Y- 12
Versatile Tennessee crag with routes for multiple skill levels.
Photo: Chris M Morris, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- 36 routes
- 5.8 – 5.13a
- Sport · Trad
Is Y- 12 open right now?
No closures listed
The National Park Service lists no closures for Obed Wild and Scenic River.
As of · Source: NPS · Obed Wild and Scenic River. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Y- 12
Best months: March–April and August–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.
Jan
46° / 26°
11 wet
Feb
50° / 28°
10 wet
Mar
59° / 34°
11 wet
Apr
69° / 42°
11 wet
May
76° / 51°
13 wet
Jun
83° / 59°
13 wet
Jul
86° / 63°
13 wet
Aug
85° / 62°
11 wet
Sep
80° / 54°
10 wet
Oct
70° / 43°
10 wet
Nov
59° / 34°
9 wet
Dec
50° / 29°
11 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Lancing 6 Nw, TN, 4 mi away at 1,520 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Y-12 is a climbing area within the Obed Wild and Scenic River, managed by the National Park Service in Tennessee. It sits among several other named climbing areas, including The Outer Circle Ampitheatre, Stephen King Library and Blue Sky Buttress, all about 0.1 mile away. That makes it easy to pair with other routes in the same cluster. The climbing here is mostly sport, with 32 sport routes and 4 trad routes. The YDS grades run from 5.8 up to 5.13a. Atomic Bomb (aka Thunderbolt) is a trad route at 5.8, and True Grit is a sport route at 5.11d. Years in the Making is a trad route at 5.13a. For a change from the rock, Point Trail and Lilly Bridge Trail both lie within a mile. Rock Creek Campground (TN) is about 3 miles off, and Rock Creek, a paddling stretch, is roughly 7 miles away.
Routes (36)
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: Chris M Morris, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)The Outer Circle Ampitheatre
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5 sport routes at Outer Circle Ampitheatre, The in Tennessee.
Photo: Chris M Morris, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Stephen King Library
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Photo: Chris M Morris, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Blue Sky Buttress
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Photo: Chris M Morris, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)The Inner Circle
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Inner Circle, The in Tennessee has 10 sport climbing routes across 8 difficulty grades.
Photo: Chris M Morris, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)North Clear Creek
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Photo: Chris M Morris, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Squeeze Ledge
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Squeeze Ledge in Tennessee has 10 climbing routes across 7 grades.
Photo: Chris M Morris, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Middle Obed
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Photo: Chris M Morris, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Tieranny Roofs
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Photo: Chris M Morris, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Image Wall
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Photo: Chris M Morris, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Solstice Cave
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