Climbing in Tucson, Arizona

[jja]

is there any ??

[cj001f]

Ever heard of Mt Lemmon?

[DirtyHarry]

Not this time of year.

[ryland_moore]

Mount Lemmon in the morning up high is not too terribly bad. Obviously it doews get hot as hell up there during the summer. You can find a guidebook to it in local gear stores. There has been some extensive roadwork going on up there the last few years so see what is going on and have fun!

[DirtyHarry]

Didn't it BURN last summer?

[Distel32]

just drive to Flag

[ryland_moore]

Parts of it did, but the local gear shop can fill you in. There are hundreds of climbs up there at different aspects and elevations. It is not like SMith with lines of sport routes in one central area.

[jja]

So Lemmon is a sport area? Is that the only thing within easy weekend distance?

 

... I might be moving to Tuscon later this year and am wondering how dumb it was for me to say yes to my Manager w/o having a clue about Tucson - or even Arizona for that matter.

[shapp]

this must be a troll, there is more rock around tucson than in the whole state of Oregon. Rappel rock on top of Mt. Lemon will give you a goud 6 pitch trad fix and all the sport you want is along the road on the drive up (I don't know what the fire did though). Sabino Canyon offers many routes, there are many back country walls right near town, the most famous may be leviathon dome (only 1000-ft or so of excellent granite, gaurded by a couple hour pushwack through shin daggers). Get the backcountry guide and the general arizona guide and you will be set. The tucson area is one of my favorite places to climb. Don't forget to hit the desert museum and Kartchner Caverns down towards tombstone (it is very much worth the few bucks).

[jja]

Thanks for the info, I'll go get those guidebooks ... and no troll, I'm completely clueless about AZ. Except for the oppressive heat, cockroaches, poison snakes, and senior centers it sounds pretty good ... plus I finally get to live in a "red state" both Senators and 6 out of 8 congress critters are GOP

 

Nearest ice climbing ouray? Mapquest says 12hrs. Yuck.

Or is there ice in Southern Utah that's closer?

[Chica]

Tucson used to be home for me and it is a great place for climbing year round! I was there in April and although much of Mt. Lemon did burn there are still plenty of places you can get to. When the weather cools off check out La Milagrosa Canyon at the base of Mt. Lemon Highway and Cochise Stronghold (about 1 1/2 hours south east)-you can even find some crack climbs there! Then there is the infamous Baboquivari for some fun alpine climbing. I don't think you'll regret moving there-there is tons of rock within an hour or two of downtown! Head into Summit Hut on Speedway-great people and lot's of guide books. Enjoy!

[Distel32]

c'mon listen to me man! FLAGSTAFF!!!!! Climb in flagstaff!!!!

[Chica]

Ya, Flag is pretty cool as well and only 4 hours away...maybe three and a half if you're in a hurry!!!

[matt_warfield]

And don't forget Granite Mountain near Prescott- a fantastic traditional area at 7,000' and a good Spring/Fall location. There's a bunch of other stuff near Prescott also (Dells, Thumb Butte, etc.)

[Distel32]

oh flag is only 2 hrs from Tucson.

 

maybe 4 if you are driving a semi.

[larrythellama]

260 miles seperates Flag and Tucson, Distel that means you will have to drive 180mph to get there.

[DirtyHarry]

There's also a lot of adventure climbing in the Superstitions near Phoenix apparantly. Some good crags in their too that were all the rage in the 80's before gridbolting.

[Roger]

Tucson used to be home for me also - finding good places to climb is the least of your worries. Mt. Lemmon is awesome ... great variety of trad and sport routes on stellar rock, and a cool local climbing community (at least that was the case 10+ years ago). The problem is that the city itself is not so great, unless you like spending a lot of time in your car. Still way better than phoenix though. Feel free to PM me for tips about the handful of neighborhoods worth checking out if you make the move.

[Alex]

Assert((260/2) == 130)

[arlen]

Donde esta El Barrio?

 

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but Tucson's about as "blue" as Seattle. At least you can bring your sidearm to dinner as long as you don't try to hide it. And no springing back, falling foward or 4am sunrise!

 

Desert climbing's different from NW rock, principally in that you'll never, ever again hear someone say they're just training for alpine.