Arizona · Rock climbing · Near Prescott

Copper Basin / Thumb Butte Loop

Copper Basin / Thumb Butte LoopPhoto: Alan Stark from Goodyear, AZ, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
12 routes
V0 – V10
Bouldering
Mar–May, Sep–Oct
best months

Caution today

Agency alerts are in effect for this area; weather is good · USFS, OpenWeather · checked 1 h ago

Is Copper Basin / Thumb Butte Loop open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Prescott National Forest. It doesn't name Copper Basin / Thumb Butte Loop, so check the source for the area it covers (5 listed).

As of · Source: USFS · Prescott National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Copper Basin / Thumb Butte Loop is a bouldering area in the Bradshaw Ranger District of Prescott National Forest in Arizona, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing and hiking destinations, with Brush Monkey Boulders just half a mile away. The area is all bouldering. Twelve routes are listed, with grades ranging from V0 to V10 on the V scale. The easiest is Flying Carpet at V0, and the hardest is Dose of Thunder at V10, first climbed by Andrew Rothner in spring 2013. Cock & Bull and Training Day are both V4. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Prescott run from highs around 68°F in April to 73°F in October, with summer highs near 90°F. That station sits roughly 1,500 feet lower than the area, so temperatures at the boulders run cooler. Close by are the West Spruce Trail #264 (Extension) and Sparrow Trail #744 for hiking, and the Fdr373-Thumb Butte Loop Designated Disp. campground for an overnight stay.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    United Christian Youth Camp

    Campground

    Campground · 0.9 mi from the trail
  • Eat after

    Badger's Den

    Restaurant

    On your way back · 4 mi
  • If it rainsDoncram, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    Sharlot Hall Museum

    Museum

    On your way back · 5 mi

    An open-air museum located in Prescott, Arizona

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors · Photos: Doncram, CC BY-SA 3.0 (commons)

More in Prescott
  • Best time to go · Mar–May, Sep–Oct

    Best time to visit Copper Basin / Thumb Butte Loop

    Best months: March–May and September–October. 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

      53° / 24°

      5 wet

    2. Feb

      55° / 26°

      6 wet

    3. Mar

      61° / 32°

      5 wet

    4. Apr

      68° / 37°

      3 wet

    5. May

      76° / 45°

      3 wet

    6. Jun

      87° / 54°

      3 wet

    7. Jul

      90° / 61°

      9 wet

    8. Aug

      87° / 60°

      10 wet

    9. Sep

      82° / 52°

      6 wet

    10. Oct

      73° / 40°

      4 wet

    11. Nov

      62° / 30°

      4 wet

    12. Dec

      52° / 24°

      5 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Prescott, AZ, 8.6 mi away at 5,205 ft. The station sits about 1,500 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

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