Five easy towers for climbing novices
Desert towers are just plain cool. You get all the awesomeness that comes from normal rock climbing with the added bonus of topping out on a summit! But climbing in the desert can be pretty darn terrifying. The bolts spin, the rock breaks apart, and the gear falls out. But it doesn’t have to be that way! Here are 6 single pitch desert towers (all near Moab) that offer easy and safe climbing. More beta for all of these towers can be found on Mountain Project. Note that more experienced climbers can tick all of these towers off in a day.
The Pickle. All Photos: Tristan Higbee
1. The Pickle – 5.7 C1 – Just barely inside the boundaries of Arches National Park and very visible from the road, this thing is pretty much just a bolt ladder. If my memory serves me correctly, there are 21 bolts (either really solid half-inchers or bomber drilled angles) and a few moves of 5.7 near the top.
Owl Rock
2. Owl Rock – 5.8 – Drive deeper into Arches and you find this fun little tower. This is a lot of people’s first tower, and as such is probably one of the most-climbed desert summits. Take a set of cams to #4 Camalot with maybe a couple extra hand-sized pieces.
Bullwinkle Tower
3. Bullwinkle Tower – 5.7 – A short walk from Owl Rock, this is probably the easiest tower on this list. Most guides list it as 5.6, but I think it’s a bit harder. Take a couple big cams in addition to a normal rack.
Dunce Rock
4. Dunce Rock – 5.7 C1 – This tower is in the fearsome Fisher Towers, which contain some of the gnarliest climbing in America. This little guy, though, is a short walk from the parking lot and consists of a couple free moves and a short bolt ladder.
Carson's Tower
5. Carson’s Tower – 5.7 – This rarely-climbed tower is also in the Fishers but it requires a longer cross-country walk. It starts off as a fun stem between two sections of the tower, followed by a fun and committing move to the main tower. All you need for this one is a #3 and #4 Camalot and several slings for the drilled pitons.
Well, there you have it! Hopefully these five towers will whet your appetite for bigger and better things to come. Yes, the rock might still be a bit sandy in places, but I guarantee you’ll be planning your next desert tower adventure before too long.
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Salt Lake City, UT
[...] Five easy towers for climbing novices @ Utah Outside [...]
looks like a fun day’s worth of climbing. you just gave me an idea…
Is one 60m rope adequate for the rappels on all these towers? I’m a geezer soloing, so these look ideal for me. Thanks
Yes, a 60m rope works for rappelling off of all of these towers. I’ve soloed Dunce Rock and Carson’s Tower and they were both pretty tame.