Start in an easy chimney, then transition to main wall. A hand and fist crack narrows just before the obvious pod. Exit to the right, and continue up passing one bolt. Climb past a horizontal crack, and continue up a loose crack to the summit. **This route has notably more loose rock than might be expected for the location. That said, there are plenty of good opportunities for protection, and the cruxes are on good rock. The danger is more to anyone below you, including hikers who congregate below this area.**

Ubangy Lips

Hard Drivin'

Kreuser's Route

The Settlement

Great Compromise

Pretty Girls Make Graves

Look But Don't Touch

Sacred Datura Direct

Treiber's Deception

West Corner

Garbonzo Bean

Men at Work Variation

Pinto Bean aka Garbanzo Bean Direct

Hot Line

Succubus

Deep Freeze

Pitch 1:  One of the best pitches on the thumb!  Edge up the pointed boulder for 30' to the top of it with no pro.  Don't blow it.  Reach across the gap and clip your first bolt.  Face climb up and left past 3 bolts to a ledge with a 2 bolt anchor.  This first pitch is 5.10b and classic by itself.   Pitch 2:  Start on the right side of the ledge.  Climb over horizontal overlaps to a bolt.  Hard face moves above lead to a horizontal crack.  Follow it up and right onto the summit.

There are two starting variations on this for pitch 1. One can either work left scrambling up ramps or you can take the 5.6 crack just right of Garbanzo Bean (recommended). Belay on a ledge at a notch I slung a rock to set up belay, didn't see any bolts. Pitch 2: From ledge climb class 4 right to an overhang. One could place a piece (red) into the crack where the over hang meets the slope. Skirt the opening to the right and climb over some boulders and you're on the top. Descent: Rock Climbing AZ book says you need a double rope rap for this. I'm not sure you do, seemed to us a single 60 would get you down. Your discretion though.

This route is a moderate, yet interesting way to get to the top of the thumb, with a few fun moves down low, but some gritty rock in places.

 Climb the detached flake to a bolt and head right traversing under the large undercling flake, clipping a second bolt.  From the pocket, climb out and up the hand crack to a small ledge and up through another crack with dirty rock.  From this large ledge you can belay, or, with good rope management, you can continue around the corner climber's right to reach the summit.

 I would recommend putting a double runner on the first bolt and slings where needed to reduce rope drag.

One may think they are in Cochise Stronghold with the shades of yellow and green rock that the route climbs.  Scamper up ramp and protect yourself using a horizontal at your head level.  Ponder the next move and eventually find yourself stuffing a #3 and even a #4 in the wide crack.  Crank a few hero moves over the flake and bring your partner up for a celebratory COVID friendly hug.

Start up face past several bolts. Join Ubangy Lips near the bolt, and continue up to a horizontal crack and small overhang. Stay on the face with one last bolt, just right of the loose wide crack finish to Ubangy Lips.Jim Waugh recounts that this was the first route he bolted on rap, and to maintain a sense of fairness he planned the bolt spacing to be just adequate to prevent decking, but still reward falls with plenty of air.

This is the obvious wide crack on the east aspect of Tom's Thumb. Climb the offwidth/squeeze chimney to a ledge with a two bolt anchor (no rap hardware). Optional belay here, then up main wall above anchor to the summit. Bolted anchor conveniently located at the topout.

The mental crux of this climb is reaching the first bolt. A slabby start with small holds leads up and right for several meters to that point, from which you traverse right to access a good crack. Climb that crack to the top of the rock on good locks and good pro.

With an original rating of 5.5, after climbing it, one understands where this route got it's name. Even at it's current grade of 5.7, you might think theres still a bit of deception going on! 

  Stem your way up between the main wall and the boulder to reach a layback flake on the main wall. Get something in and then make the dicey-feeling move onto the main wall. Climb up the crack to a face protected by a bolt. Move out and around the left and up to a stance below a crack (bolt). Lever your way up this corner, following it up left to the base of a wide crack. This wide crack leads to the top. 

  Excellent climbing on this route, with moves that span the spectrum from face to crack, from laybacking to offwidth. The all-encompassing renaissance climb!

Good beginner's lead route to the top of the Thumb. This was the original route way back in 1948! Originally rated Fourth class, but it's really a low 5th class climb. Actually, the first pitch is fourth class, but the 2nd pitch is fifth class.  

  Pitch 1: Follow fourth class easy scramble from left to right up a ramp. Continue up crack to tree to belay from.  

  Pitch 2: Traverse left towards another tree and across a low angle sloped face to a crack system on the left, then up a wide dual crack system to an overhang. Traverse right under the overhang across another low angle sloped face and then up a wide crack to the top.

This is the obvious upper offwidth crack on the West side of the N. face of Toms Thumb. The first pitch climbs a nice hand crack with good pro 5.7 that progessively gets easier up some face and crack to an alcolve roof directly below the upper offwidth section a good belay can be found here. Next P2 Traverse left onto the face "very exciting" and continue up to the wicked exposed and scary offwidth "grand fun" maybe pro with a 3.5 and a 4 camalot although we found ourselves moving up a 4 with some moderate runout.

This could be used as the direct start to Treiber's Deception.  Climb overhanging hand and fist crack to cool alcove and eventually joining Treiber's.  Continue up the standard route to summit.  A much better way to begin T. Deception if one enjoys a short but manageable hand and fist crack.

Start on thin small flakes and shallow sloping pockets along the 4 bolts leading to the upper crack shared with Garbanzo to the right.

An interesting line with some 'interesting' rock, but pretty good overall. The climb has a little of everything and is enjoyable if you don't let a few loose sections bother you. It is safe overall.   Down and right about 5 meters from Treiber's Deception, the trade route of this rock, there are a pair of left-leaning cracks that merge 8 meters up the rock. The thinner one of the two on the left is the beginning of Hot Line. Climb up this to the merge and continue up and left to the terminus of the crack, then climb up into a weird pod and then crank a few meters hard right to a hanging flake and get established in another crack (crux). Protect this and make awkward moves to finish on the final slab above.     Belay up top and then rap to the west. We did this on a single 70M rope, but it was close.

This is a killer line up the entire north face of Tom's Thumb.  A treat for the well rounded trad climber.  The start, in a box, appears unappealing but the jams are fun.  Then undercling right with slick feet to a small right facing corner with a crack, which starts with tips but becomes more secure as you go higher.  The short transition from roof to corner is about 10c or harder (I pulled on a piece to get around).  The upper crack starts with a short section of wide hands and then becomes a very long run of offwidthing with some squeezing chimneys thrown in.  The locals at Vedauwoo would be jealous. Gear anchor at the top.  Walk right (west) to rappel anchors with slings and rap rings.  Single rope rappel with a sixty meter.

Far and away the best single route in the McDowells- plus it goes to the top of a tower. Twin 10+/11- cruxes, one low and one high plus quality climbing on this long pitch, or obvious two pitch split. A must do (before access denied?).

Tom's Thumb is a prominent 140-foot plug of desert granite that perches atop the McDowell Mountains ridgeline. It is visible from miles in all directions. Originally called "The Dork" by the old time Phoenix climbers, it was rechristened Tom's Thumb in honor of climber Tom Kreuser back in the day. 

  The rock and the routes on Tom's Thumb are mostly in the excellent range. The harder routes here are some of the best you'll find on any granite crag in the Phoenix area. Because of the slightly burly approach, and the general notion that granite climbing is out of style these days in Phoenix, you're not likely to have to share any routes while visiting the Thumb. 

  Beautiful, incredibly classic place to climb.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in Tom's Thumb