East Stronghold Bouldering Climbing

As you sample the patina'd boulders please respect the artifacts of the Chokonen Chiricahua Apache, such as the paintings and grinding holes. Also do your best to stay on trails and minimize trampling, when those cold weather temps hit many plants enter a hibernation stage where they might look like dead brush. Be wary of trampling these sleeping plants and living soil crusts.

As soon as you make the turn onto Cochise Stronghold Road, your eyes are immediately drawn to the collection of domes crowning the Dragoon’s skyline. The jewels of this crown have since been eroded, exfoliated, and trundled off these formations into the innumerable valleys, gullies, and hill slopes of the Apache’s granite fortress.

The rock quality of the boulders of Cochise can be likened to those of Joshua Tree, and their size rivals the Peabody grandparents of Bishop. While many of the unclimbed lines may require some cleaning, those willing to put in the effort are rewarded with problems of fantastic quality in Southern Arizona’s most enchanting settings.

Bouldering development on the East side has ebbed and flowed for many years, with early problems mostly limited to the campground and Cochise Trail. More recently, pebble-wrestlers from S. Arizona and beyond have ventured into the shadows of the Stronghold’s spires and been rewarded with numerous fantastic ascents. These boulders can be found here.

What makes Cochise bouldering even more appealing is the sheer volume of untouched stone. Even on boulders with established lines, those with the creativity and motivation to draft their own problem will find climbs of all types of style, height, and difficulty. Meanwhile, the more intrepid backcountry boulderer can simply explore the Dragoon’s hidden corners and potentially stumble upon one of the five-star jewels waiting to be scaled.