BETA PHOTO: Great face climbing on "Border Patrol"
Description
Classic Mt. Lemmon climbing. You must try the Rupley Routes (R1 through R4).
Getting There
On the Mt. Lemmon Hwy just below the Windy Point pullout. It used to be the second small parking area below Windy Point, but currently road construction occupies that parking. Park lower, at Punch and Judy towers and walk up the road a bit. The towers are visible from the road. Just below Rupley Towers is Tri-Level Spire, notable for the apparantly balanced block the size of an SUV.
On the second tower from the North (Tower B in EFR's book), just to the right of a chimney (route: R2, 5.6+) you will see a ledge about 30 feet up with a tree and a two-bolt belay. (1) Climb up flake past left facing corner under a bolt to this ledge. (2) Climb straight up left facing corner to crack, then face to top of tower. You can descend to the back side easily with one rappel. If you need to return to the base of the route, you can p...[more]
This is a good area most times of year. There are routes in the shade and in the sun pretty much any time. Plenty of classic routes well worth doing in most any grade. The road construction has left the trail an absolute mess - watch out for lots of loose rock.
The direct approach from the usual pullout (the first one downhill from Windy Point) has degraded considerably. The new culvert there has been undercut it has become pretty hairy scrambing on big loose rocks. It is safer to go down the road a bit so you are directly above the Big Pine Towers and traverse back to the Rupleys.
If you have them, bring some sturdy-soled boots to scramble into this area, the amount of broken glass from the good ole boys hurling beer bottles down here is mind-boggling..goes for the whole East Windy Point area...I hiked in with trail running shoes and was OK but would have felt much safer with my boots with Vibram soles..
Also, an adjustable trekking pole is helpful for the loose scramble if you're carrying the gear, especially on the way back up..
As Vincent G. said the best approach is to go down the road. About 150 ft. below the end of the pullout a trail will lead straight down into the trees. It is better than the one that heads back up road just after stepping over the guardrail. This is a pretty good way to get to the Ribbit Wall too.
Rupley Towers
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