Desert Mountain Rock Climbing

Desert Mountain is a west desert granite climbing area. Though only 25 miles north of Delta, UT, it is remote and seldom visited by anyone for any reason. It has seen historic activity from a few failed mining exploits. Trappers and ranchers occasionally roam the hills. In recent years ATV, Jeep enthusiasts and geocachers visit from time to time. I discovered Desert Mountain for myself in 2005 on a work assignment and since then have visited at least a couple times annually. I doubt in all those years I have seen a combined total of more than 20 other vehicles. On many trips I didn't see another soul all day, not even dust on the horizon - and you can see a very long way out there. While the granite is not great (but not bad, either), I appreciate the solitude. And yes, I have heard at sundry times the rolling serenade of the Drum Hills...but the realist in me concludes it is the mining operation on the west side of Topaz Mountain. ;)

I promised myself when I started developing routes at Desert Mountain that I would not share it's whereabouts or route information until I had finished at least 75 routes. I have met that goal. I am confident that the solitude described will continue, as the area is remote enough and of "average" enough quality that it will attract only a select few.

The structure of the rock is loosely compacted and the granules in some spots roll under your feel like ball bearings. Brian Cabe, another avid local route developer who discovered the area entirely apart from me, developed a few routes at Desert Mountain and described the surface as "breaky". Brian is probably as discriminating about his granite as I am, and we've both climbed some damn fine granite. His assessment is accurate but not universally true. There are good, quality routes and most have really cleaned up over the years. Some routes have as bullet-hard a surface as any granite I have ever climbed. The rock on the Tumblebrush Roof is bomber and has fantastic features, including dark crackled patina. Other routes are bullet hard in some spots then a gritty in others. The granular, coarse nature of the rock will never compare to the densely-packed, polished slabs of Little Cottonwood, nor will you find the pockets, chicken heads and patina of City of Rocks. It's not Joshua Tree, either. It's somewhere in-between all of them, minus a quality point. If you have climbed Sawtooth Canyon in the shadows of Notch Peak, or the Mineral Mountains west of Beaver, then you are familiar with this kind of granite, though I think it's of better quality than the Mineral Mountains. Intrusive dikes are included as a bonus and several routes follow them. It is what it is, and I have come to appreciate it.

Despite the "averageness", I relish Desert Mountain for certain circumstances and desired outcomes. I developed Desert Mountain while my son Noah was in his "boy scout" years and a budding adventurer himself. We frequently went to Desert Mountain when I needed a close place (only 1.5 hours from Ephraim) for Noah and his friends to escape technology and express their adventurous sides. I loathe standing in lines, crowds, permits and reserving camp sites and Desert Mountain has NONE of these things. We spent countless nights camping, feasting over a campfire, playing laser tag and airsoft, riding bikes, catching lizards and snakes and exploring the labyrinth of rock. We are avid shooters and frequently took a clay pigeon thrower and shotguns or set up a long range gong for our target rifles. Desert Mountain has been a perfect setting when I needed a close-to-home but isolated area for an organized group outing.

Most formations can be accessed from the top and set up for toproping, and the well protected, easy-to-moderate nature of the routes makes them perfect for neophytes. Most routes are clip-n-go sport routes, but a choice few are traditional routes or a mix of both. All anchors are excellent, and there are no cheap protection bolts here. Most routes have their own dedicated anchor stations. This will never be a destination crag, but I think there are a fair share of like-minded people out there who will appreciate it for what it is.