Queen Creek, AZ

Cortney and I took a brief trip to Arizona last week to visit her folks, and we were able to get in one day of climbing at Queen Creek, the site of the famed Phoenix Bouldering Contest. As the area is slated for oil + mineral mining exploration as part of the infamous "land swap" agreement, I was afraid that the boulders would already be closed, or even worse, blown up. We were able to find them after only a moderate bit of effort, thanks in no part to the old Dr. Topo 'guide' I printed out. At first, we were wondering if the goal of the old PBC was limited to simply discovering where the boulders were...

The Open RoadQueen CreekThe RCM Mine

I thoroughly enjoyed climbing at Queen Creek, even though the area has a dire paucity of non-chossy rock. We were only able to find about a half dozen appealing boulders, but the problems on them were quite good. Queen Creek seems to be some of the best pure bouldering in southern Arizona, but it pales in comparison to the state's northern areas like Groom Creek and Priest Draw. I recommend it for anyone traveling through the area, especially because it is such a historic site, and sadly, it won't be around forever.

Desert FaunaOur Borrowed Whip