Obscurity in the Desert

The Colorado Plateau is not known for it’s face climbing. There are a few exceptions out there, Wall Street and the Ice Cream Parlor being the most popular, but generally Wingate is too steep and Navajo is just downright soft, and you are better off sticking to the cracks.

That being said, we had heard about a relatively new route in a canyon outside Moab that follows a line of massive huecos up a wall. We decided to investigate and found a unique and novel climbing experience that’s completely unlike anything else in the area. This is not a destination climb by any stretch, but if you are in the neighborhood and want to check out something totally different, it’s a casual 5 minutes from the road.

The bolts are unfortunately 3/8″ers, which isn’t very inspiring in the soft rock, and the 3rd one has been used for target practice, so it’s in need of replacing. But otherwise, it’s a fun choss route that’s worth a look if you are into that kind of thing. Bring a stick clip for the high first bolt, you climb the worst rock to get to it.

More info can be had on Mountain Project. And no, I don’t think it’s comparable to Namaste in Zion, that actually looks like a good route 😉