Arizona Guidebooks

The "Spicy 5.6" McDowell Rock Traverse

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Many of us have watched pro climbers send epic linkups like the CDUL or HURT on Reel Rock. And while these ascents are inspiring, they involve extensive free soloing, all-consuming training, and outside logistical support. Such feats are simply out of reach for your average weekend trad climber. This is where the McDowell Rock Traverse (MRT) comes in. It’s a linkup for regular people (if you can call trad climbers “regular”). It’s an epic day in the McDowell Mountains of Scottsdale, AZ–nine pitches, nearly 1000 feet of rock climbing, and a six-mile hiking loop with stunning views. An efficient two-person roped climbing team can do it in one day as long as they are in good enough shape to run a half marathon. And climbers (should) be back in town for dinner!

Rock Climbers Guide to: Camelback Mtn

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The Granite Dells Climbing Guide

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Published in 2017, this is a guidebook exclusively for the Granite Dells. There are 198 pages covering over 650 routes with black and white photos and black and white topo overlays. The book is available in Prescott at the local gear stores: The Hike Shack and Manzanita Outfitters. In Flagstaff at Babbits Backcountry Outfitters and in Phoenix at the Arizona Hiking Shack. The book can also be found on Amazon.

Squeezing The Lemmon III - OUT OF PRINT

Published in 2015 Squeezing The Lemmon III is the definitive guide to the Mount Lemmon Highway in the Catalina Mountains. The guidebook lists 2700+ traditional, sport, and mixed routes. It features full color photo topos, pie and bar charts, and sun/shade information in 544 pages.

The book is currently out of print.

The author is one of the most prolific developers and climbers in the Tucson region.

Squeezing the Lemmon II

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Published in 2000 Squeezing The Lemmon II was the most comprehensive guide to the Mount Lemmon Highway in the Catalina Mountains for 15 years. The guidebook lists 1500+ traditional, sport, and mixed routes. Spiral bound, black and white, 324 pages.

The author is one of the most prolific developers and climbers in the Tucson region.

Superstitions Select: Climber's Guide To Multi-Pitch Routes Of The Superstition Mountains

Guide to selected multipitch routes in the Superstitions Mountains east of Phoenix.
Published in 1998; 85 pages; black and white with illustrations and photos; now out of print.

The Pit: Limestone Sport Climbing

The 5th edition of this book, which was published in 2003, is 44 black and white pages.

Prescott Bouldering

Published in 2001 this 114 page guidebook contains 59 maps and 53 topos.

• This edition is out of print, however, keep your eyes peeled for a New Edition coming out soon!!

Jacks Canyon Sport Climbing

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Published in 2009 by developer Deidre Burton, Jacks Canyon Sport Climbing is the most accurate and complete guide to Jacks Canyon. In 160 pages with black and white photos the book details 300 routes ranging from 5.5 to 5.14. The Asylum and Lost World areas are included.

Paradise Forks Rock Climbing

This is David Blooms guide which has over time become a staple for many a Forks climber. Very little development in the canyon since this guide.

Flagstaff Bouldering

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Full color, 190 page guidebook for bouldering in the Flagstaff area. Also includes the Anvil Boulders in Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona.

Cochise Stronghold Select Edition

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"Welcome to Cochise Stronghold – a climbing paradise encompassing hundreds of formations in the enclave of the Dragoon Mountains in Southern Arizona. Prepare to explore a spectacular array of routes that soar up picturesque, pink granite domes speckled with chartreuse lichen. The Cochise Stronghold showcases many moderate, safe, mixed and sport routes in addition to the traditional hardman routes. Even better, the endless days of sunshine and easy access give you the freedom to play in this wonderland all through the winter months. This Select Edition offers you 845 pitches on over 300 of the most sought after routes hand picked from our comprehensive East And West Side guidebooks. Included are the famous multi-pitches, exclusive information on the new moderates, and all of the sport crags! For those of you who have always dreamed of climbing here, now is the time: this book provides a lifetime of adventure.

The author, Tanya Bok, is a Cochise Stronghold fixture, first ascensionist, conservationist, bolt-replacer, historian, explorer, and always ready to have a good time. She now has a small homestead/guest ranch on the East Side. Contact her for information.

Cochise Stronghold: The Complete Set

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Cochise Stronghold: The Complete Set

Now get both books (East Side and West Side), housed in a stunning slipcover. This comprehensive set is the single most important thing in your climbing quiver.

With this vast and expansive area the best way to maximize your time is this comprehensive set that lists 1000 multi-pitch routes and over 1200 pitches!!
You can get on every climb in your grade, style, and length, as these books have it all at a discounted price.
Are you looking for the "old-school" and NEW moderates? These are the ONLY books that will get you on all of these routes.

"Few climbers know the spectacular classic lines, and the quiet nooks and crannies of this wonderful place as well as Tanya Bok. I spent several hours with it this morning and am blown away by how beautifully spectacular it is. It is the best guidebook I think I have ever put my hands on – the effort and care you invested shines through on each and every page –gorgeous! Dave Baker, Cochise Stronghold pioneer"

The author, Tanya Bok, is a Cochise Stronghold first ascensionist, conservationist, bolt-replacer, historian, explorer, and always ready to have a good time.

Toofast Topos 2: Cochise Stronghold Rock Climbing

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Published in October 2018, and available in digital or paperback format, Toofast Topos 2: Cochise Stronghold Rock Climbing is a 433-page masterpiece with 100% firsthand beta for climbs throughout all of Cochise Stronghold.

Toofast Topos 2 details 470 pitches of climbing on 25 formations in the Stronghold. This full-color guide covers the east, west, and southwest Stronghold, including 113 multipitch routes, a selection of single-pitch crags, the original classics, familiar moderates, killer testpieces, and amazing, never-before-reported lines. Honoring the history, traditions, and inherent ethic of Cochise Stronghold rock climbing, all of the beta is firsthand and presented with the utmost detail and precision – the author led everything in the book.

• Precise, pitch-by-pitch descriptions for every route, ranging in difficulty from 5.7 to 5.12+
• Annotated satellite imagery and clear descriptions of all approaches, formations, and descents
• Maps, driving directions, camping, and accommodation information
• A detailed timeline and history of climbing in Cochise Stronghold
• Foreword by Steve Grossman
• And, of course, Toofast’s superb, super-accurate topos!

Geir Hundal is an AMGA Certified Rock Instructor with 21 years of experience, and has been climbing/guiding in Cochise Stronghold for the past 15 years. He has been distributing free beta and topos here on MountainProject.com for over a decade.

Cochise Stronghold: Rock Climbing on the East Side

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Cochise Stronghold: Rock Climbing on the East Side

Featuring 475+ routes and almost a thousand pitches of climbing which includes ALL the areas you know are out there but have never been published before. People want to get on all the NEW Cochise moderates but don't know where to find them. THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE THEY ARE LISTED! Don't waste your time or climbing trip on scarefest climbs with bad beta.

- Full color, stunning photography, and detailed comprehensive maps for easy navigation
- The pitch-by-pitch descriptions for over 475 routes including 900+ pitches
-Accurate gear suggestions and bolt count.
- Easy to follow color-coded topos in difficulty from 5.5 to 5.12.
- Turn by turn descriptions with GPS coordinates to navigate all of those nooks and cranny approaches.
- Funny stories, writing, and history share the personality of the area.
-BANFF FILMFEST Guidebook competition contender

Cochise Stronghold: Rock Climbing on the West Side

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Cochise Stronghold: Rock Climbing on the West Side

This book covers this West Side of this wild range in beautiful detail and takes you on a climbing journey through the area exploring how it developed and evolved to be the climbing destination it is today. The vast, open rangeland butts up against the Dragoon mountains here and gives easy access to a playground of granite domes. The centerpiece being the Sheepshead with 52 moderate, multi-pitch routes all listed here.

-Full color pages with vivid photos, accurate topos, and detailed route descriptions
-375+ routes comprising 550+ pitches, many previously unpublished
-Accurate gear suggestions and bolt count.
- Easy to follow color-coded topos in difficulty from 5.2 to 5.12
-Meticulously researched and explored to create the first comprehensive guide to this area in the Cochise Stronghold.

Toofast Topos: 50 Multipitch Climbs In Cochise Stronghold

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Published in 2014 and available as a hardcopy or PDF, Toofast Topos: 50 Multipitch Climbs In Cochise Stronghold features 50 of the most popular routes in the Dragoon Mountains. Features include:

• Toofast's topos reworked for the 226 page book
• Precise pitch-by-pitch descriptions for every route, ranging in difficulty from 5.7 to 5.12
• Overhead satellite imagery and clear descriptions of all approaches, formations, and descents
• Maps, driving directions, camping and accommodation information
• Detailed timeline and history of climbing in Cochise Stronghold
• Foreword by Steve Grossman

McDowell Rock – A Climber’s Guide

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McDowell Rock is the one source for information on rock climbing in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve of Scottsdale, Arizona.

· Designed to make finding the crags and routes easy
· Identification and colored photos of over 20 rock crags
· Accurate trail head and trail access information
· GPS points at key intersections to assist in finding crags
· Contains over 240 routes, many never publicized before
· Color locator photographs of the crags
· Routes displayed on color photos
· Route descriptions and photos presented on the same page
· Top rope climbs highlighted
· Anecdotes and photos from many of the first ascentionists
· Historical commentary about climbing and the Preserve
· Published in 2016 with 134 pages of text and photos

Feel free to visit the book’s website - http://mcdowellsrockclimbing.com/ - for more information and news.

Phoenix Rock II: Rock Climbing Guide To Central Arizona Granite

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The most detailed guide to Phoenix area climbing, Phoenix Rock II is 280 black and white pages. It was published in 1996 and remains in print.

The author is an administrator for Arizona on Mountain Project.

Grand Canyon Summits Select II: A Compilation of Obscure Ascents in the Grand Canyon Backcountry

This guide, published in 2011 and 168 pages, is an update of the obscure 2001 first edition. Collaborated climbing experiences of more than one hundred mountaineering routes to various named summits in the 1904 sq. mile GCNP backcountry. Approaches mainly originate from the North and/or South Rim with some from the Colorado River. Route descriptions include ascent photos (b&w), grade, class, subjective aesthetics, probable first ascent, relative difficulty, approximate mileage, some topographic maps, possible water sources and an ascent index.

Available here:

E-BOOK

PRINT BOOK

A Climber's Guide To Prescott, AZ

Published in 2000 this 114 page guide of Prescott includes over 300 routes from Thumb Butte, Upper and Lower Sullivan Canyon, Granite Basin, and Skull Valley. It features easy-to-read topo-photos for all the areas, detailed route information, directions, and area traditions.

The Rock Jock's Guide To Queen Creek Canyon

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This out-of-print guide from 1996 covers the climbing routes and bouldering problems at Queen Creek Canyon. The book is 387 black and white pages. It has been supplanted by pocket guides.

Climbers Guide to Sabino Canyon and Mount Lemmon Highway

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Published in 1985 and long since out-of-print, Climbers Guide To Sabino Canyon And Mount Lemmon Highway was the first published guidebook to Mount Lemmon. Now days it provides historical perspective and some crags long since forgotten.

The guide is hosted online at climbaz.com.

Isolation Canyon Climbing Guide

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Isolation Canyon Climbing Guide lists 182 routes in 94 pages with color photos. The routes are traditional, mixed, and sport and range from 1 to 3 pitches. The guide was published in 2012.

Manuel Rangel, the author, is one of the area's primary route developers.

A Climber's Topo Guide to Arizona's Granite Mountain

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This is a fold out topo guide that details Granite Mountain's main climbing cliff and other crags in the the Granite Mountain Wilderness. It's available at The Hike Shack in Prescott or email the author for a copy.

Backcountry Rockclimbing in Southern Arizona

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This out-of-print classic from 1997 covers the Santa Catalina Mountains, Cochise Stronghold, Baboquivari, Mendoza Canyon (Coyote Domes), and many other Southern Arizona formations. It is a great resource for those seeking adventure and solitude.

The guide is hosted online at climbaz.com.

Castles In The Sand: A Climbers Guide To Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon

David Blooms first guide to Sedona. A good book to have.

A Better Way To Die, A Climber's Guide to Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon

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Another of Tim Toula's cult classics. This early guide provides a lot of history to the Sedona area, but is a poor substitute for more modern resources. That said, many adventures started with this book in hand! Thanks Tim.

A Cheap Way To Fly

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This is Tim Toulas classic guide from the early nineties. It covers a lot of the original routes in NAZ, as well as covering some of the early history for the area.

Sedona Rocks! A Climbers Guide

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The most recent guide, as well as, the most comprehensive guide for Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon. Includes the Overlook, the Doctor's Office, the Waterfall, and much more.

The Homestead

"Welcome to The Homestead!"
A little slice of limestone heaven carved out of the Mescal mountains in central Arizona. Guarded by a 4-wheel drive road, this canyon lays off the beaten path and reserved for those with a thirst for adventure.

Statuesque saguaro cacti line the canyon slopes, which are also home to vibrant desert life. The Homestead’s walls provide climbers with a variety of pristine limestone features: tufas, drapery, blocky roofs, in-cuts, and fossil studded faces. The showcase walls have 115’ sport routes ranging in difficulty from 5.10 to 5.13 that require powerful, improbable, and imaginative moves.
With endless days of desert sunshine and wide-open camping, this is the perfect winter destination. Let this inaugural book lead you to the challenging routes at The Homestead.

McDowell Rock – A Climber’s Guide

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McDowell Rock is the one source for information on rock climbing in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve of Scottsdale, Arizona.

· Designed to make finding the crags and routes easy
· Identification and colored photos of over 20 rock crags
· Accurate trail head and trail access information
· GPS points at key intersections to assist in finding crags
· Contains over 240 routes, many never publicized before
· Color locator photographs of the crags
· Routes displayed on color photos
· Route descriptions and photos presented on the same page
· Top rope climbs highlighted
· Anecdotes and photos from many of the first ascensionists
· Historical commentary about climbing and the Preserve
· Published in 2016 with 134 pages of text and photos

Feel free to visit the book’s website - for more information and news.

Karabin Guides

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Marty Karabin has produced $5 fold out pocket guides for the following areas:

• The Road Area
• Lower Devils Canyon
• Uper Devils Canyon
• Northern Devils Canyon
• The Mine
• Euro Dog Valley
• Beardsley Boulders
• The Overlook
• The Projects
• South Mountain & Pima Canyon
• Groom Creek
• Blue Ridge Reservoir
• Pinnacle Peak
• The McDowell's
• Camelback Mountain
• Lookout Mountain
• Crown King
• The Homestead

Rock Climbing Arizona

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A select guide to 25 of Arizona's best and most popular climbing areas. This black and white, 528 page book was published in 1999.

Weekend Rock Arizona: Trad And Sport Routes From 5.0 to 5.10a

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This guide provides a sampling of Arizona rock climbing. It is geared towards the casual climber and as such does not include more difficult grades or areas in their entirety. The areas covered in are: Cochise Stronghold, The Overlook, Granite Mountain, Pinnacle Peak, Jacks Canyon, Queen Creek, McDowell Mountains, Sedona, Mount Lemmon, and Thumb Butte. The book was published in 2006 and is 285 pages. Besides still being in print it is available for the Kindle.