Kent has had Castle Rock on his "to do" list ever since he first saw it from the top of
Yellow Rock nearly two years ago. He spent a fair amount of time trying to research routes for this interesting looking rock, but found there was little information (until recently - see below) and only a few accounts from people who had actually scaled its heights. However, all those who made it to the top said it was possible to complete without the use of ropes. Well, today was the day we were about to find out for ourselves if this hike was possible for a couple of 60+ "senior citizens." We're happy to report that our amazing outing was successful!
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The view of Castle Rock, from atop Yellow Rock, that got Kent intrigued with this hike
(Yes, this is the side you will ascend the sandstone ramp from!) |
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We parked along the Cottonwood Wash Road and headed for this canyon . . .
In front of us (in the shadows) is the ridge you must scramble up and then descend in order to bypass a dry fall in the main canyon . . . this proved to be the most difficult part of the hike! |
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| It's a cold morning . . . Cottonwood Creek was flowing beneath a layer of ice |
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It was steep & slick from the get-go
(Don't miss the lone cairn indicating where you should ascend out of the main canyon) |
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Within minutes, Lola decided that this was not the hike for her and she headed down
(Both dogs were nervous on the slickrock because they couldn't find traction with their nails)
Kent gave Tom a walkie-talkie so we could keep in touch while we went our separate ways |
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Up on the ridge we had a good view of what was to come . . . it was rather intimidating!
(Yes, there were serious doubts that this was possible!) |
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As we descended the ridge, and made our way to the canyon floor,
we could see a window high up on the rocks above us |
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Here we are coming out of the canyon wash and beginning the sandstone ramp to the top . . .
Maybe, just maybe, this is going to be possible! |
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We didn't expect to see so much color!
(This shot gives you a good idea of the steepness of the hike . . . nothing much worse than this) |
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| Interesting fins and moss! |
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Another angle of the steepness . . .
This section, of beautiful swirls, can be navigated around by going slightly north |
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| Heading for the castle rocks of Castle Rock |
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To our east, we could see Mollies Nipples which we hiked in 2020 . . .
This is another great hike in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (GSENM) |
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| We were surprised, as we neared the top, to come upon this cirque/bowl with so much vegetation |
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| Wind & water continue to change the sandstone |
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| So many different shapes, layers and delicate fins |
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| Once on top, you could easily spend half a day exploring all the formations |
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It's a perfect day to be hiking Castle Rock!
(Does this guy look satisfied, or what?!) |
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| Kent decided that Allison should have her picture in this post, too! |
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| It's hard to leave this incredible area, but it's time for us to start back down |
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| A sample of the many striations in the sandstone |
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| Coming down was surprisingly easy . . . it didn't take too long to descend |
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Some sections were steeper than others and at times we had to scoot our way down . . .
Thankfully, we didn't wear any holes in our pants! |
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| On our final descent of the sandstone ramp that will take us to the canyon floor |
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Back in the wash
(Watching for the cairn that will signal us to begin the climb out and back up the ridge) |
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One last look as we make our final push to the ridgetop . . .
The most difficult part of this hike is the beginning and the end . . .
Don't let it deter you, Castle Rock is totally worth the effort! |
This was one of those hikes, that once it was completed, and we reflected back on it, we wished we had been able to share with our friend Tom - it just felt incomplete without him being there. He's done so much to help us accomplish our goals, by repeating hikes he has already done, that we would like to formally extend an invitation to redo this hike with him!
If you're interested in doing Castle Rock for yourself, click
here for Peakbagger Alex Obbard's entry - it is spot on! His post (from 2021) includes downloadable GPS tracks (which we used) and a topo map for this 4-mile (r/t) hike. For more information, you might be interested in Michael Kelsey's book
"Hiking and Exploring the Paria River."
