1000Pks wrote:If you'd want to get into desert peaks, there's the Forbes Route(?) (5.6) on Babo, which though is a ways from Tucson, and the west side of Weaver's Needle (5.4) by Apache Junction (out of eastern Phoenix). Just wouldn't recommend soloing, though, the rock is loose, and you'd want to rap off both of those peaks.

I noted lots of routes off the Catalina Highway, there was a good page here on that. You may wish to have a NPS pass with hologram or whatever now for that (required to park).

That Tucson Mountain Park is a great campground, although over the holidays it looks to be full up.

BTW, I haven't rock climbed for decades. It sounds pretty cool to do that, although I liked having a good second (and even a third).