Climbing Forecast › Cumberland Plateau › Obed & Clear Creek

CUMBERLAND PLATEAU · CUMBERLAND SANDSTONE

Obed & Clear Creek climbing conditions

Poor — wet, too windy or closed

Right now

Temp71°F
Wind2 mph
Gusts3 mph
Humidity94.3%
Rain 48h0.01 in
Last rain1h ago

Assessment

0.4mm rain forecast
Cumberland sandstone — wait until fully dry
Humidity 91% — potential fog
Humidity 94.3% — potential fog/cloud, rock may be damp from condensation
Cumberland sandstone handles humidity better than soft sandstone, but holds may feel greasy

7-day forecast

Scroll through each day — hourly detail is shown inline.

Today Friday 21 August
Poor
Temp73°F
Rain0.02 in
Wind2 mph
Gusts3 mph
Humidity91%
0.4mm rain forecastCumberland sandstone — wait until fully dryHumidity 91% — potential fog
  • Do not climb wet Cumberland sandstone — even hard SE sandstone breaks holds when saturated
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
14:00 71° 0.01 in 2 — 94.3%
15:00 74° dry 2 — 90.2%
16:00 75° dry 3 — 89.3%
17:00 79° dry 2 — 79.9%
18:00 81° dry 3 — 73.8%
19:00 82° 0.00 in 3 — 69.2%
20:00 81° 0.00 in 4 — 68.8%
21:00 81° dry 6 — 67.2%
Sat Saturday 22 August
Good
Temp72°F
Raindry
Wind4 mph
Gusts—
Humidity84%
No recent rain
  • Cumberland sandstone climbs well when dry — check no dampness in cracks or pockets
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 68° dry 4 — 94.9%
07:00 67° dry 5 — 95%
08:00 67° dry 5 — 94.8%
09:00 66° dry 5 — 95.5%
10:00 65° dry 5 — 96.2%
11:00 65° dry 4 — 96.7%
12:00 67° dry 5 — 95.4%
13:00 72° dry 4 — 88.1%
14:00 75° dry 4 — 80.1%
15:00 78° dry 4 — 70.6%
16:00 80° dry 5 — 62.3%
17:00 82° dry 5 — 55.7%
18:00 83° dry 5 — 52.3%
19:00 84° dry 6 — 50.5%
20:00 84° dry 7 — 48.8%
21:00 83° dry 8 — 50.3%
Sun Sunday 23 August
Good
Temp68°F
Raindry
Wind6 mph
Gusts—
Humidity83%
No recent rain
  • Cumberland sandstone climbs well when dry — check no dampness in cracks or pockets
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 66° dry 7 — 93.6%
07:00 65° dry 7 — 94.8%
08:00 65° dry 7 — 95.6%
09:00 64° dry 7 — 96.3%
10:00 63° dry 6 — 96.6%
11:00 62° dry 6 — 97.3%
12:00 64° dry 6 — 95.9%
13:00 67° dry 5 — 89.3%
14:00 71° dry 5 — 78.9%
15:00 73° dry 5 — 66%
16:00 76° dry 4 — 59.8%
17:00 78° dry 4 — 54.6%
18:00 80° dry 7 — 48.4%
19:00 80° dry 7 — 46.3%
20:00 80° dry 7 — 45.4%
21:00 80° dry 6 — 45.7%
Mon Monday 24 August
Good
Temp61°F
Raindry
Wind4 mph
Gusts—
Humidity87%
No recent rain
  • Cumberland sandstone climbs well when dry — check no dampness in cracks or pockets
  • Humid but Cumberland sandstone tolerates it better than soft sandstone — expect greasy slopers
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 62° dry 5 — 80.3%
12:00 60° dry 4 — 87.2%
18:00 81° dry 3 — 39.9%
Tue Tuesday 25 August
Good
Temp59°F
Raindry
Wind1 mph
Gusts—
Humidity87%
No recent rain
  • Cumberland sandstone climbs well when dry — check no dampness in cracks or pockets
  • Good friction temperature range for Cumberland sandstone
  • Humid but Cumberland sandstone tolerates it better than soft sandstone — expect greasy slopers
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 62° dry 3 — 80%
12:00 59° dry 1 — 86.5%
18:00 82° dry 2 — 37.8%
Wed Wednesday 26 August
Poor
Temp68°F
Rain0.01 in
Wind4 mph
Gusts—
Humidity73%
0.3mm rain forecastCumberland sandstone — wait until fully dry
  • Do not climb wet Cumberland sandstone — even hard SE sandstone breaks holds when saturated
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 69° dry 0 — 66.4%
12:00 68° dry 4 — 72.6%
18:00 87° 0.01 in 2 — 44.6%
Thu Thursday 27 August
Poor
Temp70°F
Rain0.07 in
Wind5 mph
Gusts—
Humidity98%
1.9mm rain forecastCumberland sandstone — wait until fully dryHumidity 98% — greasy holds likely
  • Do not climb wet Cumberland sandstone — even hard SE sandstone breaks holds when saturated
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 69° dry 3 — 93.8%
12:00 69° dry 5 — 97.7%
18:00 81° 0.07 in 3 — 67.9%
Fri Friday 28 August
Poor
Temp70°F
Rain0.01 in
Wind2 mph
Gusts—
Humidity99%
0.3mm rain forecastCumberland sandstone — wait until fully dryHumidity 99% — greasy holds likely
  • Do not climb wet Cumberland sandstone — even hard SE sandstone breaks holds when saturated
Time °F Rain Wind (mph) Gust Hum
06:00 70° dry 4 — 99.8%
12:00 70° 0.00 in 2 — 99.4%
18:00 83° 0.01 in 3 — 67.5%

About Obed & Clear Creek

The Obed is one of the East's classic sport crags — 660+ routes on bullet-hard Cumberland Plateau sandstone spread across the Obed River and Clear Creek canyon system, an hour northwest of Knoxville and administered by the National Park Service as the Obed Wild and Scenic River. Rock is famous for horizontal roofs, jugs and slopers; South Clear (Image Wall, Solstice Cave, Stephen King Library, the Balcony) is the most popular sector. Big roofs shelter some routes from direct rain and can extend the season into shoulder weather; Cumberland sandstone wet-rock ethic still applies. Stick clips useful — first bolts are often high. Free NPS access; camping at Clear Creek Campground ($10/person/night) or nearby Lilly Pad Hopyard & Brewery (showers, provisions). October–May is prime; midsummer is muggy.

Region
Cumberland Plateau
Rock type
Cumberland sandstone
Aspect
mixed-facing
Altitude
1191 ft
Exposure
medium
Seepage
medium

Other crags in this region

Buzzard Point (Laurel Snow SNA)Dayton Pocket (Laurel Falls Bouldering)