Dawson Bluffs has several names (Hunter's Bluff, Jones-Kenney, Pumpkin Center, Pennyrile Cliffs) so don't get confused. This area features Thurmonuclear's Crack (5.13a) which hasn't seen a second ascent and was voted the 10th best roof crack in the United States by Tim Toula, not to mention Tips and Toes (5.12a) a classic trad line, and the popular Green Monster (5.9). Not to mention other trad lines such as Bear Huggin (5.13a) hasn't seen a second accent either or the scary to place pro on "Skeltar" (5.11), which had an R rating until a safety bolt was placed half way up. For you aid freaks there are some really cool aid routes going out the roof from A3-A4. Much more can be done in the way of development. Not to many cool bouldering problems exist yet but there is tons of potential baby, lots of freestanding boulders, bring a wirebrush!
GUIDEBOOK: The most complete guidebook is on rockclimbing.com and its authors are Nathan Rainwater & Joe Goertzen. Two guys from Madisonville who devoted alot of time in the way of development of bouldering and sport routes plus getting the info for the guidebook right by contacting FA's with a little help from yours truely.
DIRECTIONS: From Dawson Springs head West on HWY 62. 5 miles outside Dawson Springs you will come to a bridge (it is your second bridge). There is a small gravel pull-off on the left side of the road (east bound lane) with enough room for about 5 vehicles.
The trail starts there and can get pretty muddy from the rain so bring proper foot wear. To get to climbs go strait up trail baracaded by small boulders and stay right on the trail when coming to a fork at the top of the small hill walk a half of a mile till you see the bluffs and keep walking along the log trail until it starts to run out,just before you reach the cave at the end of the trail you will notice a huge boulder to your left and a highly pocketed boulder to the right of that. The one on the right is raggae rock and the one to the left is the Zion boulder which you can locate in the new guidebook after it is issued in the summer of 2002.
BRING YOUR OWN BEER! DAWSON SPRINGS IS IN A DRY COUNTY AND THE CLOSEST LIQUOR STORE IS IN MADISONVILLE!!!
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