|
All of the following destinations are within an hour of Flagstaff (except
Jack’s), are accessible by passenger car, and are suitable for day trips
from Phoenix, (add a 2-2.5 hour drive one way). Guidebooks are available at
Flagstaff retailers and at most Phoenix retailers listed below. Be aware that
July and August can bring rain and severe lightning storms in the afternoons;
this is Arizona’s "monsoon season." Flagstaff is near
Arizona’s highest peak, and the mountain creates its own weather.
Jack’s Canyon –
somewhat remote, but many limestone sport climbs
| Location:
|
30 min SW of Winslow, 3 hours NE of Phoenix,
1.5 hours E of Flagstaff
|
| Access:
|
10 minute hike from parking
|
| Rock:
|
Limestone, many pockets
|
| Type:
|
Well-protected sport climbing, single-pitch
|
| Ratings:
|
5.6-5.13, ratings tend to be soft
|
| Altitude:
|
6200’ elevation
|
| Season:
|
Dry, but year-round shade and sun, occasional
spring flooding
|
| Guide:
|
Jack’s Canyon Sport Climbing , by
Burton and Steagall
|
Oak Creek Overlook
– good top-roping, moderate crack climbing
| Location:
|
20 min S of Flagstaff on US Hwy 89A
|
| Access:
|
5 minute hike from parking
|
| Rock:
|
Basalt cracks
|
| Type:
|
Trad leading only, no bolts, single-pitch
|
| Ratings:
|
5.6-5.11
|
| Altitude:
|
6000’ elevation
|
| Season:
|
SE-facing walls get sun year-round
|
| Guide:
|
A Cheaper Way to Fly , by Tim Toula
|
Paradise Forks –
world-class basalt cracks, good hard crack climbing
| Location:
|
45 min W of Flagstaff, I-40 to Forest Service
dirt roads
|
| Access:
|
5 minute hike from parking
|
| Rock:
|
Basalt cracks
|
| Type:
|
Trad leading only, no bolts, single-pitch
|
| Ratings:
|
5.8-5.13, ratings tend to be hard
|
| Altitude:
|
7000’ elevation
|
| Season:
|
Cold in winter, but year-round sun and shade
|
| Guide:
|
Paradise Forks , by David Bloom; A
Cheaper Way to Fly, by Tim Toula
|
The Pit – excellent
limestone sport climbing
| Location:
|
15 min SE of Flagstaff off Lake Mary Road
|
| Access:
|
10 minute hike from parking
|
| Rock:
|
Limestone
|
| Type:
|
Sport climbing, single-pitch
|
| Ratings:
|
5.8-5.12
|
| Altitude:
|
6000’ elevation
|
| Season:
|
S-facing walls get sun year-round
|
| Guide:
|
Sport Climbing at the Pit , by John
McMullen (pocket map)
|
Sedona – sandstone
multi-pitch; for experienced back country climbers only
| Location:
|
in and around Sedona, 45 minutes SW of
Flagstaff
|
| Access:
|
various
|
| Rock:
|
Sandstone (always allow 2-3 days for
sandstone to dry after a rain)
|
| Type:
|
Trad leading only, a few fixed anchors at
belay stations
|
| Ratings:
|
5.8-5.11
|
| Altitude:
|
4500’ elevation
|
| Season:
|
Spring and fall
|
| Guide:
|
A Better Way to Die , Tim Toula
|
All of the following destinations are within an hour of Phoenix and are
accessible by passenger car. The guidebook Phoenix Rock II is available
at Phoenix retailers listed below and includes a number of smaller areas (not
listed here), many of which involve back country techniques. Many areas have
small $2 pocket guides. Be aware that July and August can bring rain and severe
lightning storms in the afternoons; this is Arizona’s "monsoon
season."
Camelback Mountain
– an accessible urban climbing area in Phoenix, but not the best
climbing
| Location:
|
Near Tatum and McDonald in Phoenix
|
| Access:
|
10 minute hike from parking
|
| Rock:
|
Conglomerate sandstones embedded with granite
boulders and rocks
|
| Type:
|
Some bolted, some trad, single-pitch and
multi-pitch
|
| Ratings:
|
5.0-5.11, ratings tend to be average
|
| Altitude:
|
1500’ elevation
|
| Season:
|
Fall, winter, spring, early morning summer
|
| Guide:
|
Phoenix Rock II , by Greg Opland
|
| Location:
|
45 min NE of Phoenix, in N Scottsdale
|
| Access:
|
10-30 minute hike from parking
|
| Rock:
|
Granite – friction, cracks, edges
|
| Type:
|
Some bolted, some trad, mostly single-pitch
|
| Ratings:
|
5.0-5.12, ratings tend to be average
|
| Altitude:
|
2000’ elevation
|
| Season:
|
Fall, winter, spring, early morning summer
|
| Guide:
|
Phoenix Rock II , by Greg Opland
|
Queen Creek– home of
the Phoenix Bouldering Contest, with many bolted sport climbs
| Location:
|
1 hour W of Phoenix, 1.5 hours N of Tucson
|
| Access:
|
5-20 minute hike from parking
|
| Rock:
|
Rhyolite, many pockets and edges
|
| Type:
|
Sport climbing, single-pitch
|
| Ratings:
|
5.6-5.12, ratings tend to be average
|
| Altitude:
|
4500’ elevation
|
| Season:
|
Year-round, occasional spring and summer rain
|
| Guide:
|
Rock Jock’s Guide to Queen Creek
Canyon , by Marty Karabin
|
All of the following destinations are within an hour of Prescott, are
accessible by passenger car except Promised Land, and are suitable for day
trips from Phoenix (add a 1.5-2 hour drive one way). Guidebooks are available
at Prescott retailers listed below. Be aware that July and August can bring
rain and severe lightning storms in the afternoons; this is Arizona’s
"monsoon season."
Granite Mountain –
once listed as one of America’s ten best crags; check for raptor
closures
| Location:
|
20 min NW of Prescott
|
| Access:
|
30-45 minute hike from parking on 2-mile
trail
|
| Rock:
|
Granite – friction, cracks, edges,
excellent quality
|
| Type:
|
Mostly trad, some bolted, mostly multi-pitch
|
| Ratings:
|
5.0-5.12, ratings tend to be stiff
|
| Altitude:
|
6000’ elevation
|
| Season:
|
Cliffs face south, so year round climbing is
possible
|
| Guide:
|
Out of print; check with the local Prescott
climbing stores
|
Promised Land – small
but exquisite sport-climbing area
| Location:
|
30 min N of Prescott
|
| Access:
|
15 minute hike from parking; 4-wheel drive or
high clearance required
|
| Rock:
|
Quartzite, many pockets and edges
|
| Type:
|
Sport climbing, single-pitch
|
| Ratings:
|
5.7-5.12, ratings tend to be average
|
| Altitude:
|
4500’ elevation
|
| Season:
|
Year-round, offers both sun and shade
|
| Guide:
|
Pocket guide available at Prescott retailers
|
Thumb Butte – climbing
on Prescott’s signature landmark, on not-so-good rock
| Location:
|
Prescott
|
| Access:
|
20 minute hike from parking using the
improved hiker’s trail
|
| Rock:
|
Volcanic rock, jugholds, incuts, pockets;
rock is not the best
|
| Type:
|
Trad climbing, single-pitch
|
| Ratings:
|
5.2-5.12, ratings tend to be average
|
| Altitude:
|
5500’ elevation
|
| Season:
|
Year-round, offers both sun and shade
|
| Guide:
|
Thumb Butte, by Rusty Baillie
|
Watson Dells –
sport-climbing at a Prescott City Park, with a view of Watson Lake
| Location:
|
5 min N of Prescott
|
| Access:
|
15 minute hike from parking
|
| Rock:
|
Granite – friction and discontinuous
cracks
|
| Type:
|
Sport climbing, single-pitch
|
| Ratings:
|
5.6-5.12, ratings tend to be average
|
| Altitude:
|
5000’ elevation
|
| Season:
|
Year-round, offers both sun and shade
|
| Guide:
|
Check with Prescott retailers
|
All of the following destinations are within an hour of Tucson, are
accessible by passenger car, and are suitable for day trips from Phoenix (add a
2-2.5 hour drive one way). Guidebooks are available at Tucson retailers and at
most Phoenix retailers listed below. Mt. Lemmon has many easily accessible
climbing areas of all types. Be aware that July and August can bring rain and
severe lightning storms in the afternoons; this is Arizona’s "monsoon
season." Tucson is more likely to experience these monsoons than areas
farther north.
Cochise Stronghold
– more rock than you can climb in your lifetime; world-class granite; back
country conditions
| Location:
|
1 hour SE of Tucson
|
| Access:
|
10 minute to 2 hour hike from parking;
approaches can be tricky
|
| Rock:
|
Granite – fun chickenheads, friction,
cracks, edges
|
| Type:
|
Mostly trad, mostly multi-pitch, but there is
an excellent sport-bolted area on the west side
|
| Ratings:
|
5.0-5.12, ratings tend to be stiff, with many
runouts
|
| Altitude:
|
4500’ elevation at parking; approaches
may ascend 100-2000’ to get to the climb
|
| Season:
|
Best in spring and fall
|
| Guide:
|
Backcountry Rockclimbing in Southern
Arizona , by Bob Kerry
|
Mt. Lemmon – more rock
than you can climb in your second lifetime; world-class granite and
gneiss
| Location:
|
30 minutes up the Catalina highway on
Tucson’s N side
|
| Access:
|
5 minute – 3 hour hike from parking;
approaches can be tricky
|
| Rock:
|
Granite, gneiss – fun chickenheads,
friction, cracks, edges
|
| Type:
|
All types – bolted, trad, single-pitch,
multi-pitch; includes great top-roping areas
|
| Ratings:
|
5.0-5.12, ratings tend to be stiff, with many
runouts on multi-pitches
|
| Altitude:
|
2000-9000’ elevation
|
| Season:
|
Year-round, depending on elevation
|
| Guide:
|
Squeezing the Lemmon, and Squeezing the Lemmon II both by Eric
Fazio-Rhicard; Backcountry Rockclimbing in Southern Arizona, by Bob
Kerry
|
|
