Sullivan's Canyon Rock Climbing

This is a steep, columnar basalt canyon cut by the Verde River. Known to climbers as Sullie's Canyon or just Sullie's, it's one of Prescott's best crack climbing destinations. It's a good area to visit when it's cold and snowy up in Prescott, but you can climb here nearly year-round, depending on which side of the canyon you're on. There's some decent bouldering to be done on the shorter side columns and the numerous blocks that have fallen into the canyon. Watch for petroglyphs.

Despite the fact that most of the routes end at bolted rap stations, bolting face routes is not permitted. The rap stations were placed there because the rock higher up is dangerously loose and would pose a hazard to both climbers and those on the ground due to possible rockfall. Furthermore, it is felt that adding bolts to create climbs on the narrow faces between the cracks would ruin the crack climbing experience. What face climbs there are can often be top-roped from anchors after leading one of the crack routes. Local traditions prefer that this remain a no-bolting area.

Note: Changes are coming to this region. See Kevin Keith's comments below (dated 1/30/2024).