This is a highly visible climb in an access sensitive area. Please be courteous and low key if you're going to climb this tower. Park in the lot next to the visitor's center and stay in washes when you leave the pavement. The tower is approached from the right when viewed from the road.
This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund,
and Mountain Project. You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates.
BETA PHOTO: The Pickle as seen from the park road.
Description
The pickle is the small tower perched above the road on your right immediately after you turn off of 191 into Arches NP. (before you go through the toll booth).
It was first climbed by Cameron Burns, Benny Bach, and Mr. Ethan Putterman himself. Well, that's not entirely true. The story goes that Putterman had a problem with his jumars and couldn't continue. Burns and Bach continued to the top and carried one of Putterman's shoes with them for a symbolic summit. In any event, this was the beginning of the era of the Putternan names that we now see all over the desert.
Getting There
SEE ACCESS NOTE ABOVE.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for The Pickle:
just climbed this route. closely spaced angles and bolts. some mandatory easy free climbing near the summit. replaced the slings. needs chain. 9.19.08 eo
What a fun little tower. Good rock and easy work. The bolts are really close together and the top out, while sandy, is pretty tame. You can step on the bolts and reach the next one if you don't like sandy slabs. The top anchor looks good to me. Well equalized pins and a new bolt. But there is an older anchor further back that was kinda crazy!
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