Day Canyon, 5.9-5.13 (Raptor and Bootleg Towers)

Overview/Approach

As with most of my climbing career, one of my main priorities has always been an attempt to enjoy the remote wilderness sans humans and dogs.  During such time climbing has become more of a social activity than a backcountry one.  There could not be a more prime example of that transition than Indian Creek, located south of Moab.  Day Canyon, located west of Moab, is in stark contrast to Indian Creek.  The walls and towers in this canyon are more impressive than Indian Creek yet are much less developed.  The routes that have been developed are outstanding to date. 

The canyon starts out with a Zion like hueco bolted climb named Pocket Rocket, 5.10c, located on the south facing wall before the canyon turns west.  Next up are two outstanding trad climbs on the north facing wall after you make the bend into the main canyon:  Kiss of the Spider Women, 5.12, and Working Class Hero, 5.9.  The collection of the best routes in the canyon is located on an east facing wall further up canyon, as the canyon makes a slight jog north.  This area is marked by a striking tower in front of the wall aptly named Raptor Tower. Raptor Tower harbors two outstanding routes:  Boognish Tower, 5.10, and Prohibition Crack, 5.11+.  Boognish Tower is a fully bolted stem chimney, one of the best true 5.10 chimneys I have climbed anywhere.  It ascends to the summit of a sub tower on Raptor’s south end.  Prohibition Crack is located on the north end of Raptor and is a crazy good looking three pitch off-width climb that reaches the summit of the Raptor.  Brush Painted Datsun, 5.10, is a stellar hand crack climb located at the north end of the east facing wall.  It is often paired with Christine’s Way Buff Saab, 5.9, and Michelle’s Bitchin’ Blue Subaru, 5.10+ just to the left of Datsun.  Further up canyon, after the bend, is the stellar looking Aerobicide, 5.11+, on the north facing wall and the not so stellar, Bihedral, 5.10, on the south facing wall.  The local guide gave Bihedral a recommendation, but I can’t say I concur it is worth climbing with all the other options and the amount of effort it takes to get there.

Take Potash Road (Wall Street area) west from Highway 191 for over 11 miles.  Park at a small pullout on the south side of the road and walk the rail road tracks west to a gate (2021).  A climber’s trail starts through the willows at the gate.  Follow this trail along the west bank of a drainage.  Cross the drainage in short order to climb Pocket Rocket.  You will clearly see the featured huecos and anchor on the south facing wall.  Continue in the drainage and up to the north bank as it bends westward.  Working Class Hero is easy to spot on the north facing wall above as the moss has been climbed off of a curving finger splitter leading to a fixed anchor.  Continue up canyon for a massive east facing wall with several towers in front of it.  Raptor Tower is at the south end and can be accessed directly up the loose slopes.  To reach Brush Painted Datsun, it is best to stay on the well-defined trail along the north bank until you are even with the route.  There is a climbers trail up the loose slope to the north end of the main east facing wall.  Aerobicide is much further up canyon on the north facing wall.  Bihedral is located further up canyon yet on the south facing wall directly across from a spindly tower on the north facing wall.

Route Descriptions, in Order of Approach

Pocket Rocket- 70-5.10c***/ This bolted hueco pump fest is a good warm up for the more challenging climbs up canyon.   It is located on the wall you run into straight from the road.  It is lit in the mornings and most of the day in fall as it is south facing and not shaded by an opposing wall.  The crux is after the 2nd clip, a committed small dyno to a hold.  Below grade from there to the fixed rap.  Single rope, 8 clips.  Dow

Kiss of the Spider Women- 5.12****/

Working Class Hero- 65’-5.9***/ This route is the third published (2021) route as you travel in Day Canyon.  It is the second route on the south side of the canyon located on the west side of a gully from Kiss of the Spider Women.  It is north facing and gets shade all day in the fall.  From below, you can locate it in the lighter colored rock above as the moss has been climbed off, being one of if not the easiest route in Day Canyon.  Locate a well-trodden trail leading up to it from the wash below.  It is all fingers with leveraged feet, what you would typically expect from a 5.9 finger crack.  Doubles from #.3 to #.75 lead to a fixed rap.  Dow

Chicken Tejero- 5.11**/

Bee Line- 5.10+**/

June’s Box- 5.10**/

Concepcion- 5.13-*****/

Raptor Tower

Boognish Tower- 115’-5.10**/ MP.com gives this route a PG13, but I disagree with that assessment.  Rather Boognish is a well bolted chimney at the left end of the left tower (Raptor).  It gains you a sub tower summit at the south end of Raptor.  Fifteen clips seem a lot in 115’, but you learn to appreciate them when the chimneying gets wide and most leaders under 6’ will have to transition to stemming mid-flight.  There are a few face climb features that show up near the end (crux).  Pull up to stemming technique and eventually pinch a runnel to pull to the summit and rap chains (facing east).  Summit register in place 2021.  Dow

Prohibition Crack- 3 Pitches-5.11+/

Bootleg Tower

Buzz Lust- 5.12***/

Moonshine- 5.10+**/

East Facing Wall behind the Towers (left to right)

Androids Waffle Hot Line- 5.10+****/

Finger Bandit- 5.12****/

Christine’s Way Buff Saab- 70’-5.9*/ MP.com gives this route a 5.9+ rating, but I don’t see it.  It seemed to be a mellow 5.9 in comparison to its 5.10 neighbor, Brush Painted Datsun.  Climbs better than the one star the local guide gives it.  A great match with Brush Painted Datsun, as they share the same start.  Climb the wide crack to get to a shelf/ledge.  Climb the short crack up left that reaches the base of the right facing hands corner.  Climb perfect #2’s to the fixed anchor.  I placed double #1’s and #2’s.  Dow

Michelle’s Bitchin’ Blue Subaru- 5.10+****/ (extension pitch of Christine’s)

Brush Painted Datsun- 100’-5.10*****/ One of the finer moderate trad leads near Moab.  Located at the right end of the wall behind Raptor Tower, BPD offers a stellar full length hands flake.  Climb the left shared wide crack start from the ground and traverse right into the left facing flake.  If you just brought a double rack, you can place a few wide pieces during the first few meters of the flake. Then all #2 hands from there.  Near the end it bites down to #1.5’s and most (except for small hands) will have to layback the arcing finish to the fixed rap.  The foot features are sandy and slippery on this layback traverse.  I led it with just two #2’s but if I did it again, I would want at least four.  After a few wide options, you essentially have nothing but #2’s until a #1 at the very end.  Dow

Up Canyon

Another Fine Day- 5.10*/

Fourth of July- 5.10**/

Aerobicide- 5.11+*****/

Handy Man Splits- 5.10***/

Bihedral- 150’-5.10****/ The local guide, High on Moab, has this route way off, not just where it is actually located up canyon, but how “really cool” and “super fun” it is.  I can only speculate that the author and/or FAer were a bit proud of their new climb.  On the map in the local guide, they show this route facing southwest after a split in the canyon.  In reality, it faces due south directly across from a stand out skinny tower on the opposite side of the canyon well before you come to the split in the canyon.  It is on the north side.  Locate the spindly tower on the south side and angle up the loose slopes on the north side locating an obvious stem box directly across from the tower.  Locate a dirty hand crack to the right.  Climb it and make a physical mantle onto the ledge to the left.  Traverse left to the base of the stem box (double crack) and belay on medium gear.  The left crack starts and finishes wide and is loose and dirty.  The right crack bites down to fingers in places and can be chossy as well.  You can start out chimneying but then have to choose between which crack you prefer.  It is too wide to stem the higher you go.  This climb, and suspect rock, can take a ton of gear.  I had a single to #6, doubles to #3 and still had to run it out at the top.  You can use additional #.5 to #.75 which would allow you to finish on the cleaner right-side vs doing the more secure, but chossy, off-width on the left side.  We replaced the webbing on the two-bolt anchor in 2021.  Dow

Black Widow- 5.12-*/