Obed Wild & Scenic River

The Obed Wild & Scenic River was designated by Congress in 1976 to protect a network of river gorges cut through the Cumberland Plateau - the Obed River and its tributaries Daddys Creek and Clear Creek form a canyon system with sandstone walls that rise 200+ feet above the water. It is a National Park Service unit, managed in partnership with the state of Tennessee, but it has none of the infrastructure or crowds of a national park. That rawness is what makes it exceptional.

For rock climbers, the Obed is one of the most significant crags in the Southeast. The sandstone provides excellent friction and holds, and the routes range from beginner-friendly slabs to serious multi-pitch climbs in the gorge. The local climbing community has developed hundreds of routes over decades, and climbers from across the region make regular pilgrimages to Lilly Bluff, Clear Creek, and the other established areas. If you climb and haven't been to the Obed, it needs to go on your list.

Kayaking and whitewater paddling on the Obed and Emory rivers is serious business - these are technical, remote rivers with no easy takeouts in the gorge sections. The experience level required is higher than most beginner paddlers should attempt, particularly at moderate or high water. That said, the lower sections of Clear Creek and accessible stretches of the Emory offer more approachable paddling. The NPS visitor center in Wartburg is the right first stop for current conditions and access information.

Fishing in the river system for smallmouth bass and rock bass is excellent and largely unheralded. Hikers who want to see the gorge without climbing can access rim trails that provide views down into the canyon - dramatic in any season, particularly when fall color fills the canopy below the rim.