IMAX Tower Rock Climbing

Follow directions to the saddle on the south side of Apache Arrow (45-60 minutes on a good trail). From the saddle, head south up the ridge for 100 yards until possible to cross the old wire fence. Contour to the cliffs, and hug the baseline while descending a slippery gully. If you remain diligent in your cliff-hugging, you will eventually find yourself on a small shoulder that wraps around the toe of the first ridge, about 25 feet above the ground. It is at this point that you have your first view of IMAX Tower - easily identified by the wide crack system splitting the face (see approach photo). Take a few minutes to study the terrain between you and the tower. It looks pretty gnarly alright, but totally manageable thanks to cairns and a faint trail. The cairns will first lead you about 50 feet down to the bottom of the first gully. Follow cairns upstream for a couple hundred yards, keeping an eye out for a cairned trail breaking through the brush on the left side. Then simply follow the cairns up across the big slope. If all goes well, you will find yourself at the base of the spire about 30-40 minutes since leaving the saddle.
Total time: about 1.5 hours.