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Wilderness of Rocks Bouldering

Climbing Area Map

Areas in Wilderness of Rocks

Boa boa 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1

Butterminis 0 / 0 / 0 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1

Entrance Boulders 0 / 0 / 0 / 34 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1 / 35

Gnarnia 0 / 0 / 0 / 2 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 2

Magic Forest 0 / 0 / 0 / 10 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 10 / 10

Primus Wall 0 / 6 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 6

Warped Wall 0 / 0 / 0 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1 / 1

Wonderland 0 / 0 / 0 / 5 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 5 / 5

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Use onX Backcountry to explore the terrain in 3D, view recent satellite imagery, and more. Now available in onX Backcountry Mobile apps! For more information see this post.

Elevation:	8,000 ft	2,438 m
GPS:	32.43247, -110.77849 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	58,443 total · 274/month
Shared By:	Christopher Grayson on Sep 5, 2007 · Updates
Admins:	adrian montaño, Greg Opland, Brian Boyd, JJ Schlick, Kemper Brightman, Luke Bertelsen Page Updates (admin only)

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Wilderness of Rocks Bouldering

The Wilderness of Rocks is a labyrinthine landscape of multicolored granite on the south flank of Mt. Lemmon, where towering domes, alien boulders, and hidden chasms rest in a forest of massive pine trees and scrubby oaks. It is truly wilderness: remote, alive, and unforgiving. The Aspen fire (2003) left many downed trees and many more ready to fall, and a lot of loose earth and locust. Lions and bears live here. There is a lot of water, but not reliably. Come prepared and be smart.

Climbers have been bouldering here for years, but development was minimal and mostly contained to rock near the northeast end of the WOR trail. As hard bouldering boomed in recent years, dedicated pebble wrestlers pressed deeper into the wilderness, uncovering hundreds of untouched problems on diversely featured stone. As of this writing (2017) the majority remain incomplete or undiscovered.

Approaches range from longish to brutal, with the deepest areas requiring complex off-trail routefinding well over an hour from the trailhead. Camping is allowed and recommended. Please camp only in established sites and be firewise.

See oldpueblobouldering.com for more information

Location

Take Mt. Lemmon Highway through Summerhaven to the picnic/parking area at Marshall Gulch. (In winter, the last ~1/4 mile of this road is gated. Park before the gate and walk.) Pick up the Marshall Gulch trail right of the bathrooms and follow it 1.2 miles (elevation gain about 500 ft) to a 5-way intersection with the Aspen, Mint Springs, and Wilderness of Rocks trails. Follow the Wilderness of Rocks trail west/downhill. The Entrance Boulders surround the uppermost section of the trail. Other areas are further southwest/downhill and require leaving the main trail.

Special Considerations

This is an exposed, high-elevation area and weather appears rapidly and unpredictably. Severe thunderstorms are possible year round, bringing lightning, heavy rain and hail, and flash flooding that can disrupt or block travel even on major trails. Winter storms produce heavy snowfall and very low temperatures.

Cross-country travel is cryptic and perilous. Hidden slabs, sinkholes, and wrong turns can ruin a trip fast. Trails fade. Cairns disappear. Missteps and accidents may bear cosmic consequences. Consider asking for a tour of remote areas on your first visit.

This entire area is protected as part of the Pusch Ridge Wilderness. Tread lightly and take pains to follow established approach routes. Refrain from recklessly destroying vegetation. No excessive landscaping. Never feed or disturb wildlife.

61 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Wilderness of Rocks

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.

V1 5 15 ● For Those About to Rock Boulder Entrance Boulders > AC/DC Wall
V1 5 8 ● Envy My Vision Boulder, Alpine Magic Forest > Been Found
V4 6B 5 ● Bees Knees Boulder Entrance Boulders > SW cluster
V5 6C 9 ● Pimpin' Curly Boulder Entrance Boulders > Swimming Hole
V5 6C 5 ● Zester Boulder Entrance Boulders > Zester cluster
V5 6C 9 ● Blue Duck Boulder, Alpine Magic Forest > Hellbitch Cluster
V6- 7A 8 ● Cocoa Pebbles Boulder Entrance Boulders > AC/DC Wall
V6 7A PG13 4 ● The Flame and the Void Boulder, Alpine Warped Wall
V7 7A+ 5 ● Harvest Moon Boulder Entrance Boulders > 45 Degree Wall
V7 7A+ 5 ● Hellbitch Boulder, Alpine Magic Forest > Hellbitch Cluster
V10 7C+ 5 ● Time Under Tension Boulder Entrance Boulders > Ruins Cluster
V10 7C+ 4 ● Clockwork Lemmon Boulder Entrance Boulders > Zester cluster
5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b 23 ● Blue Collar Tweekers Sport Primus Wall
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c 11 ● My Name is Mud Sport Primus Wall
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a 13 ● [Redacted] Sport Primus Wall