Sparks Wall Rock Climbing
Elevation: | 4,500 ft |
GPS: |
38.04022, -109.59149 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
Page Views: | 113,744 total · 571/month |
Shared By: | Tony B on Nov 19, 2006 · Updates |
Admins: | slim, Andrew Gram, Nathan Fisher, Perin Blanchard, GRK, D C |
Limited toilet/port a potty facilities: Have poop plan! Visit: facebook.com/friendsofindia…
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2023 Raptor Avoidance Areas- The Wall, Far Side, The Meat Walls, Cliffs of Insanity, Public Service Wall, Disappointment Cliffs, Fin Wall, Broken Tooth, Cat Wall, Slug Wall, and Reservoir Wall. See map in photos section.
Each spring raptors return to the Indian Creek area for nesting. Eagles, falcons, hawks, and other migratory birds use shallow depressions on ledges, cliffs and rock walls to build nests, often returning to the same site year after year to raise their young. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) requests that visitors and recreationists avoid these areas during critical nesting periods which typically start in early March and last through late August. Avoiding recreational activity in the vicinity of the nest sites along and maintaining a safe viewing distance will help ensure survival of young birds.
Beginning March 1, the public will be asked to avoid activities in areas that the BLM has identified as having high potential or are historically known to have raptor nesting activity. Areas that have potential nesting activity are referred to in many climbing guidebooks as: The Wall, Far Side, The Meat Walls, Cliffs of Insanity, Public Service Wall, Disappointment Cliffs, Fin Wall, Broken Tooth, Cat Wall, Slug Wall, and Reservoir Wall. This list serves only as a guide and does not indicate every avoidance area or encompass all known names of the affected climbing areas. Please refer to the provided “Raptor Protection Map” to identify avoidance areas for the protection of the nesting sites. The BLM is coordinating these raptor protection efforts with the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA), who is the administrator of the climbing areas known as Disappointment Cliffs and portions of the Second Meat Wall climbing area.
In March, BLM biologists will begin the annual surveys of raptor activity to verify which historic nest sites are being used. Typically, by late April or early May, biologists can identify the nesting areas the raptors have selected. At that time the areas without active nests will be cleared for recreational use. The BLM requests that climbers, campers, and hikers completely avoid areas with active nests until the young birds have fledged, which is usually by late summer. Biologists will monitor nesting activity throughout the season and keep the recreation community informed of potential changes. Avoidance area notices and maps will be posted throughout the Indian Creek Corridor during the recreation season.
While falcons and eagles are not overly common sights in southeastern Utah, they are present throughout the area and keen-eyed observers are sometimes rewarded with their aerial acrobatics. Visitors can watch adult birds hunt or observe the antics of young raptors perfecting their flying techniques. These species in Utah continue to recover from low population levels, thanks in part to cooperation from the public, climbing communities and governmental partners. The BLM would like to remind the public there are private land holdings throughout the Indian Creek Corridor. Please respect private landowners’ boundaries and signage.
For questions about this avoidance areas, raptors, and migratory bird habitat in the Monticello area, please contact Melissa Wardle or Jason Byrd with the BLM Monticello Field Office at 435-587-1500. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TTY) may call 711 to leave a message or question. The TTY Relay System is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Replies are provided during normal business hours.
blm.gov/press-release/blm-a…
saltlakeclimbers.org/news/2…
2023 Raptor Avoidance Areas- The Wall, Far Side, The Meat Walls, Cliffs of Insanity, Public Service Wall, Disappointment Cliffs, Fin Wall, Broken Tooth, Cat Wall, Slug Wall, and Reservoir Wall. See map in photos section.
Each spring raptors return to the Indian Creek area for nesting. Eagles, falcons, hawks, and other migratory birds use shallow depressions on ledges, cliffs and rock walls to build nests, often returning to the same site year after year to raise their young. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) requests that visitors and recreationists avoid these areas during critical nesting periods which typically start in early March and last through late August. Avoiding recreational activity in the vicinity of the nest sites along and maintaining a safe viewing distance will help ensure survival of young birds.
Beginning March 1, the public will be asked to avoid activities in areas that the BLM has identified as having high potential or are historically known to have raptor nesting activity. Areas that have potential nesting activity are referred to in many climbing guidebooks as: The Wall, Far Side, The Meat Walls, Cliffs of Insanity, Public Service Wall, Disappointment Cliffs, Fin Wall, Broken Tooth, Cat Wall, Slug Wall, and Reservoir Wall. This list serves only as a guide and does not indicate every avoidance area or encompass all known names of the affected climbing areas. Please refer to the provided “Raptor Protection Map” to identify avoidance areas for the protection of the nesting sites. The BLM is coordinating these raptor protection efforts with the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA), who is the administrator of the climbing areas known as Disappointment Cliffs and portions of the Second Meat Wall climbing area.
In March, BLM biologists will begin the annual surveys of raptor activity to verify which historic nest sites are being used. Typically, by late April or early May, biologists can identify the nesting areas the raptors have selected. At that time the areas without active nests will be cleared for recreational use. The BLM requests that climbers, campers, and hikers completely avoid areas with active nests until the young birds have fledged, which is usually by late summer. Biologists will monitor nesting activity throughout the season and keep the recreation community informed of potential changes. Avoidance area notices and maps will be posted throughout the Indian Creek Corridor during the recreation season.
While falcons and eagles are not overly common sights in southeastern Utah, they are present throughout the area and keen-eyed observers are sometimes rewarded with their aerial acrobatics. Visitors can watch adult birds hunt or observe the antics of young raptors perfecting their flying techniques. These species in Utah continue to recover from low population levels, thanks in part to cooperation from the public, climbing communities and governmental partners. The BLM would like to remind the public there are private land holdings throughout the Indian Creek Corridor. Please respect private landowners’ boundaries and signage.
For questions about this avoidance areas, raptors, and migratory bird habitat in the Monticello area, please contact Melissa Wardle or Jason Byrd with the BLM Monticello Field Office at 435-587-1500. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TTY) may call 711 to leave a message or question. The TTY Relay System is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Replies are provided during normal business hours.
blm.gov/press-release/blm-a…
WET ROCK: Holds rip off and climbs have been and will continue to be permanently damaged due to climbers not respecting this phenomenon. After a heavy storm the rock will remain wet, sometimes for several days. PLEASE DO NOT CLIMB IN MOAB during or after rain.
RAPTOR CLOSURES: please be aware of seasonal raptor closures. They occur annually in the spring.
RAPTOR CLOSURES: please be aware of seasonal raptor closures. They occur annually in the spring.
Description
A reasonably good cliff you can be alone at, with a goodly number of good routes! 5 routes on this cliff face North, and about 10 more face Southeast. The latter getting sunlight from sunrise to nearly sunset in the fall and winter. The Bloom book mentions that some of these routes are dusty for lack of travel, as this cliff is relatively unvisited. In reality, while this may be a contributor, the main cause is that the rock is softer here than in some other areas and yields more dust to rain and wind. Still, some routes are quite good, and as Bloom implies, you are likely to have them all to yourself. Of the routes I tried, I found "Go Sparky Go" to be the best for its unique quality of going almost horizontal on a flat vertical wall, "Low Spark" the best for its length (P1: 155', P2:80'), "Sparkling Schnitzel" good all around despite being an OffWidth, and "Sparkling Gefilte Fish" a good warm up. The 12's at Sparks Wall are rumored to be quite good, but I did not get on any of them.
Getting There
To get to Sparks Wall, turn off of the main road left, as for Bridger Jack, Pistol Whipped, Way Rambo, 4X4 Wall, Technicolor, etc...
Not your odometer when turning, this will become useful.
Cross the creek after less than a mile & continue back towards The Cottonwoods area, staying left at all possible right turns and passing Technicolor Wall. After you have gone 3.8 to 3.9 miles, the cliff-band on your right will come very close to the road. A hogback of land falls from this cliff to a rib of raised land near the road, but just before you reach this, there is a pulloff with a jeep road cutting off right, back sharply north in reverse to your direction of travel. Exit the road here and park.
The trail is very faint and easy to loose, but not too strenuous or long, regardless. It should take 20-40 minutes to arrive depending on your rack size and fitness.
To hike up to the cliff, look for a sweeping roof at the center of the SE face, spanning perhaps 50 feet with 3 end-to-end sections at slightly different elevations from the ground. This will be your point of arrival at the cliff. Note downward from there a break in the rotten red cliff-band, just left of a very large boulder perched at its edge. This is also important. Now look down from there to the chossy, dirty "cone" of soil just right of there.
Start hiking by going in your former direction of travel, South. Get on to the first hogback or "rib" of earth and start making your war up to the right side of the cone of earth previously mentioned. By now you should have picked up a trail. Go right up it's side on some flat terrain that is foot-packed past 1 rock cairn. A the top, walk up and left behind a big boulder and a small tree just past the cairn to follow the trail. You will arrive at more flat-ish switch backs, which will wind up and left towards the perched boulder. Go left of the boulder and up to the base of the cliff, arriving at the base-trail just left of the route "Low Spark." The trail at the base of the cliff is surprisingly easy to travel and flat.
Not your odometer when turning, this will become useful.
Cross the creek after less than a mile & continue back towards The Cottonwoods area, staying left at all possible right turns and passing Technicolor Wall. After you have gone 3.8 to 3.9 miles, the cliff-band on your right will come very close to the road. A hogback of land falls from this cliff to a rib of raised land near the road, but just before you reach this, there is a pulloff with a jeep road cutting off right, back sharply north in reverse to your direction of travel. Exit the road here and park.
The trail is very faint and easy to loose, but not too strenuous or long, regardless. It should take 20-40 minutes to arrive depending on your rack size and fitness.
To hike up to the cliff, look for a sweeping roof at the center of the SE face, spanning perhaps 50 feet with 3 end-to-end sections at slightly different elevations from the ground. This will be your point of arrival at the cliff. Note downward from there a break in the rotten red cliff-band, just left of a very large boulder perched at its edge. This is also important. Now look down from there to the chossy, dirty "cone" of soil just right of there.
Start hiking by going in your former direction of travel, South. Get on to the first hogback or "rib" of earth and start making your war up to the right side of the cone of earth previously mentioned. By now you should have picked up a trail. Go right up it's side on some flat terrain that is foot-packed past 1 rock cairn. A the top, walk up and left behind a big boulder and a small tree just past the cairn to follow the trail. You will arrive at more flat-ish switch backs, which will wind up and left towards the perched boulder. Go left of the boulder and up to the base of the cliff, arriving at the base-trail just left of the route "Low Spark." The trail at the base of the cliff is surprisingly easy to travel and flat.
Classic Climbing Routes at Sparks Wall
Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
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