Thing Area

Thing Area is a climbing area in the Kachina Peaks Wilderness, part of the Flagstaff Ranger District of Coconino National Forest in Arizona. The Forest Service manages the land, and the area sits within designated wilderness. The climbing here is a cluster of five routes, four of which are trad and one is sport. The grades run from 5.8 up to 5.12, with the median around 5.11+. The routes include Mountaineers Route (5.8), Tap Your Hands (5.10+), Thing (5.11+), Thing Two (5.11+) and Beyond (5.12). Southern Walls and Deep South are both climbing areas about 0.1 mile away, and Middle Area is just as close. For timing, late spring and early fall are the most comfortable. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Ft Valley, which sits about 1,300 feet lower, show May highs around 71°F and October highs around 66°F, while July and August bring the most wet days. That station's figures are not directly comparable to conditions at the higher elevation of the wilderness. Lockett Meadow Campground is about 6 miles away, and Veit Spring Trail is about half a mile off.