Castleton Tower Classics

Castleton Tower is the namesake of the Castle Valley in Utah. A 400’ Wingate Sandstone tower standing on a 1,000’ Moenkopi-Chinle cone, makes it a sight to see.

The tower is world-renowned as a subject for photography and for its classic rock climbing routes, the most famous of which is the Kor-Ingalls Route featured in Fifty Classic Climbs of North America.

Many of the routes on Castleton are a bit more challenging than the other Moab area classics, making this experience a great goal in the progression of climbing more demanding routes after working with our team.

Here are links for the routes we guide:

-Kor-Ingalls Route 5.9+

-The North Chimney 5.9

-Fine Jade on The Rectory 5.11

Fine Jade has more sustained climbing than the other climbs we mentioned but it is not wide. Those who are good sport climbers with some crack climbing experience may enjoy this route if capable of climbing at the grade!

Overnight Logistics will be sorted with you and the office upon registration. Please email or call with questions.

Many people opt to sleep in a hotel in Moab but there is a small (free) campground on private land adjacent to the approach trail for the climb.

This adventure takes place in Moab, Utah

Pre-Adventure Trip Call:

Our team extends the offer to schedule a call before your guided tour. They will discuss route options for the day, review gear needs, and share a general time plan for the trip. This is also a great way to ask any questions about the day!

Morning:

Meet at the Castleton Tower Trailhead and share a quick morning hello, and the day’s itinerary. The team will make any small adjustments to the kit and then take a stroll to our climb.

An integral part of climbing is familiarity with the area and its history. Our team shares some stories and educates as we approach the climb.

The Climb:

After about an hour of hiking, we are at the base of the climb! Instructions and reminders on gear and its removal, proper hydration, the rope systems, and belaying will be covered. We finish with a partner check, and then the team climbs!

End Of Day Debrief:

At the cars, we focus our attention on the day; sharing the Rose, the Bud, and the Thorn to ruminate more deeply on the experience. It is often customary ( but not mandatory) to have a meal back in the town to celebrate the great days spent in the mountains!

During the Pennsylvanian Period (320-285 million years ago), much of Utah was covered by ocean. A small arm of the Ancestral Rockies penetrated into Utah from the east, north of the Moab area. Extending south from the tip of these highlands was an area that was occasionally submerged, occasionally "high and dry." The Moab region was a gigantic deep "sinkhole," called the Paradox Basin.

From time to time, the Paradox Basin would be flooded with ocean water as sea levels rose (or the land bridge subsided). A layer of limestone would form in this new ocean bay. Then the Paradox Basin would be cut off from the ocean and would dry out, leaving evaporated salts, capped with shale. Multiple such cycles occurred over millions of years, leaving over 1000 feet of salt. No rock of the Pennsylvanian Period is exposed at the surface in the Moab area, but the shape of the land has been affected by the Paradox Formation salt (more on this later).

Potash (a salt of potassium) is mined from Paradox Formation deposits deep under the Colorado River. The plant can be seen from here at the overlook at the end of the Amassa Back trail.

Ingalls was especially enthralled with Castleton and Fisher Towers, but he lacked the partner to climb them with. In 1959, he met Layton Kor. “There was an immediate rapport between us, and the next day we climbed the Bastille Crack in Eldorado Canyon,” Ingalls wrote in 1989. “I was amazed, even shocked by his ability. Here was the man for Castleton Tower.”

In, 1961 they explored the base of Castleton Tower. After finding a good line on the southeast face, later known as the Kor- Ingalls Route, Kor was off leading the pitches. The rock turned out to be delightfully solid, composed of Wingate Sandstone. The climb went smoothly until a storm gathered on the descent. Kor rappelled to the ground safely, but Ingalls was struck by a lightning ground shock through the rope. He was shaken, but unhurt.

Such storms can be fairly common on Castleton, but amazingly, after thousand of ascents, the only fatality on Castleton occurred from a lightning strike in 2005.

Typical of the style of many first ascents in the desert of Utah, the endeavor was a bold and dangerous undertaking, rife with adventure. Not to mention obscurity.

Besides Kor and Ingalls, there were several other climbers making a name for themselves in the desert. One of them was Harvey Carter, a skilled climber from Colorado Springs. He had an affinity for sandstone, especially since Garden of the Gods was his home stomping grounds. Credited with climbing 40 new towers, including the Priest in 1962 with Kor and Fred Beckey, Carter climbed several first ascents with Kor and Ingalls. But he missed out on Castleton, as well as Standing Rock.

Typical of the style of many first ascents in the desert of Utah, the endeavor was a bold and dangerous undertaking, rife with adventure.