Lower Gorge Access with New Road

[Catawaba]

Was looking for the new directions to the crags in the lower gorge (purple valley specifically) since all of the work on forest road 9b. Any body having any luck refinding the crags and can share their approach beta?

[milspecmark]

Purple Valley is all the way at the dead end.

[Ascentionist]

Two popular crags are affected: Muscle Beach and Dip Wall. Other than those two the driving and approach trail directions should still work.

For Muscle Beach you park in the same spot, cross the creek on the boulders just upstream of the parking area, and parallel the creek downstream looking for a trail on the edge of the treeline. A few weeks ago it was at a large fallen tree that you had to duck under. Then you follow the old approach, but its hard to give directions because its overgrown. But once you start climbing the hillside the trail is still sort of there and easy enough to follow.

Dip wall: Park at the gate at the new end of 9b. Hike up the creek and then bear left along the sometimes dry fork (Blackstand Branch) into the trees. You'll pick up the old Dip Wall trail on the right side of the stream where it meets the trees.

[clif]

Such a beautiful drive. The river was clear and a luminescent green, the woods still bare. Seemed like a secretive silence.

SO lucky that GREAT people let me climb with them at Muscle Beach this past week (you know who you are). Can't believe it took me 20 years to get out there. What a beast Martin Hackworth must be, can't believe what they were willing to get on. The place to be.

Seems like a new approach may be in order? I think this is the crag?

[caribe]

Two popular crags are affected: Muscle Beach and Dip Wall. Other than those two the driving and approach trail directions should still work.

nope, you can no longer cross the creek in your auto. Dip Wall pull off is as far as you can go.

Copy and paste the following to a text file. save it as blah blah.klm
import it into google maps.
If you need further help google importing klm into google maps.

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[Ascentionist]

nope, you can no longer cross the creek in your auto. Dip Wall pull off is as far as you can go.

I should have clarified that as a hiker you follow the driving directions as they exist. The hiking directions have changed for Dip Wall and Muscle Beach, or at least the visuals are different due to the stream reclamation project.

You do have to stop driving at the Dip Wall parking area, but otherwise you just hike the drive.