Arizona · Rock climbing · Scottsdale

The Loaf

7 routes
5.4 – 5.11
Trad · Sport
Oct–Apr
best months

The Loaf is a climbing area on Arizona state trust land, managed by the State Department of Land. It sits among a cluster of boulders and walls, with Bobcat Boulder just 0.1 mile away and The Riven Wall and Lost Bandana Wall each about 0.2 mile off. The routes here range from trad climbs on the easier side to sport routes with grades up to 5.11. Spring and fall are the most comfortable seasons to climb. Typical averages from the nearby Pinnacle Peak weather station, which sits a few hundred feet lower than the area, show April highs around 79°F and October highs around 83°F, while July highs climb to about 99°F. The area has seven routes in total, with four trad and three sport. The trad routes include Slippery When Wet at 5.4 and Sweet Surprise at 5.8. The sport routes run from 5.10c to 5.11, with Blow Fly's Last Ride at 5.10c and Lose Yer Stance, Shitcher Pants at 5.11. For a change from the rock, Cow Poke Trail and Coyote Canyon Trail are both under a mile away. Box Bar campground is about 8.5 miles off.

  • Best time to go · Oct–Apr

    Best time to visit The Loaf

    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

      64° / 43°

    2. Feb

      66° / 45°

    3. Mar

      72° / 49°

    4. Apr

      79° / 54°

    5. May

      87° / 62°

    6. Jun

      96° / 71°

    7. Jul

      99° / 76°

    8. Aug

      98° / 75°

    9. Sep

      94° / 71°

    10. Oct

      83° / 61°

    11. Nov

      72° / 50°

    12. Dec

      63° / 42°

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Pinnacle Peak, AZ, 4.8 mi away at 2,565 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Routes (7)

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Pinnacle PeakPhoto: SocialMediaAdventure, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Pinnacle Peak

~8 min drive

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Cactus Flower EastPhoto: SocialMediaAdventure, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Cactus Flower East

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Cactus Flower West

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Desert climbing area in Arizona with varied routes and southwestern rock.

AMC BoulderPhoto: SocialMediaAdventure, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

AMC Boulder

~8 min drive

AMC Boulder in Arizona has 8 climbing routes across 5 grades.

Cactus Flower WestPhoto: SocialMediaAdventure, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Cactus Flower West

~8 min drive

Cactus Flower West in Arizona has 6 climbing routes across 5 difficulty grades.

Pinnacle PeakPhoto: SocialMediaAdventure, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Pinnacle Peak

~8 min drive

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Girlie Man AreaPhoto: HTBFTBO, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Girlie Man Area

~10 min drive

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Sven TowersPhoto: HTBFTBO, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Sven Towers

~11 min drive

Sven Towers is a climbing crag in Arizona with 1 route.

Morrell's WallPhoto: Carefree Sailor, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

Morrell's Wall

~11 min drive

Morrell's Wall in Arizona has 16 climbing routes across 12 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Knob Hill - EastPhoto: Carefree Sailor, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

Knob Hill - East

~11 min drive

Knob Hill - East in Arizona has 9 climbing routes across 7 difficulty grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.