Judge Saves Iconic Climbing Area (For Now), With Less Than 24 Hours to Spare

It’s been a wild ride for the beloved climbing area known as Oak Flat. With just hours left before 2,400 acres of National Forest lands across Oak Flat fell into the hands of Resolution Copper, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted an emergency injunction to block the scheduled August 19 transfer.

This came on the heels of bad news for climbers, environmentalists, and local Indigenous communities on Friday, August 15, when U.S. District Judge Dominic W. Lanza ruled that the temporary pause on the Oak Flat transfer would expire, paving the way for the land transfer to Resolution Copper. In late June, Judge Lanza had granted a 60-day grace period after the release of the final Environmental Impact Statement before the land could be transferred. Ultimately, Lanza opted not to extend the hiatus.

Concerns from plaintiffs, including Access Fund, center upon the impacts of the mine to the local habitat, watershed, and recreational access. A subsidiary of multinational mining companies Rio Tinto and BHP, Resolution Copper plans to implement a mining technique to reach ore 7,000 feet underground that would leave behind a two-mile-wide, 1,000-foot deep crater.

In addition to its decades-long reputation as a climbing area accessible for residents of Scottsdale and Phoenix, Oak Flat hosted the Phoenix Bouldering Contest from 1989 to 2004, drawing competitors like Beth Rodden and Chris Sharma. Beyond the climbing access abounding in Oak Flat, the area serves an important role in the local watershed. Access Fund says the mine would deplete surface waters and threaten regional water availability. In the event of a tailings dam breach, the mine could also contaminate the local watershed, according to local reporting from AZ Central. Furthermore, Oak Flat (Chi’chil Biłdagoteel) is held sacred by the San Carlos Apache tribe and other tribes. The San Carlos Apache tribe has also been pursuing legal action to prevent the Oak Flat land transfer.

The next step in the process is for Access Fund, alongside a coalition of environmental and recreational nonprofits, as well as the San Carlos Apache Tribe, to make their case in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, headquartered in San Francisco. The Appeals process will begin September 8. Following the news of the injunction, President Trump called the decision “Anti-American” in an August 19 post on Truth Social.

“The fight is not over, but this decision is a major step forward in defending this sacred and irreplaceable landscape,” says Erik Murdock, the deputy director of programs, policy, and government affairs at Access Fund.

To help prevent this mine from overtaking much of Oak Flat, the climbing community can stay tuned for updates from Access Fund and support their efforts in conserving this area.

This is a developing story that we will continue to update as new information become available.