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Elevation: 6,897 ft 2,102 m
GPS: 35.17486, -111.65955
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Shared By: JJ Schlick on Jan 24, 2012
Admins: Greg Opland, Brian Boyd, JJ Schlick, Kemper Brightman, Luke Bertelsen

Description Suggest change

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.

Getting There Suggest change

Flagstaff sits at the intersection of interstates 17 and 40, in North Central Arizona.

765 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Flagstaff Area

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 106
Orange Out Direct
Trad
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 178
Clean Slate
Sport
5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a
 180
Isaiah
Trad
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b
 534
Mr. Slate
Sport
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b
 203
New River
Sport
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c
 158
Giggle Drops
Sport
5.11- 6c 22 VIII- 22 E3 5c
 158
Mulligan Stew
Sport
5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c
 119
16 Weeks
Sport
5.11 6c+ 23 VIII- 23 E4 5c
 120
Prosthesis
Sport
5.11b/c 6c+ 23 VIII- 24 E4 6a
 125
Be Yourself
Sport
5.11d 7a 24 VIII 25 E5 6a
 102
Be the Burn
Sport
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a
 132
Purple Shark
Sport
5.12- 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a
 76
Solitaire
Sport
5.12- 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a
 109
Chasing Dragons
Sport
5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b
 117
The Joker
Sport
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
Orange Out Direct Oak Creek Canyo… > Overlook
 106
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Trad
Clean Slate San Francisco P… > … > Peaks Crag > N End
 178
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Sport
Isaiah Oak Creek Canyo… > Overlook
 180
5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a Trad
Mr. Slate Pit (aka Le Pet… > (F) Swiss Tower
 534
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b Sport
New River San Francisco P… > … > Peaks Crag > N End
 203
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b Sport
Giggle Drops San Francisco P… > … > Peaks Crag > S End
 158
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c Sport
Mulligan Stew San Francisco P… > Hobo Jungle
 158
5.11- 6c 22 VIII- 22 E3 5c Sport
16 Weeks San Francisco P… > … > Peaks Crag > N End
 119
5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c Sport
Prosthesis San Francisco P… > … > Peaks Crag > N End
 120
5.11 6c+ 23 VIII- 23 E4 5c Sport
Be Yourself San Francisco P… > … > Peaks Crag > N End
 125
5.11b/c 6c+ 23 VIII- 24 E4 6a Sport
Be the Burn San Francisco P… > … > Peaks Crag > S End
 102
5.11d 7a 24 VIII 25 E5 6a Sport
Purple Shark Pit (aka Le Pet… > (F) Swiss Tower
 132
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a Sport
Solitaire Mt Elden Crags > … > Higher Solitude > Main Wall
 76
5.12- 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a Sport
Chasing Dragons San Francisco P… > … > Peaks Crag > N End
 109
5.12- 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a Sport
The Joker Pit (aka Le Pet… > (E) The White Wall
 117
5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b Sport
More Classic Climbs in Flagstaff Area »

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