Arizona · Rock climbing · Mount Lemmon · Near Oracle

Practice Cliff

Practice CliffPhoto: hakkun, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
6 routes
5.4 – 5.8
Top Rope
Mar–Nov
best months

Is Practice Cliff open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Santa Catalina Ranger District. It doesn't name Practice Cliff, so check the source for the area it covers.

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

Practice Cliff is a climbing area in the Santa Catalina Ranger District of Coronado National Forest in Arizona, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among several other climbing spots, with Hunchback Pinnacle, Turret Rock and Environs and Faded Rock all about 0.1 mile away. The area is a cluster of six top-rope routes, all rated between 5.4 and 5.8 on the YDS scale. Practice Cliff 2 is the easiest at 5.4, and Black Water Stain is the hardest at 5.8. The routes are all top-rope, so climbers can expect to set up anchors before climbing. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Mt Lemmon Willow Canyon show May highs around 71°F and October highs around 68°F, with lows near 50°F. That station sits about 490 feet below the cliff, so temperatures on the rock run a little cooler. For more time on the trail, Bug Springs Trail is about 1.6 miles away, and Gordon Hirabayashi Campground is about 1.9 miles away.

Around this trail

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

    South Rim Campgrounds

    Campground

    Campground · 1.6 mi from the trail
  • Eat after

    Butler Hall

    Fast food

    On your way back · 3 mi
  • If it rains

    Wildlife Viewing Area

    Viewpoint

    On your way back · 16 mi

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors

More in Oracle
  • Best time to go · Mar–Nov

    Best time to visit Practice Cliff

    Best months: March–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

      50° / 34°

    2. Feb

      50° / 33°

    3. Mar

      55° / 37°

    4. Apr

      62° / 43°

    5. May

      71° / 51°

    6. Jun

      80° / 60°

    7. Jul

      80° / 63°

    8. Aug

      79° / 62°

    9. Sep

      75° / 59°

    10. Oct

      68° / 49°

    11. Nov

      59° / 40°

    12. Dec

      49° / 33°

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Mt Lemmon Willow Canyon, AZ, 1.7 mi away at 7,027 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Routes (6)

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Hunchback PinnaclePhoto: 666isMONEY ☮ ♥ & ☠, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

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Turret Rock and EnvironsPhoto: hakkun, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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Faded RockPhoto: Shepard4711, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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Windy Point EastPhoto: Shepard4711, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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