Overview
Dolomite and Lighthouse Towers
The River Road climbing area of Moab refers to the incredible stretch of Utah Highway 128 that runs from Moab, up the Colorado River, to Castleton Valley. For anyone who is familiar with this stretch of road, the climbing potential is no doubt endless. If these walls were located most anywhere else in North America, they would be fully developed. But since Moab offers an endless array of climbing objectives, from Indian Creek to Canyonlands, to Castleton Valley to Fisher Towers, only a handful of routes have been developed along River Road.
The Navajo and Wingate sandstone walls on both sides of the Colorado River themselves are quite towering, however, there are two distinctive towers located at the big bend in the river to the southeast, Dolomite and Lighthouse Towers. Dolomite resembles a “mini Castleton” on the left. Lighthouse narrows towards the summit as though the very summit would resemble the rotating light of a lighthouse. The position of Lighthouse and Dolomite Towers overlooking the big bend in the Colorado River makes for a fantastic scenic adventure, albeit, not near the remote experience that Canyonlands National Park, Fisher Towers or Castleton Valley objectives offer. The River Road walls are also home to several expansive arches, most notably Updraft and Eye Socket. Negro Bill Canyon is a popular short hike on the south side of the road that reaches Morning Glory natural bridge (6th longest in the US).
Head out on River Road (Utah 128) from Moab.
Crags, Towers and Routes
The Crags and Towers are listed from West to East
- Sorcerer
- Sorcerer- 3 Pitches- 5.11d/
- Left Side- 2 Pitches- 5.11c/
- Right Side- 3 Pitches- 5.11c/
- Bloody Knees- 140’-5.9+/ Don’t let the name scare you off, my knees were just fine. This is an exceptional long dihedral route with just a wee bit off width. The rock is some of the most solid you will find near Moab. The approach is all of five minutes if even. You do need to be careful about pulling your ropes (double rope rappel), as I could see at least one rope deep in the recesses of the crack. The fixed piton is missing, but should have never been placed to begin with, the route protects really well, but will eat up all the gear you take with you. I suggest a single set of cams with at least doubles from 2” to 4” with maybe four total 3” pieces. Dow
- Oxygen Debt- 70’- 5.11+/
- River Road Dihedral East- 70’- 5.9/
- Little Crack- 2 Pitches- 5.9/
- Iron Maiden- 3-4 Pitches- 5.12aR/
- Poseidon Adventure- 5 Pitches- 5.10/ Lonely Vigil was my first climb on Lighthouse Tower and offers a fantastic stem box pitch on the back side (from the road) of the tower. Poseidon Adventure is rated at a softer grade (Webster-1984), but offers a much more challenging crux pitch up a sustained flaring slick wall chimney. Stewart Green’s beta suggest that you “stem up flared off width crack”. Good luck with that. Of the few features the steep walls of the flared chimney give up are the infamous white crystallized quartz nubbins which are extremely slick. I utilized pure chimney technique until the crack narrowed to a fist jam for the upper third of the route. This flared chimney will test the best skilled chimney climbers. Consider this pitch much more difficult than the chimney pitches on Epinephrine in Red Rocks. I brought double gear through 6” and used all the large stuff on this pitch except for one 6” which I did use for the gear belay at top. The first and third pitches involved relaxed 5.8 climbing for the most part. The last two pitches are the same as they are for Lonely Vigil: The easy ledge walk and the tedious summit block finish, which requires down climbing the final 5.9 move to return to rap anchors. Dow
- Lonely Vigil- 4 Pitches- 5.10a/ Lonely Vigil is the only route on the backside (east) of the Lighthouse Tower. It requires scrambling or climbing up a short 5.7 section of rock to reach the small col on the south end of the tower. The first two pitches up the east face are really good and long 5.10a pitches that contain the majority of the climbing up the tower. The stem box in the 2nd pitch offers one of the better pitches of tower climbing for the grade. The 3rd and 4th pitches are short mud pitches reminiscent of climbing the last two pitches of Ancient Art at the Fisher Towers, kind of run out and scary, but not hard. The summit is just a tad larger than the summit of Ancient Art. The main difference is that there is not an anchor on the summit of Lighthouse Tower, requiring you to down climb back to the fixed anchors at the top of the third pitch. This is a great route to combine with cragging at River Road Dihedrals to make for a full day. Dow
- Dolofright- 3 Pitches- 5.11R/
- Kor Route- 4 Pitches- 5.8 C2/ ”This is the easier of two published lines on the tower (the other being Dolofright at 5.11d R). The line was put up by Layton, Joy, and Kordell Kor in 1969. This is a hammerless affair and has been such for years - DON'T NAIL! The aid is mostly straightforward though interesting without being scary (sound appealing yet?).” Radek
Sorcerer’s Apprentice
River Road Dihedrals
Lighthouse Tower
Dolomite Tower
External Links
Images
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