Arizona · Rock climbing · Mount Lemmon · Near Oracle

Willow Canyon Crags

8 routes
5.10 – 5.11-
Sport · Trad
Mar–Nov
best months

Is Willow Canyon Crags open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Santa Catalina Ranger District. It doesn't name Willow Canyon Crags, 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.

Willow Canyon Crags is a climbing area in Arizona's Coronado National Forest, within the Santa Catalina Ranger District. The Forest Service manages the land, and the crags sit among a cluster of other climbing and outdoor spots, including Rose Hill Crag and the Rose Canyon campground, about a mile away. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to climb here. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Mt Lemmon Willow Canyon, about 0.7 miles away, show May highs around 71°F and October highs around 68°F. That station sits at 7,027 feet, and the crags sit a few dozen feet higher. The crags have eight routes, six of which are sport and two trad. Grades range from 5.10- to 5.11+, with the hardest route, Smokin' Grunge, at 5.11+. Drillers in the Mist and Lost Horizons are two of the 5.10- sport routes, both first ascended by Tony Lusk and Glenn Todd in 1997. Nearby, Rose Canyon Lake offers mountain biking just 0.2 miles away, and the Bug Springs Trail and Palisade hike are each about 1.5 miles out. Rose Canyon campground, about 0.6 miles away, is the closest place to camp.

Around this trail

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

    Upper Rim Campgrounds

    Campground

    Campground · 0.5 mi from the trail
  • Eat after

    Butler Hall

    Fast food

    On your way back · 2 mi
  • If it rains

    Wildlife Viewing Area

    Viewpoint

    On your way back · 15 mi

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors

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

    Best time to visit Willow Canyon Crags

    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, 0.7 mi away at 7,027 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Routes (8)

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