d
Trad

Best time to visit Upper Passes Left

Best months: February–May and September–November. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

  1. Jan

    51° / 32°

    11 wet

  2. Feb

    56° / 36°

    10 wet

  3. Mar

    64° / 42°

    11 wet

  4. Apr

    74° / 50°

    10 wet

  5. May

    81° / 59°

    11 wet

  6. Jun

    88° / 67°

    11 wet

  7. Jul

    90° / 71°

    12 wet

  8. Aug

    90° / 70°

    10 wet

  9. Sep

    84° / 64°

    8 wet

  10. Oct

    74° / 51°

    8 wet

  11. Nov

    62° / 40°

    9 wet

  12. Dec

    53° / 35°

    11 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Chattanooga Lovell Ap, TN, 12.5 mi away at 671 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Upper Passes Left is a climbing area in Tennessee, about a mile from the town of Stanley. It sits alongside the Upper Passes and Flying Squirrel Buttress climbing areas, both of which are about 0.1 mile away, and Middle Creek is about 1.1 miles off. The area is a cluster of traditional routes, with seven listed in total, and the hardest of them, Reach For The Sky, is rated 5.11c/d. The routes here are all trad, and the grade range runs from 5.8+ up to 5.11c/d. Amplitude and Shelob are both 5.8+, and Rockwork Orange is 5.10-. The first ascents of these routes date back to the early 1980s, with Reach For The Sky going up in 1986. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to climb. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Chattanooga show October highs around 74°F with lows near 51°F, and April is similar. Summer highs typically reach about 90°F in July and August.