Top Three Beginner Climbs in Atlantis
Atlantis in Queen Creek Canyon, AZ, has some of the best beginner-friendly climbs in the Phoenix area. And with a fairly short approach and a style that’s more like a gym than a slab, it’s a great choice for families and for those who want to take their plastic-pulling skills out into the world.
Superior local, Miracle, climbs Seats of Evil, between Pole Dancing Dragons (bottom) and Unknown Trad (top).
Ali Cat/Hide and Seek.
The first one on the list is a combo. Ali Cat and Hide and Seek can be set up as a two-for-one, since they share an anchor. They are both really fun climbs for a 5.8 climber or as a warmup for the nearby 5.10s. They have great holds and are super easy to find. They sit in the bottom of the canyon on the obvious pillar on the South side. Just stroll down from the parking area into the mouth of Atlantis and look right and there they are. I recommend climbing Ali Cat as a sport climb, then lowering and leaving the top two bolts clipped. Then one side of the rope can be used for Ali Cat (with the directionals at the top), and the other side of the rope can be used for climbing Hide and Seek. Hide and Seek is a super fun lead for aspiring trad climbers who want to practice placing multiple pieces of large gear (I suggest 2-3 each in Camalots from sizes 4-6, plus some smaller pieces for the bottom section), but for most people, it’s best done as a top rope. The moves and position in the canyon are sure to make you smile.
2. Pole Dancing Dragons
This ultra-classic 5.8 doesn’t look like much at first — a broken arete into a near-vertical face climb — but it has incredible movement. Scramble up the far side of the canyon to the obvious roof on Rocket Man — just to your right from there is the near-vertical wall with two bolt lines on it. Pole Dancing Dragons starts on the left side, where you climb the broken arete, but you have to make some balancy moves to gain the face. It’s weird to call it exposed, since the climber isn’t that high off the ground, but the moves off the deck definitely feel a bit airy as you search for the right body position to gain the face. After establishing on the face, press into the wall and enjoy the positive holds and fun movement they provide for the next sixty feet or so.
3. Unknown Trad
Nothing says “choss” like a route that doesn’t even deserve a name, but this route is the exception to the rule. Unknown Trad sits in the corner to the right of Pole Dancing Dragons and might be one of the best and most continuous crack climbs in the canyon. It starts off a little rough, forcing the climber to go up a block then skirt around some foliage, but it turns into a pitch and a half worth of great jamming. Pro tip — avoid the hanging belay and go into the knook in the right side of the wall. There’s cracks enough there to build a great three-piece anchor. Or bring two extra No. 3 BD Camalots and build one in the main crack system you used to access the ledge. The start of the second pitch goes up through a splitter hands crack roof, which gives way with very little effort. Enjoy the novelty of this climb, it’s not everyday you find a perfect hand crack on something of this grade. If you don’t have a 70-meter rope, you will need to do two rappels. Always remember to tie knots in the ends, especially if youre going all the way with a 70-meter. It’s a rope stretcher!