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Elevation: 6,123 ft
GPS: 38.13741, -109.66805
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Shared By: Charles Vernon on Apr 1, 2002
Admins: slim, Andrew Gram, Nathan Fisher, Perin Blanchard, GRK, D C
Warning Access Issue: 2024 Raptor Avoidance Areas! Limited Toilet Facilities! DetailsDrop down
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Description Suggest change

Compared to the view from the top of North Six Shooter, the top of Castleton Tower might as well be buried under Lake Powell. This is absolutely the most amazing summit I have ever tagged. The climbing ain't bad either.

North Six Shooter is the northwesterly of two spectacular towers (the other being South Six Shooter) that come into view on the left when Indian Creek Canyon opens up, past all the established cragging. It sits atop a massive talus cone and the east face offers one of the very best tower routes, the famous Lightning Bolt Cracks. A series of subsidary summits reach to the south. I don't know whether they have been climbed, but the southernmost summits in particular have some beautiful crack lines.

Lightning Bolt Cracks has cracks of every size with comparatively only a little offwidth. All the other routes follow crack systems that appear to have an inordinate amount of offwidth climbing. The first ascent was made in the early '60s by way of the chimney between the main tower and the next summit. It finished up a decrepit bolt ladder-these days, I'd sooner be bludgeoned to death.

To descend, rappel south from the summit into the aforementioned chimney/notch (check out the bolt ladder). Then, rappel from three somewhat dubious bolts down the *west* side of the formation to the ground.

Getting There Suggest change

Drive west/north past Newspaper Rock and all the main buttresses to the Davis Canyon Road, around 14 miles beyond Newspaper Rock. The road turns 4WD pretty quickly. At one point you can follow a track to the right that bends around toward the base of the talus cone (the tower is west of the road, which curves back east after a couple miles). Our guidebook suggested approaching from the south. We attempted to do this and ended up following a line of cairns that led to horrifying 5.awkward soloing over the obvious white rim. Instead, aim for a break in the rim further north, then follow the rim until below the east face, where a passable trail takes you the final hump. Lightning Bolt Cracks and Liquid Sky are obvious above.

7 Total Climbs

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Location: North Six Shooter Peak Change
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Classic Climbing Routes at North Six Shooter Peak

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a
 8
Talk Dusty To Me
Trad
5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b
 4
Shadows Route
Trad
5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b R
 4
Pratt's Crack
Trad
5.11- 6c 22 VIII- 22 E3 5c
 405
Lightning Bolt Cracks
Trad
5.11+ 7a 24 VIII 24 E4 6a
 25
Liquid Sky
Trad 3 pitches
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
Talk Dusty To Me
 8
5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a Trad
Shadows Route
 4
5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b Trad
Pratt's Crack
 4
5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b R Trad
Lightning Bolt Cracks
 405
5.11- 6c 22 VIII- 22 E3 5c Trad
Liquid Sky
 25
5.11+ 7a 24 VIII 24 E4 6a Trad 3 pitches
More Classic Climbs in North Six Shooter Peak »

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