by: David Lovejoy As a destination climbing area Sullivan Canyon wasn’t discovered until the mid 1970s. Its name came to be by climbers from the proximity to Sullivan Lake and Park just upstream of the dam that creates the lake. In geographical terms, Sullivan Canyon is really the start of the Verde River, since the wash leading into the lake is the culmination of Big Chino Wash. The narrow basalt canyon attracted rock climbers for several reasons, including superb rock quality due to natural polishing by erosion from occasional floods, a plethora of vertical cracks from columnar jointing of the basaltic rock, and quick and easy access afforded by the road crossing the canyon near the dam. Another attribute is Sullivan Canyon’s geographical orientation which results in both sunny and shaded aspects making rock climbing pleasant nearly all year round. The readily available crack systems have made the area one in which placement of “traditional” climbing anchors (such as nut and cams) are plentiful, eliminating the need for “fixed anchors” such as expansion bolts, which have become so commonly used in modern “sport climbing” areas. The area primarily used for top-rope climbing by recreational climbers, although it is an excellent instructional site for learning to place traditional protection. The narrowness of the canyon walls also create an attractive training laboratory for high-line (Tyrollean) technical rescue operations. The area has been used extensively by both Prescott College Adventure Education Department and Yavapai County Search and Rescue for these types of highly specialized training. Whether top-rope climbing or lead climbing, a bolt free ethic was established by pioneering local climbers, and this traditional style prevails to this day. Traditional clean climbing, where no evidence of one’s passing is left behind, not only makes ongoing route maintenance simple, but is also more palatable to non-climbers who visit, many of whom find the more untampered appearance of the rock more congruous with a natural aesthetic. A tribute to the past traditions is just one more justification for insured future access, as well as, protecting the unique natural resource of this precious gem.