Approaching Stone Fort for the first time, you’re bound to be a little skeptical as you drive through the affluent neighborhood and pull into the golf course parking lot. Despite it’s slightly bizarre setting, Stone Fort offers some of the best bouldering in the country. There are a wide variety of quality problems, from technical slabs, to crimpy faces, to hard cracks, to powerful overhangs. The landings tend to be flat and the sandstone tends to be solid.

Access

The Stone Fort boulders are located on the Montlake Golf Course. An entrance fee of $6.50 per person per day is required. Please park in the designated climber parking spaces and register in the clubhouse. The clubhouse also has tape, chalk and the guidebook for sale, and crash pads for rent. Dogs are not permitted.

Seasons

While you can climb at Stone Fort year round, the summer months will be hot and uncomfortable. If you want to send, crisp winter days offer the best conditions. You’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to stick to the slopers.

Accommodations

Chester Frost State Park is 25 minutes from Stone Fort and is partially open all year, despite what the website says. It has showers and cook shelters and rates vary from $16 per night to $25 per night. Free camping is available approximately forty minutes away in the Prentice State Forest. The Crash Pad, a hostel for climbers, is located in downtown Chattanooga and is about 35 minutes from Stone Fort.

Food

The clubhouse sells food and drinks and the town of Soddy-Daisy, about ten minutes away, has a fairly large selection of restaurants as well as a grocery store.

Geology

The boulders are sandstone and extensive water erosion has left characteristic features such as runnels and bulbous slopers.

Distractions

Soddy-Daisy has a Walmart if you need supplies. Nearby, Chattanooga has every convenience you could want.