Horse Pens 40 is a privately-owned outdoor nature park located in St. Clair County

St. Clair County, Alabama

St. Clair County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.It is a part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. Its name is in honor of General Arthur St...

 near Steele, Alabama

Steele, Alabama

Steele is a town in northeastern St. Clair County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 1,093. The town is a part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area.-Geography:Steele is located at ....

. The park is situated atop Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

's third-highest mountain, Chandler Mountain, in the foothills

Foothills

Foothills are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills to the adjacent topographically high mountains.-Examples:...

 of The Appalachian Mountains

Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...

. The park is known among the rock climbing

Rock climbing

Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...

 community as a premier bouldering

Bouldering

Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas...

 site in the American Southeast. The site is also home to a "Bluegrass

Bluegrass music

Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...

 Park" where it hosts festivals showcasing the genre several time per year. The biggest of these festivals occurs on the Fourth of July. The park features both RV and primitive camping.

The park is recognized by the Alabama State Legislature in House/Senate Joint Resolution 177 as "The Home of the South's Bluegrass Music". The park got its name from the original deed; which when allocating the area of the plot stated "the home 40, the farming 40, and the horse pens 40"; each tract containing 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of land.

Each year, the park hosts a leg of the "Triple Crown" bouldering competition.

History

The natural rock shelters located in Horse Pens 40 have seen over 15,000 years of human habitation. The park contains ancient Indian burial grounds dating from the earliest inhabitants of this area, all the way up to the time of the Cherokee removal known as the "Trail of Tears

Trail of Tears

The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...

". The Creek and Cherokee

Cherokee

The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...

 tribes at various times used the natural rock formations to trap and corral horses, as a natural fortress in times of war, and as a sheltered village area in times of peace. The site played host to the only peace treaty

Peace treaty

A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, that formally ends a state of war between the parties...

 ever signed between the Creek and Cherokee tribes.

During The American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, the site was used as a hiding place for horses and their owners wishing to avoid invaders from the north and the Confederate

Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

 recruiters and 'Bushwhackers'. Once it was discovered by Confederate forces, Horse Pens 40 was then used for the storage of supplies to be used by Confederate troops as they passed nearby.

In the late 1880s, the area was settled by The Hyatt Family of Georgia. The original deed from this era refers to "the home 40, the farming 40, and the horse pens 40", each tract consisting of 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of land. This is how Horse Pens 40 got its name. Descendants of the original Hyatt family still occupy nearby areas of the mountain.

Around 1958, a man from Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....

 named Warren Musgrove discovered the acoustic quality of the natural amphitheater and developed the park as a venue for Bluegrass

Bluegrass music

Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...

 and Gospel music

Gospel music

Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....

 concerts. It was one of the first outdoor bluegrass

Bluegrass music

Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...

 music festival

Music festival

A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...

s in the country, and by the 1970s had grown to be one of the largest in the world. The park served as a venue showcasing many legends of the Bluegrass genre including Bill Monroe

Bill Monroe

William Smith Monroe was an American musician who created the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader...

, Charlie Daniels

Charlie Daniels

Charles Edward "Charlie" Daniels is an American musician known for his contributions to country and southern rock music. He is known primarily for his number one country hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", and multiple other songs he has performed and written. Daniels has been active as a singer...

, Ricky Skaggs

Ricky Skaggs

Rickie Lee "Ricky" Skaggs is a country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, and banjo.-Early career:...

, Lester Flatt

Lester Flatt

Lester Raymond Flatt was a bluegrass musician and guitarist and mandolinist, best known for his membership in the Bluegrass duo The Foggy Mountain Boys, also known as "Flatt and Scruggs," with banjo picker Earl Scruggs. Flatt's career spanned multiple decades; besides his work with Scruggs, he...

, Ralph Stanley

Ralph Stanley

Ralph Stanley , also known as Dr. Ralph Stanley, is an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing.-Biography:...

, Doc Watson

Doc Watson

Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson is an American guitar player, songwriter and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music. He has won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's flatpicking skills and knowledge of traditional American music are highly regarded...

, and Norman Blake

Norman Blake (American musician)

Norman Blake is an instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter. In a career spanning more than 50 years Blake has played in a number of folk and Country groups...

. Emmylou Harris

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...

 made her first public appearance at Horse Pens 40, "standing barefoot on a wooden door propped up on the rocks." During this period, the park was designated by the Alabama State Legislature as "The Home of the South's Bluegrass Music".

The park, while recognized and protected by the State of Alabama, is private property

Private property

Private property is the right of persons and firms to obtain, own, control, employ, dispose of, and bequeath land, capital, and other forms of property. Private property is distinguishable from public property, which refers to assets owned by a state, community or government rather than by...

 owned by the Schultz Family, and as such is subject to their rules for access and stay.

Wildlife and history

According to the official website, Horsepens is home to many varieties of rare birds, animal, and plants, as well as ancient burial mounds and Native American

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 Fetishes. From the official website:

Since it is a natural stone fortress atop a fortress-like mountain, it was used by the Native Americans as a protected village and ceremonial area for thousands of years. There are living and working areas as well as burial areas dating back to the Paleo (pre- Stone Age-12,000+ years ago) and Archaic (early Stone Age-10,000 years ago) periods up to more recent times throughout the park. We also have what may be the only remaining example in the United States of an ancient leaching pit that has seen actual historical use.

The boulders range from 400 to 600 million years old with a section that scientists say may possibly date back over a billion years old.

Horsepens 40 is home to field mice

Vole

A vole is a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, smaller ears and eyes, and differently formed molars . There are approximately 155 species of voles. They are sometimes known as meadow mice or field mice in North America...

, mountain lions, foxes, badgers, black bear

American black bear

The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...

, coyotes, raccoons, deer

Deer

Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...

, groundhogs, squirrels, as well as an assortment of hawks, owls

OWLS

OWLS is a mnemonic used by general aviation airplane pilots to assess an unprepared surface for a precautionary landing.Like all mnemonics this check has become part of aviation culture and folklore.OWLS:* Obstacles* Wind direction...

, and the rare red-cockaded woodpecker

Red-cockaded Woodpecker

The Red-cockaded Woodpecker is a woodpecker found in southeastern North America.- Description :About the size of the Northern Cardinal, it is approximately 8.5 in. long, with a wingspan of about 14 in. and a weight of about 1.5 ounces...

 and red piliated woodpeckers.

Bouldering

Horsepens is home to one of the most concentrated boulder

Boulder

In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....

 fields in the world. The boulders are made of "ancient erosion carved sandstone

Sandstone

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...

". In most places they are solid enough to climb, however some boulders are made of weaker sandstone that crumbles to the touch. Certain bouldering routes take advantage of this "feature" (such as some of the routes in the Ten Pins section) to add to the difficulty rating of a problem.

Problems at Horsepens 40 range from V0- to V11. In addition, several problems beyond V11 are ranked.
Horsepens 40 is famous for its slopers and difficult top-outs and mantles. Beta provided by the park rates the exposure on a problem on a "carnage" scale ranging from "Casual"-"Sketchy"-"Scary"-"Nuts". Some routes are particularly exposed and have dangerous top-outs, with "highball" risks and lots of falling danger. One route in particular, Team Chattanooga (V6), is listed as "Nuts" and Horsepens requires a minimum of 4 spotters and 7 crash pads before attempting this climb.

Horsepens 40 sponsors several climbing competitions per year, including a leg of the Triple Crown competition the annual "Sloperfest Slap-N-Jam" bouldering and bluegrass festival. The best time of year to climb Horsepens is late fall to early spring. Climbing costs $5 per day. Camping overnight costs $10 and includes free climbing access. Night climbing is free for campers.

Notable routes

• Crisifix (V4)
• Brawn (V4)
• Wasp (V2)
• Slider (V9), Super Slider (V10) and Slider Sit (V10)
• Uniball (V4)
• Thumbalina (V5)
• Man With The Slow Hand (V4)
• Red Arrow (V3)
• Stretch Armstrong (V6)
• Spirit (V3)
• Genesis (V3) - the first route established at the park.
• Bumboy (V3)
• Millipede (V5)
• Mortal Combat (V3)
• Pope In A Cowboy Hat (V4)

External links

• Horse Pens 40 Official Website
• Topo for Horsepens including a list of all routes, their grade, and beta.