Arizona

Arizona Climbers Overview

From the world class bouldering in Phoenix to the heights of Mt Lemon, Arizona offers great rock climbing with warm climates.  Arizona has one of the largest concentrations of rock in the United States.  Even the Grand Canyon has places that are good quality for rock climbing; although a lot of it is very bad rock.  Cochise Stronghold has great climbing, Granite Mountain, and Mt Lemon are the most popular areas and best known by climbers.  Many areas with great quality sandstone, limestone, granite an various other rock types makes Arizona a hard state to resist for a serious rock climber.

Summers are hot in Arizona but climbing can be tolerable in high-plains desert crags or at higher mountain elevations.  There are more classic rock climbs in AZ that most southwest states.  You can find just about any grade to climb so it doesn’t matter what level you climb at there will be a great deal of quality rock to play on.

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There are all kinds of amazing stone lining the corners of the state. Arizona Rock climbing is known for its numerous types of rock: Qaurtzite, dacite, basalt, granite, limestone, sandstone, gneiss, monzonite, tuff, oh and did we mention Granite! I think we did but I feel the need to emphasize the amazing granite rock climbs that can be found in areas like Granite Mountain for instance. Klondike Wall also offers a slightly more adventurous style of climbing on this massive face and adjacent columns. Despite rumors you can climb in Arizona year round. Sure, summer can be hot but areas higher in the mountains offer shade and seclusion and ways to escape some of the heat. Winter months make a great refuge for climbers in colder states–yes, AZ is not just for elderly folks who need to winter in warmer climates, this state is a heaven for climbers to travel and escape mounds of snow on their doorsteps to find great, warm, sandstone to crank off during winter.

Central, northers, and southern parts of the state are all blessed with high-quality stone. It is rumored that Arizona has more climbing areas than anyplace else in the US. this may be a big statement but AZ is a big state. It is important to note that not all of the rock in this great state is good quality but you may be surprised at where some of the high quality can be mixed in to areas that appear to be choss. The Grand Canyon appears to be large and high choss but some amazingly good quality cliffs and boulders can be found in all parts of the park.

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