Flagstaff Area Rock Climbing
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Elevation: | 6,897 ft | 2,102 m |
GPS: |
35.17486, -111.65955 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
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Page Views: | 1,727,401 total · 10,882/month | |
Shared By: | JJ Schlick on Jan 24, 2012 | |
Admins: | Greg Opland, Brian Boyd, JJ Schlick, Kemper Brightman, Luke Bertelsen |
Description
Flagstaff is the epicenter of Northern Arizona climbing scene and there are scores of crags within an hour and a half drive. The crags listed here are either right on the edge of town or accessible with a 25 minute drive or less, with the drives all being above the rim. Whether you are looking for trad lines or sport, you’ll find it not far from town.
In the backyard we have Mt. Elden which is now showcasing a very diverse collection of sport crags like Solitude Canyon, Devil’s Head, The One Wall, Upper Middle Elden Canyon, and Oaklands, as well as, the more traditional venues such as West Elden and Secret Canyon. Development of different areas on the mountain began in the late 1960's and has continued to this day through generations of strong climbers.The San Francisco Peaks are just a hop and skip out of town and open up a number of different climbing and bouldering opportunities. The beautiful Peaks Crag, the short approach Hobo Jungle, the sort of backcountry Ghost Town, and a newer addition, Secret Garden all offer up sport and trad routes on good to excellent volcanic Dacite.
The Pit (aka Le Petit Verdon), just south of town on Lake Mary Rd is an infamous Kaibab limestone sport crag which first saw development in the early 1980's by Alex McGuffie and Mike Lawson. In the late 80's and into the early 90's sport climbing swept the nation, and this crag quickly filled up with routes, established in all sorts of different styles from ground up hooking to rap bolting. These days, The Pit is the local refuge for sport climbers who like short approaches, and predictable conditions.
South of town on 89A you will come across The Overlook, which is a classic moderate traditional crag favored by the local crack lovers for full days or after work affairs. Development first started here in the late 1960's, though it didn’t resemble the crag we know till the mid 80’s. The access is easy as it gets.
Upper Pumphouse Wash, a tributary cayon of Oak Creek Canyon is the closest soft rock to town, where any seasoned climber might find a few bones to gnaw on. Shorter multi pitch adventures are strewn amongst confirmed classics in a dreamlike rugged canyon. Known for “The Ultimates”, which are a set of classic lines done in the 1980’s. Don’t miss out on Ultimate Finger Crack which is one of the most classic finger cracks in NAZ.
Flagstaff, AZ has a current population of 70K. In some respects Flagstaff is a liberal outpost college town, but it also has an undeniable blue collar, cowboy flair. Sitting at 7000' it is tucked in between the Mogollon Rim to the south and the San Francisco Peaks just north of town. Flagstaff is draped over historic Route 66 and has everything a visiting climber may need.
Rest days can be filled with excellent hiking and peak bagging, world class mountain biking, or deep and narrow canyoneering adventures. Or just take it easy and wander about the historic downtown which is filled with gear shops, art galleries, brewpubs, and a few good restaurants.
There is plenty of free camping to be found on both Coconino and Kaibab National Forests. Essentially unless you see signs saying camping is prohibited, or restricted to designated sites (like at the Peaks Crag), you're good to go.
Classic Climbing Routes at Flagstaff Area
Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
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