Hurricane Creek Park

Though it's not a major climbing destination, Hurricane Creek is a great place to take new climbers for their first experience on real rock. Most of the routes are readily accessible from the top of the cliff to set up a toprope and there's a good selection of easy lines. Combine this with a pretty setting alongside a stream and a family-friendly atmosphere, and you've got a nice climbing spot just a half-hour from Birmingham.

There's another side to the coin, however. Hurricane Creek is a fairly new area that's largely unexplored, and there's a lot of potential for new route development. Even better, park management is encouraging this. So bring your pruning shears and whisk broom, you could bag a nice FA.

[Editor's note: since this area is not yet documented and the routes don't have "official" names, I'm indulging in a little whimsy by giving them names myself. When/if real route names become available, they'll be updated. -- JL]