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Rupley Towers
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Routes Sorted
L to R R to L Alpha
Asleep at the Wheel 
Bop Til You Drop 
Border Patrol 
Chewrocka 
ET Arete 
Jabba the Butt 
Millennium Falcon 
Moving over Stone 
Obe Wan Kanobee 
Out on Bail 
R-2 D-2 
R1 
R3 
R4 
Team Toads 

Rupley Towers 


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Administrators: Kristine Hoffman, Greg Opland, James DeRoussel, JJ Schlick, Tom Erickson
Submitted By: kBobby on Dec 19, 2003

Make this area a Favorite
What's New
  Print a Mini-Guide with routes

Add Route  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event 

Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon
Clear
99° | 66°
Clear
99° | 66°
Clear
95° | 64°
Clear
95° | 61°
Mostly Cloudy
90° | 63°

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.


The Classics

Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Rupley Towers:
R3   5.8     Trad, 2 pitches, 100 feet   
R1   5.8+     Trad, 2 pitches, 120 feet   
R4   5.9     Trad, 1 pitch, 130 feet   
Border Patrol   5.10-     Trad, Sport, 1 pitch, 70 feet   
Bop Til You Drop   5.10 R     Trad, Sport, 2 pitches, 140 feet   
Browse More Classics in Rupley Towers

Featured Route For Rupley Towers
P2 of R1

R1 5.8+  AZ : Mount Lemmon (Santa Catalin... : ... : Rupley Towers
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 probably BARELY reach the belay ledge from pitch 1 ...[more]   Browse More Classics in AZ


Photos of Rupley Towers Slideshow Add Photo
Windy Point East from the old Summit Hut guide circa 1980.  Note that Rupley Routes are numbered different than today.  (Some notes, and routes 41-43 added by me later)

Windy Point East from the old Summit Hut guide cir...

Rupley Tower D topo

BETA PHOTO: Rupley Tower D topo

Rupley Tower A topo

BETA PHOTO: Rupley Tower A topo

Some random hero...

Some random hero...


Comments on Rupley Towers Add Comment
Show which comments
By Vincent Greene
Apr 22, 2005

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.

By Vincent Greene
Sep 27, 2005

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.

By Anonymous Coward
Oct 10, 2005

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..

By 1Eric Rhicard
Apr 3, 2008

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.

By Trad Nanny
Dec 11, 2012

A little confusing to find these via directions from the current guidebook because of the 2010? construction. The trail is about 500ft from the main parking lot and starts down a short paved drainage. Follow the trail a bit right then cut left behind Tower "A" and back around to the front.