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Good starter topropes in Phoenix? And any outdoor kid-friendly clubs?
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Hi all, My 10 year old daughter and I are new to Phoenix, and looking to get out on the rock! We’re looking for suggestions on good top-ropes in the 5.5-5.9 range in Phoenix, and also for clubs that are kid-friendly. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, whether it be great, easy-to-moderate topropes, or alternatively a kid-friendly climbing club that is at least partially outdoors-focused! Cheers and thanks, Clay |
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Hi Clay, I actually really liked Quaker Oats, which is the slabby route on the right side of Sven Slab. You may want to try Girlie Man area at the McDowells - the walk up is easier to set up a top rope but it can get busy. Your best bet in that area might be Pinnacle Peak. There are a couple short 40ft or so routes on Cactus Flower East that have easy top rope set ups. You can scramble up to the top block to hang a rope pretty safely. You can do more if you know how to build an anchor. |
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Easy to set up top ropes (easy 4th class or less): McDowells- Rosetta Stone, Rock Knob West, Half 'n Half Wall, Girlie Man, Sven Tower 3, Crossroads Wall, Slip and Slide Pinnacle Peak- Cactus Flower East Lookout Mountain- all routes accessible; beware of bees, they are near the left side of the wall at the top Hobo House- all routes accessible |
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Rosetta stone in the mcdowells has several straight forward climbs in the 5.4 - 5.7 range and you wont have to fight crowds. Youll most likely have the place to yourself. Girlie man area is always loaded with guided groups because its such a short hike. Sven slab has some great routes as well, but you will almost always be sharing the area with other parties. |
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Great suggestions all, thank you! Sounds like Pinnacle Peak, Girlie Man and Rosetta Stone will likely be our first stops. :-) There haven't been any mentions of kid-friendly climbing groups yet, so I have to assume there are none (or are just very localized?). If I start a kid-friendly group up with my daughter after we've gotten to know the area, does anyone have any suggestions on best places to advertise? e.g. These forums? Peg boards at indoor gyms, or climbing supply stores? I tried to ask a similar question at the PHX Alpine Club Meetup Group, but my question never made it past the moderator. Thanks again! This is a huge help! Clay |
Clay Craig wrote: I have 11 month old twins, so Im new to having kids and climbing. Wish I had some better info for you... |
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Clay, as far as groups for kids, my only suggestion is indoor climbing teams. It's been a couple years since I've been involved in that scene, but I think PRG, AZR and Focus all have teams. Some teams and coaches will do outdoor trips, but they are primarily about getting strong at the gym. For many of the team members, the focus is on competition, but I had a good experience with it as a mostly non-competitive climber. I also saw tons of really good climbers burn out really fast. I think being too gym-centric is really awful if you have ambition to climb mostly outside. But if you and your daughter keep going outside regularly, she might really benefit from organized indoor training. Have you looked up the Arizona Mountaineering Club? I am not associated, but from what I've seen it gives off a family friendly vibe. If you do start a group, I would suggest contacting them. |
Clay Craig wrote: Yeah, FB might be your best bet if you want to go the group route. I used to be a part of a kid friendly climbing group a couple of years ago on FB but the scheduling was difficult because I wasn't a stay at home parent. I have two kids that are a bit older 13 and 16. They made friends while they were on a climbing team and we were able to coordinate with parents to take kids outside. Other than that most of my climbing friends do not have kids. |
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So I've scouted out Rosetta Stone and Cactus Flower East so far. Rosetta Stone - about a 45 minute approach, which is fair bit for a ten-year old. But the climbing has a few really excellent easy moderates. Next time we might take our mountain bikes and ride to the base of the slope, to slice off some time :) Cactus Flower East - We got on the furthest-left climb, Worm, rated 5.6. That was pretty comical, I tried for 5 minutes before I could get off the deck, incredibly hard start for a 5.6. I asked another climber to give it a whirl. After he flailed for a long time and then eventually took some beta from me to get past the start, he exclaimed "5.6. MY ASS!!" LOL, captured my sentiments perfectly. Between the two of us we rate Worm 5.10 at the start and the rest of the climb at 5.8. We arrived a little late so unfortunately I didn't get a chance to try the other climbs on the wall. The other fellow's group did confirm that they considered the entire wall to be rated higher than they're used to. Girlie Man is next on the list! |
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If you guys have mountain bikes, look at the areas just north of Dynamite in the new northern part of the preserve. Little Granite Mountain and the areas around it are a long flat hike, but fast and fun by mtb. Most of the formations are easy to top rope I think. Haven't been to Lost Bandana Wall, but it might fit your needs. Big bonus is that there are no crowds here. |
Clay Craig wrote: Clay, check out Gecko climbing gym right off the I-17 and Pinnacle peak. Just opened up. Owner is a great guy with two young daughters, the gym is super family friendly and they have youth climbing teams. Definitely a place to advertise a youth climbing club etc. |
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Another option for ya... Aaron at Arizona Mountain Guides is great with kids (his two boys under ten are a blast) and he occasionally has youth classes/kids camp. You could contact him about setting something up or to find out when the next kids camp is and meet more outdoor-oriented families! |
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Thanks Jake! We actually went to Gecko's Grand Opening this past Saturday (as well as the night before on Friday). A great gym right near us, and full of friendly cool staff and a warm climbing community. We finally hit Girlie Man, and it's absolutely perfect for taking new climbers. A short but fun 5.2, and a 5.4 that's a very picturesque crack/slab mix. Plus some 5.7-5.9 slabby routes off the same anchors. The only downside is also an upside... as others have noted, it can be a little busy, presumably because of the very easy approach from the Tom's Thumb trailhead. However, it's got three sets of top-ropable anchors on the wall, so it's pretty decent for sharing. Sarah, thanks for the suggestion on starting up a group. With Summer approaching, we'll probably stick to indoor gyms until October and then return outdoors, possibly looking to start up a group around then. We'll keep this forum posted! |
Clay Craig wrote: Glad to hear you got to check out Girlie Man. If you’re looking for something a bit less trafficked with some moderate routes, Morell’s Wall Parking lot has 3 or 5.7s to climb. It’s the rock formation basically just above girlie man. But the best part is that you can hike around and set up top rope, and the way the top of the rock is, it’s a great place to teach people cleaning and setting up anchors. Approach is just past girlie man a bit and then follow feldspar trail and then hang a left. |
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Thanks Clay for creating this thread! We have a 5, 8, and 10 year old and would like to start taking them out for some top rope routes! The approach time is very helpful, as 45 min. each way may be a little stretch for our crew as well. We really appreciate all of the advice here and plan to check out some of these spots this spring. Let us know if found a climbing group, or a climbing gym that was fairly reasonable? Thanks all! Krya Perry |
