Leaving behind the saguaros and chollas, these are the boulders found between roughly 5000 and 7500 feet. The Mid Mountain area contains a couple of the areas of highest concentration (Secret Gulley and Peanut Boulders) as well as one of the best boulders around Tucson (Matterhorn). If you are interested in bouldering history, this is also where you will find two of Bob Murray's most famous climbs - Jewel Thief on Matterhorn and Barefoot Traverse at Windy Point.


The bouldering at this part of the mountain is mostly similar in nature the route climbing - crimping on small, piranha-toothed crimps. Expect your sessions to be limited by the pain you begin to feel in your tips after spending a few hours bouldering here. The flip side to that being that you can occasionally feel like a rock star with the minuscule crimps you surprise yourself by hanging onto, your soft pads finding lots of purchase in the jagged crystals. The rock itself is Catalina gneiss, often beautifully streaked with quartz bands - quite photogenic, especially as you overlook Windy Point down in Tucson and beyond.


While these areas are higher in elevation, many are south facing, and the short scrubland flora of this part of the mountain doesn't provide much shade, so expect to visit these areas when the weather is a little cooler. If you time it right (early morning or afternoon) you can squeeze in a few hours of shade, but most of the day will be pretty sunny.