Arizona · Rock climbing · Littlefield

The Back Walls

6 routes
5.11a – 5.12b
Sport
Feb–May, Oct–Nov
best months

The Back Walls is a climbing area in northern Arizona on Bureau of Land Management land within the Arizona Strip Field Office. The walls sit close together, with The South-Facing Wall (AKA the North Wall), The Sacred Trust and The Grail all about 0.1 mile away. That makes the area a compact cluster of sport routes rather than a single objective. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to climb here. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in St. George, Utah, put October highs around 79°F and November highs around 64°F, while July highs average about 102°F. That station sits roughly 1,600 feet lower than the walls, so temperatures on the rock run cooler. The routes here are all sport climbs, with grades from 5.11a to 5.12b. Unknown Arch Arete is 5.11a, and Farcical Aquatic Ceremony is the hardest at 5.12b. Several of the climbs have named first ascents, including Watery Tart by Tom Nay and Greyhound by Gene Vallee.

  • Best time to go · Feb–May, Oct–Nov

    Best time to visit The Back Walls

    Best months: February–May and October–November. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      54° / 28°

      5 wet

    2. Feb

      59° / 32°

      5 wet

    3. Mar

      68° / 39°

      5 wet

    4. Apr

      75° / 46°

      3 wet

    5. May

      85° / 55°

      3 wet

    6. Jun

      96° / 64°

      2 wet

    7. Jul

      102° / 72°

      3 wet

    8. Aug

      100° / 70°

      3 wet

    9. Sep

      92° / 61°

      2 wet

    10. Oct

      79° / 47°

      3 wet

    11. Nov

      64° / 35°

      3 wet

    12. Dec

      53° / 28°

      5 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at St George, UT, 38.8 mi away at 2,857 ft. The station sits about 1,600 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Routes (6)

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Sun CavePhoto: randomduck, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Sun Cave

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Warm-up Wall

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Blasphemy WallPhoto: randomduck, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Blasphemy Wall

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Virgin River GorgePhoto: isydia Vibes, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

Virgin River Gorge

~36 min drive

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Black and TanPhoto: Parker James Lloyd, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Black and Tan

~45 min drive

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Kelly's RockPhoto: Parker James Lloyd, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Kelly's Rock

~45 min drive

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The SolsticePhoto: Parker James Lloyd, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

The Solstice

~46 min drive

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Henchman BoulderPhoto: GSEC, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Henchman Boulder

~53 min drive

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CLIMB

The South-Facing Wall (AKA the North Wall)

Next door

South-Facing Wall (AKA the North Wall) in Arizona has 8 sport climbing routes.

CLIMB

The Sacred Trust

Next door

Sacred Trust, Arizona climbing area with 7 sport routes rated from 5.10a to 5.12b.