Castleton Tower is a place that is one of the “must climbs” of the country. It’s a perfect sandstone tower right out of a Roadrunner cartoon that rises up from the desert floor near Moab. Spring is a good time to go and tackle the tower as mild temperatures keep the climb comfortable, especially while ascending the North Chimney route.
There are two ways up Castleton Tower, the North Chimney and the Kor/Ingalls route. The latter is the most popular but is in direct sunlight and can get very hot. The North Chimney route is shaded and some say is a better, more sustained climb than its sister to the south. For this trip, Vince Pierce and I chose to climb the North Chimney, our first 5.8 multi-pitch desert climb.
After driving out of Moab in the morning, we reached the trailhead for Castleton Tower at dawn. The tower could be seen in the distance as sunlight illuminated her with yellow light that quickly turned to deep browns and reds. We hiked up the steep flank along a well defined trail that led to a small cliff band where an easy scramble put us on top of the ridge. Walking along this ridge, we reached the base of the tower and walked around to where the North Chimney loomed above us.
We geared up, taped our hands, organized cams and quickdraws, and got ourselves pumped up for the climb. Vince took the lead and started up the first pitch, a 5.8 corner crack with good double-hand jams. After belaying Vince, I followed up the cold sandstone and cleaned the protective gear he left behind. The next two pitches, we climbed inside the protective walls of the North Chimney. The sandstone formations of the Castle Valley spread out over a thousand feet below us as we pulled ourselves over chockstones, stemmed up walls and jammed hands and feet into cracks.
After the third pitch, we linked up with the Kor/Ingalls route for the fourth and final pitch. Getting to the top from here was short and easy, but the exposure was a vast contrast to being enclosed inside the North Chimney. Reaching up and pulling ourselves over the top was exhilarating and a great relief.
After spending some time exploring the top of Castleton Tower, we ate lunch, signed the summit register, and then rappelled off the Kor/Ingalls route as the sun went down. Rock climbing Castleton Tower was the most exciting and challenging climb I had done in Southern Utah and so far, no climbing trip since has surpassed it. Now that spring is here, it is time to once again head south and put climbing shoes to the sandstone in Utah’s red rock country.
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Ah yeah, Castleton is classic. IMO, Kor/Ingalls IS significantly better than the North Chimney. It’s more sustained, has better rock quality, & better position. FYI, there are MANY routes up the tower, not just two.