Arizona · Rock climbing · Scottsdale

El Oso Rodeo

El Oso RodeoPhoto: Alan Levine from Mortlach, Canada, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
7 routes
5.7 – 5.11
Trad · Sport
Oct–Apr
best months

Is El Oso Rodeo open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 5 alerts for Mesa Ranger District.

As of · Source: USFS · Mesa Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

El Oso Rodeo is a climbing area in the Mesa Ranger District of Tonto National Forest in Arizona, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing and hiking destinations, with Boulder Mountain about 1.3 miles away and The Colony about 2.6 miles off. The climbing here is a mix of trad and sport routes, with seven routes in total. Five are trad and two are sport, and the grades run from 5.7 to 5.11. Among the named routes are No Hay Café y Algodón at 5.7, La Tierra de las Armas y la Metanfetamina at 5.8, and Bored Rotten at 5.11. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show March highs around 73°F and October highs around 85°F, while July averages climb to about 103°F. That station sits roughly 1,500 feet lower than the area, so temperatures at the cliff run cooler.

  • Best time to go · Oct–Apr

    Best time to visit El Oso Rodeo

    Best months: October–April. 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

      61° / 32°

      4 wet

    2. Feb

      66° / 36°

      5 wet

    3. Mar

      73° / 41°

      5 wet

    4. Apr

      81° / 47°

      2 wet

    5. May

      90° / 55°

      1 wet

    6. Jun

      100° / 63°

      1 wet

    7. Jul

      103° / 72°

      5 wet

    8. Aug

      101° / 71°

      7 wet

    9. Sep

      96° / 64°

      4 wet

    10. Oct

      85° / 51°

      3 wet

    11. Nov

      71° / 40°

      3 wet

    12. Dec

      60° / 32°

      4 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Punkin Ctr, AZ, 9.9 mi away at 2,325 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.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive