Arizona · Rock climbing · Mount Lemmon · Near Oracle

Upper Crag (7 routes)

Upper Crag (7 routes)Photo: beglib, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
7 routes
5.10 – 5.11
Sport
Mar–Nov
best months

Caution today

Agency alerts are in effect for this area; weather is good · USFS, OpenWeather · checked 6 h ago

Is Upper Crag (7 routes) open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Santa Catalina Ranger District. It doesn't name Upper Crag (7 routes), 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.

Upper Crag is a sport climbing area in the Santa Catalina Ranger District of Coronado National Forest in Arizona, managed by the Forest Service. It sits about 0.1 mile from Lower Crag and Wailing Wall, and 0.2 mile from Bear Canyon, so it pairs easily with those other crags. The area holds seven sport routes, all rated between 5.10- and 5.11. Among them are Son of Blubber (5.10-), Keel Haul (5.11), and Left Dihedral (5.10), which was first climbed by JBaker, JShiefman and JWodraska in January 2018. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to climb. Typical averages from the nearby Mt Lemmon Willow Canyon weather station, at 7027 feet, show May highs around 71°F and October highs around 68°F, with lows near 50°F. That station sits about 838 feet below the crag, so temperatures at the rock run cooler. Bug Springs Trail is 0.6 mile away, and General Hitchcock campground is about a mile off. Rose Canyon Lake and Rose Canyon campground are each roughly 1.2 to 1.4 miles away.

Around this trail

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

    South Rim Campgrounds

    Campground

    Campground · 1.0 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 Upper Crag (7 routes)

    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, 0.9 mi away at 7,027 ft. The station sits about 800 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Routes (7)

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