MOAB UTAH ROCK CLIMBING
The best places to go rock climbing in Moab Utah. Rock climbing will be great fun on your next Moab Utah vacation. The perfect vacation destination in Utah! Review our list of places to go rock climbing for Moab Utah. A great way to spend your Moab, Utah vacation.
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Castle Rock
| Castleton Tower is probably the most famous desert tower in the world, and was the first major tower climbed in the Moab area. The Kor-Ingalls route is one of the 50 Classic Climbs of North America, and Castleton also has one other 5.9 route of the same caliber. Harder classic routes both aid and free exist on its fantastic Wingate sandstone with its unique calcite crust. Directions drive as far up the dirt road as you dare, and start hiking. The road winds around the base of Castleton. Look for a cairn on the right made from white rocks and do not be tempted to leave the road too early. There is an excellent trail to the base of a small cliff band, at which point it turns towards the Rectory and the Priest. Scramble easily through the cliffs(if you are scared there is a better way) and hike up steep scree to the base.The approach takes an hour if you are in shape, but it is strenuous. |
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The Priest is the free standing tower next to the Rectory on the side opposite from Castleton. From many perspectives, its odd geometry certainly looks like a priest, and you may wish you have one present if you aren't solid on offwidths. This is my favorite tower in Castle Valley, and the summit is absolutely spectacular.
Honeymoon Chimney is the route to do, and a great alternative if Castleton is crowded. The bottom part stays in the shade, so make sure you do this on a warm day.
Fisher Towers
| The Kingfisher is the closest of the big towers to the parking lot, and the easiest to climb. The Colorado NE Ridge is the easiest of the big Fisher Towers aid routes, but it is still not a giveaway. The Kingfisher also sports a selection of very difficult and dangerous aid routes, two of which were put up solo by Jim Beyer. Feel free to shudder as you walk underneath the Death of American Democracy on the way to the Colorado NE Ridge. Directions walk along the Titan Trail past Ancient Art, and look for a climbers trail heading up the gully between Ancient Art and Cottontail Tower. Head up past Stolen Chimney, and scramble up some mud cliffs to the base of the Kingfisher. There are many climbers trails through here, and the easiest way is tough to find. |
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Big Bend
| Big Bend has lots of great boulders lie next to the highway under the shadow of Lighthouse and Dolomite Tower. Believe it or not, there are even jugs to pull on if your hands are too shredded to jam. How often do you see that on desert sandstone? Directions drive north on River Road from Moab. A very short way past the Big Bend camping area, look for a parking area on the right(east) side of the road. This is the unmarked lot a short distance past the group camping spot. The boulders are obvious from the highway - look for the bright white chalk. |
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Arches National Park
| The Three Gossips is the multi-summitted formation in the Courthouse Towers area of Arches. The rock is soft entrada, but it is split with many long crack systems that provide good free and moderate aid routes. Most routes are three pitches long. The West Face is the classic free route at 5.11 with a really nice 5.10ish hands first pitch(also goes easily at A1). Speak No Evil is a nice thin crack system on the east face that can be clean aided. Directions drive up the road from the visitors center to the Courthouse Towers pullout. The Three Gossips is on the left side of the road opposite from the Organ and The Tower of Babel. There isn't really a trail to the base, but you can easily reach it by walking along washes and boulders. All routes are most easily reached by scrambling up to the West Face and traversing from there. The slickrock below Speak No Evil and other east face routes is harder to climb than it looks. |
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