Texas Canyon

A panoramic shot looking down Texas Canyon to it's...

Description 

Texas Canyon and adjoining Arch Canyon is a beautiful and very remote part of Colorado Plateau. Climbing here is of the high adventure variety - it makes Island in the Sky look crowded.

The two best known features are Texas Tower - an enormous tower in the the running for biggest tower in the desert and home of a long offwidth horror show, and Dreamspeaker - much less involved than Texas Tower, but still a stout outing.

There are a handful of other documented routes in the area, and many other potentially unclimbed towers and canyon walls. In addition to the climbing, there are a large number of Anasazi cliff dwellings and pictographs on the cliffs in the area.

Getting There 

Head west on SH 95 from US 191 just south of Blanding. Pass through Comb Ridge, and after around 20 miles head right on an unmarked dirt road. This road is about a mile east of the marked road to Mule Wash, so backtracking after missing the turnoff is likely.

The approaches to everything in Texas Canyon are different and involved, so they will be described separately for each rock.

Featured Route For Texas Canyon

East Face 5.10 C2  UT : Moab Area : Texas Tower

Walk steeply out of wash to right side of tower to a large pine below a big chimney. From here scramble left for 60' along a sloping ledge to the start of the route. Bolt belay.P1. Two bolts and a pin(in place) lead out of a V niche and over a roof, two more bolts then a bit of a run out to a bulge where cracks begin, which are followed to the anchors. 80' 5.8+ C2 P2. Steep cracks and grooves to an anchor in an open chimney. 120' 5.9 C1P3. Up ...[more]