Summer Lemmon?

Hello, I am living in Phoenix and have been considering trying out the Lemmon climbing for some time now. I noticed that there are raptor closures until the end of the month, however. But come July, I was hoping to get some advice and info for climbing there in the summer.

Is the Summit Crags area going to be cool enough on hot summer days with enough shade to chase? Is that even the ideal area to be in the summer months? Is there free camping somewhere up there? I'm looking for sport and trad in the 5.9 to 5.12- price range... If you were in my shoes and had one weekend to go up there in July, where would you get the most bang for your buck? And one last question... would I be able to get around/navigate the area well enough with MP or is a guidebook a better bet?

Thanks in advance for all the info!

There's a lot of climbing that's open right now. I recommend the Reef of Rocks for awesome climbing (mostly on gear, but some mixed and even a few pure sport routes) and reasonable temps. The link -up of Warm and Free to Rapture of the Steep is probably my favorite route on the Lemmon. Other areas with reasonable temps that are open include North and South Parks, Raycreation, Boneyard, Sky Valley, and Red Diamond Wall (in the afternoon).

When the Summit Crags proper open, you'll find great multi-pitch trad and sport routes on the Fortress and Rappel Rock; however, these are generally in the sun. Still, it's high elevation enough that I at least find it tolerable. If you're climbing 11+ sport and up, the awesome Orifice Wall is in the shade most of the day. And finally, you can chase shade all day and do a bunch of great routes in the 5.9-5.12 range on the Ravens.

The guidebook has topos and maps which Mountainproject lacks, but is otherwise outdated for some areas (Raycreation, for example, is not in the guidebook at all).

Ridge line and munchkinland are viable options right now too, but definitely like an outdoor gym/kindergarten. 4 yr old kids and their grandparents made my last trip to wall of the marching munchkins kind of miserable. I did green slabs last weekend too and it wasn't bad since the belay was in some trees and we started early. As far as car camping goes, look for a dirt road anywhere on the mountain and just avoid the cabins. Near the summit crags you can park at the top of the hill (take the road past ski valley) and hike past the observatory on the meadows trail. There's quite a bit of open ground you can pitch a tent with some fantastic views of tucson and oro valley in the morning.

If you chase shade, almost anything from Bear Canyon up is tolerable right now and will likely be for the duration of the summer. It may not be ideal sending conditions but it is definitely doable. The Summit Crags are great in the summer and even climbing in the sun is fine for the most part. Shade can be found at the Orifice Wall, the Ravens and Murray Wall.