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Shark's Nose

Wyoming > Wind River Range > Cirque of the Towers

Description

This peak appears as three towers from the Cirque of the Towers.
It gets its name from the magnificent view from Shadow Lake.
More to come.

Getting There

From Big Sandy Opening, take the Fremont trail, 8.5 miles to the Texas Pass Junction. Head east 2.5 miles to Shadow Lake.
Shark's Nose is to the southeast and is unmistakable.

Routes from Left to Right

5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 6
● North Face
Trad, Alpine 6 pitches
5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b
 41
● NW Buttress
Trad, Alpine 5 pitches
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 3
● Direct Northwest buttress
Trad, Alpine 7 pitches
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 3
● West Face
Trad, Alpine 4 pitches
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 9
● Direct Southwest Face
Trad, Alpine 7 pitches
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 8
● South Tower Summit
Trad, Alpine 2 pitches
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
● North Face
 6
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Trad, Alpine 6 pitches
● NW Buttress
 41
5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b Trad, Alpine 5 pitches
● Direct Northwest buttress
 3
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Trad, Alpine 7 pitches
● West Face
 3
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Trad, Alpine 4 pitches
● Direct Southwest Face
 9
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Trad, Alpine 7 pitches
● South Tower Summit
 8
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Trad, Alpine 2 pitches

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Mike fishing at Shadow Lake in evening light. This is at the NW end of the lake.
[Hide Photo] Mike fishing at Shadow Lake in evening light. This is at the NW end of the lake.
Ramp coming down to gully. Approach from east little longer but well trod and not difficult
[Hide Photo] Ramp coming down to gully. Approach from east little longer but well trod and not difficult
Shark's Nose, as viewed from on approach across the west side of [[107265303]]. There are a couple climbers heading up and leftward toward's the 1st ramp which is completely in shadow.
[Hide Photo] Shark's Nose, as viewed from on approach across the west side of Overhanging Tower. There are a couple climbers heading up and leftward toward's the 1st ramp which is completely in shadow.
The Sharks nose from the backside of the Cirque.
[Hide Photo] The Sharks nose from the backside of the Cirque.

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Gabriel Neely
Denver
[Hide Comment] The classic routes on Shark's Nose are best climbed using Shadow Lake as a base camp. The approach from the Cirque is long, approximately 2.5 hours, and somewhat dangerous. Aug 30, 2009
Max Tepfer
Bend, OR
[Hide Comment] We approached from the Cirque and found it pretty reasonable. Gaining the Wolfshead-Overhanging Tower Col was only slightly unpleasant (poles recommended) and from there it's not too bad to work over to the traverse around Overhanging Tower. While I wouldn't exactly call it 'safe,' it's certainly not the most dangerous part of your day if you're climbing Shark's Nose. (and is actually fairly straight-forward for what it is) Sep 4, 2025