Agathla (El Capitan of the Desert), AZ

I just "discovered" this thing while browsing around on Google Earth. Does anybody have any info on it? A google search landed me on an excerpt from Green's guide book where he has a route description, so it has been climbed. It has that look that attracts me...loose, obscure, and tall. The standard route goes at 5.7. The book also states legal issues...seems similar to the situation surrounding Ship Rock.

Anybody here climbed it or have any info?

I climbed it in the 90s with Brad Bond. We found it about 5.8+R if my memory serves me. For good info. look in Bjornstadt's Desert Rock. It's on private land, so be respectful.

This place was very inspiring when I saw it while traveling through Monument Valley. It is made of Basalt/Volcanic Tuff. I also have heard access is an issue there.

i'm pretty sure it is on the res. and climbing at any of the formations in that area are illegal. Looks pretty sweet though, i have passed that formation so many times and eyed up possible routes every time. It seems that the routes anywhere on the formation would be pretty adventures. I think that rock is an old volcanic plug.

Just drive up to Kayenta, AZ. 7 miles north of Kayenta but south of Monument Valley.

It is on the Navajo Reservation. Not suppose to climb on the REZ.

Desert Rock says that there are 3 routes on Agathla.

West Face 5.7

East Face 5.9 A1

East Dike 5.8

Robin like the bird wrote:i'm pretty sure it is on the res. and climbing at any of the formations in that area are illegal. Looks pretty sweet though, i have passed that formation so many times and eyed up possible routes every time. It seems that the routes anywhere on the formation would be pretty adventures. I think that rock is an old volcanic plug.

I have driven past that thing about 1000 times in my life, and always wanted to climb it. I always assumed it was part of Monument Valley thus off limits.

The only places on the res that are 100% off limits are in the parks Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly, as far as I know.

If Agatha is on private property, it is climbable, as is Shiprock, however it is proper protocol to get the Land Owner, (Person whom has the grazing rights) permission. So, get on it and post up. If you need a partner, I would be glad to join.

I tried climbing it...we found it too loose and scary, and only did one pitch....(But I'm afraid of my own shadow....keep that in mind...)...

Hey Todd,

Do you know anything about Tower Butte right outside of Page along Lake Powell??

Looks tuff to get too. Might have to get a boat and go up the Navajo Canyon and then go for it.

I haven't found anything about Tower in your posts, pics, or other research.

Thanks

Thanks for the info guys. Green suggests getting permission from the local grazing permit holder to make the climb legit...sounds like a plan to me. Won't be able to get down there until March probably.

Definitely not El Cap-like in any manner, even scale. However, very cool climbing and summit! If you'd like the beta, drop me a line. I have all pertinent info.

Stu

rickd wrote:As an avid res climber I must add some ideas on anything adjacent to monument valley tribal park. As Agathla is on the main road from Kayenta to MV if anyone notices you climbing (or w/ gear) you will get busted "permission" or not. Many livestock fences have appeared so parking off road is tough and there are jewelry huts and scenic view areas all along that stretch of highway. I've been 'questioned' just looking around outside the park while driving on local dirt roads so tread lightly. I'd get dropped off if you can, go early in day, and climb like Mark Twight (fast and light).

Good points, but if this thing isn't in the MV park boundaries and is instead on some dude's property he uses for grazing, wouldn't climbing with his permission be enough? Is there any law that officially forbids climbing within the entire Navajo Nation, or is it just certain areas that are forbidden (ex Monument Valley)? If the situation surrounding Agathla is anything similar to Ship Rock, the permission from the local grazing guy should be enough. Or is that statement totally false??

Thanks Stu. I'll contact you when I actually have concrete plans to be in the area, for now it's just a curiosity thing.

That's a cool looking formation. I'd never heard of it before. Here is a link to a nice satellite image.

flashearth.com/?lat=36.8266…

For anyone thinking of climbing Agathla...I highly recommend just thinking about it, but never attempting it. Some things are better left as fantasies.

I climbed it a few years ago with a friend, and it was by far the most chossy, scariest climb I've ever done. Everything on the West Face was loose -- from television-size rocks to car-size boulders. Everything was loose. Protection was a joke. Any lead fall could have resulted in death. No joke. I led every pitch, scared out of my mind. My follower pulled off no less than 2 tons of material. So much for a quiet, covert climb.

I found many of the FA pitons, and although they were rusty and I wouldn't have clipped them under any other circumstance, they offered some measure of reassurance. I clipped every one I could find. The route finding wasn't hard, since there's really only one line up the basalt column. If you wander off just a little the rock crumbles like Grandma's poundcake. Ice tools might be better than bare hands. Hardest moves were 5.8+. My follower fell on one of the moves. Really glad my anchor held (nut in crack, slung boulder and rusty piton combo). Cams can't be trusted since cracks in the basalt spread too easily.

But it's not so much about the grade as the fact that almost every rock I touched or stood on moved a little. Even the big ledges shifted under my weight, and I'm only 180 lbs. Not fun.

I was so convinced that descending the West Face could kill us that I opted for an unknown route down the east side. That was dumb, but I found enough cracks and ledges to build enough anchors for 5 double-rope rappels, plus lots of scary, loose scrambling in between. I left a few hundred dollars worth of gear up there, but I wouldn't recommend going to retrieve it.

By the time my feet touched the ground and darkness fell across the Navajo Nation, I have NEVER been more grateful to be alive. I like long routes in remote places, and I can even take a hearty serving of choss, but Agathla sucked the mojo out of me. I stopped climbing for months after this climb, even though I was an AMGA-certified guide and was relying on guiding for a chunk of my income.

Agathla is not recommended, and here are just a few reasons why...
1. loose rock that doesn't hold protection well
2. the chances of pulling off rocks onto your belayer is pretty good
3. pulling your ropes on the rappel is almost certain to bring down rocks of all sizes
4. if something goes wrong, you're a LONG way from professional rescue
5. there are thousands of other desert spires and choss classics to climb out there
6. it's not illegal to climb (since it's outside Monument Vally Tribal Park) but it's also not really allowed

#4 is probably the most important for the climbing community to understand. The first party that needs rescuing will lead to this peak being "illegal" to climb in the future. Or even worse, maybe all spires on the Navajo Nation. That's what happened on Shiprock. The amount of resources it takes to get qualified rescue climbers to help from another county is intensive and time-consuming, and the Navajo Nation doesn't currently have the capacity to deal with it. It's the classic story of "all it takes is one person to ruin it for the rest of us."

It's a really beautiful peak, but best enjoyed from a distance. Honestly, I don't even remember the view from the top since my mind was consumed with, "we have to get off this thing as quickly as possible and I don't know how we're going to do it without killing ourselves."

Years later I asked a Hopi friend what the Hopi name for Agathla was. After all, they've been living on the Colorado Plateau for thousands of years and place names tell important stories about what has happened there. Although I don't recall the Hopi name (too many syllables!), it translates to "place of dark magic/sorcery" and "the place where bad decisions are made."

I have driven by it three times since the climb, and every time I stop, kiss the ground, and give thanks for not having my name on a cross on the side of the highway at the base of Agathla with a cliche sling and carabiner. I hope to never see that cross near there, especially with your name on it.

The Navajo story behind the Agathla is that a serpent will come out of the summit and then the Owl rock, across the highway, comes to life and eats the serpent. Legend also has it that young Navajo men would shoot arrows up onto the summit area. When I was up there we didn't find anything but an awesome view! A review of my now 20 year old notes says 'bring a hammer.' Most of the fixed pins were very loose.

I like MJ's post, especially regarding Ship Rock.  Seems to me, since it's already designated illegal, climb there.

About the dark magic of Ship Rock's little sister: to avoid the basalt death blocks, there's plenty of tuff routes just waiting to be climbed, although they'd need a bit of drilling.

And thanks for the tip about your gear MJ; I love getting some booty!

Somebody posted this just the other day to Quentin Tutt's FB page:

​Climbing Agathla Peak, 1949​​​

David A wrote: Good points, but if this thing isn't in the MV park boundaries and is instead on some dude's property he uses for grazing, wouldn't climbing with his permission be enough? Is there any law that officially forbids climbing within the entire Navajo Nation, or is it just certain areas that are forbidden (ex Monument Valley)? If the situation surrounding Agathla is anything similar to Ship Rock, the permission from the local grazing guy should be enough. Or is that statement totally false??

Although this question/post is 10 years old, in case anyone is wondering the same thing, David A is quite mistaken. 

From: https://navajonationparks.org/rules-regulations/

All areas on the Navajo Nation are closed to non-Navajos unless you have a valid camping, hiking, or backcountry permit issued by Navajo Parks and Recreation Department or other duly delegated tribal authority. Failure to have a permit is considered Trespassing on a Federal Indian Reservation.
DO NOT desecrate Navajo lands and violate the trust of Navajo people by discarding cremated human remains on tribal property. Please respect tribal beliefs.
NO ROCK CLIMBING or BASE JUMPING on Navajo Land. Please abide by the humble religious requests of the Navajo people and do not climb on the Monuments. Navajo law will be strictly enforced on this issue.

This means *ALL* Navajo land, not just the parks.

youtube.com/watch?v=1my1jn6…

Why is everyone is half worried about violating the law of the Navajo nation, but completely unconcerned about desecrating a place that is sacred to a people that have been decimated? 

• so sacred to locals...