[Hide Comment] We climbed this arch in April of 1993. I simul-rapped off he top of the arch with John Barbie as my conter-weight, and then we held one end of the rope as Cyndie Bransford rapped off the other end. It was a thrilling experience to rappel through space down the eye of the big arch. This is a really fun and exciting thing to do, and it's actual 5th class climbing to get to the summit, so it's not a place where you will see tourists with their lap dogs and lawn chairs. The rappels off the arch are a real show-stopper for the cars driving by. If you have a couple hours to burn, I suggest go do Wilson Arch; it's good bang for your buck. May 27, 2007

[Hide Comment] Do it for the simul-rap, not the climb. It is a fun little side trip, as Todd says, if you have a couple of hours to burn. There is also a decent anchor w/ slings if you are doing it solo. Oct 22, 2007

[Hide Comment] Soloed it.... without a rope. I found a few sections of the downclimb pretty scary! This one would have been way cooler with a partner and a rap! Nov 21, 2007

[Hide Comment] Climbed it in 3 pitches, but really a rope is just for emotional support. It's easy, but long stretches without gear placements. The Looking Glass is nearby and supposedly rated a 5.7, but they seemed the same, so I'm splitting the difference and saying both are 5.5.

I was excited to try a simul-rap, but when we got up top, it was narrower and flatter than we expected. Didn't think it was a good 1st simul-rap, so we used the rap anchors. Aug 16, 2010

[Hide Comment] If you plan to rap off the anchors on top a 60 meter rope will just barely get you down. Nov 8, 2010

[Hide Comment] the crux is the first move off the starting shoulder. well protected with finger size. 5.6 but i did it in my hiking boots. my partner in climbing shoes seemed to think it was easier than that. smooth sailing after that Sep 20, 2011

[Hide Comment] The approach beta here says that the arch is between mile markers 102 and 103, but that's actually the Looking Glass Rock turnoff. Wilson Arch is another 2-3 miles down the road.

We climbed it in 2 long pitches (see topo) with a 70 for nearly 400 feet of climbing. The climbing is kind of crappy but the rappel makes it worth it.

A single 70m rope easily gets you down if you rappel from the anchors but it wouldn't be enough for the simul rap. Apr 25, 2012

[Hide Comment] So a 60/70m will get you down, but 2 rope for the simul rap ? Feb 28, 2014

[Hide Comment] Climbing gets half a star but the rap gets 3. Jan 24, 2015

[Hide Comment] I'll done this several times, a week ago I did it without belay and free climbed it with a couple friends and rapped down. I would say with the 2 major pitches this is not a 5.3 route. Most of it is...but those 2 pitches are 5.6 moves, maybe even 5.7, especially when you're fully exposed it'll get your heart racing. Did Looking Glass as well, and I agree that they are similar in difficulty. May 26, 2015

[Hide Comment] There is one easy 5th move getting off the deck, and then nothing harder than 4th class to the top. Roping up is an annoyance and probably wouldn't do anything anyway, considering how bad most of the placements are. That rappel is rad, though. May 30, 2015

[Hide Comment] It's possible to rap this with a single 60m from the rap anchors then, skipping the simul-rap? Thinking about heading out here this week. Oct 20, 2016

[Hide Comment] If a belay is required, consider setting up stations at each of the 2-3 cruxes. Because the steeper sections are short and separated, you cannot effectively catch a fall by a climber on the opposite end of this route with a dynamic rope.

If you simul-rap, avoid unlikely catastrophe by running the ropes through the chains, with the knot (e.g., Flemish bend) uphill (west) of the chains, which are found on the downhill (east) side of the arch. This way, if the uphill climber fails to weight the rope, the knot hits the chains almost immediately, arresting the descent of the downhill climber. And, given the anchor location, if the downhill climber fails to weight the rope, she hits the chains almost immediately, arresting the descent of the uphill climber. Tying the knot downhill risks the uphill climber being dragged across the top of the arch before he hits the chains, arresting the plummet of his petrified downhill partner. Dec 5, 2017

[Hide Comment] Accidentally turned it into four pitches- can be tough to communicate with the belayer and pro is (while largely unnecessary) a little bit sketchy. Mostly slinging bushes and bad cams.

If I were to do it again, would have started by Googling "Wilson Arch" and driving to it. Would have brought just a single, light 70m with ten alpine draws, two or three double-lengths, and two each BD 0.5-2 cams (max) and run it in two pitches or simul it in one pitch. Maybe handheld motorolas to talk w/ belayer. Run this climb at sunset with a full moon rising, perhaps set up a camera at the base beforehand or make your third wheel photograph in exchange for beers. Jan 12, 2018

[Hide Comment] How about we update the length on this to 350 ft or so? Stretched an 80m plus 20 ft of simul climbing to get to one of the bushes for a belay before the final slab May 4, 2019

[Hide Comment] 1-star climb with a 4-star rap and view! The "climb" as others have stated is definitely just a few sandy moves in some key spots. The hardest part is right off the deck, then it's pretty much walking with a few scrambly moves. The second "pitch" is mostly walking, with only a couple of spots for marginal pro that would certainly NOT hold a fall with how crumbly the sandstone is. But again, you're pretty much just walking.
The topo provided in the photo works. Kind of. The second "belay bush" is dead and definitely wouldn't hold a fall - it moves quite a bit. However, if you use the first, sturdy bush on the top of the first pitch (recommended, the other, smaller bushes move...a lot), you can "simul-walk" about 10 extra feet and reach the bolted anchors with a 70m.
3-bolt rap station contains 3 spinning hangers and 2 of the bolts are showing rust, the third looks newer. As of 10/2019 the tat looked to be in great shape. Not the most confidence-inspiring "climb," but a fun romp for sure! Wave to all the people watching you rap off the top! Oct 17, 2019

[Hide Comment] I have now climbed this route three times and love it. My 2 friends and I solo'd this today while on our way back from Indian Creek. 8–10 BOLTS HAVE BEEN ADDED BY SOME LUNATIC! Next time I'm there we're chopping them. We think the bolts are unnecessary and not okay. If you can't climb 5.4 PG-13 trad either free solo (very easy on this route) or with gear (easy protection at the cruxes), then you have no business being up there in the first place. Did someone put these shiny things on there for their grandma?? Let me know ASAP or I am going chop them all.

Fred Becky would be pissed.

Oh, and one of my friends did it with the rope on his back and the whole thing in chacos. May 25, 2020

[Hide Comment] 70m ran out twice to get up .75 for the start and a couple slings for bushes but if you fall I wouldn't expect any of this to hold but after the first couple moves at the start its basically a long walk. A sandy adventure that's not about the climb or the views but all about the rappel. I don't understand the random bolts on the top you walk over leading to the anchor didn't even notice them till I was looking back bringing my second up. ….. someone local should chop the bolts. Aug 29, 2020

[Hide Comment] Both the simul rap and the climb deserve an R rating in my opinion. This simul rap over the arch is especially dangerous. E.g, my partner got her atc stuck right at the beginning. Her intuition was to step back up onto the arch to unweight. If she had done that though, I could easily have puller her off my side with no protection.

There are also lots of loose rocks on top of the arch. Combined with the number of tourists at this location and the rope being draped over for the simul, it seems like an accident waiting to happen.

And for the climb, the anchor quality is poor enough to deserve an R, even through it’s easy climbing. Mar 25, 2021

[Hide Comment] Thanks to Tom for leaving some gear for the rap - I reworked the webbing a bit to incorporate all three spinners and the drilled angle. A 70m gets you to the ground just fine if soloing the arch and rapping solo off the backside from the rap station. Not sure if a 60m would work? Sep 8, 2021

[Hide Comment] 5-min movie: youtu.be/bqjOGb3Nc6g. Two laps, climbed solo in approach shoes. The first 10ft might be 5.4, but the rest of the route is 4th class, 5.0 at most. The 4th class descents on the Eastern Reef are harder than Wilson Arch (above the first 10ft). There were almost 2 crashes on the US191 when cars stopped on the road to take pictures of us! The climb and rappel is a wonderful desert experience. Aug 11, 2022

[Hide Comment] If you bring a #4 and/or #5 you can make a quite decent two piece anchor (three piece if you bring both and sling the dead bush). I can tell you a #3 goes in but it's utter crap.

Bolts have not been chopped as of Oct 31st 2022. Gear was generally good without them until the 2nd to last bolt which I appreciated. IMO, climbing this arch is nobody's crowning life achievement, I'm glad the bolts are still around. Skip 'em for slightly more adventure. I skipped a few myself, and no, my experience was not ruined in any way by their (very very spaced out) existence as I stepped past them. Nov 1, 2022

[Hide Comment] Fun detour on your way to or from IC, whether you're looking for a fun way to jumpstart your trip or your hands are too friend to climb another crack. A competent party can go car to car in an hour or less. Hard to beat that for value!

I agree with previous comments - the first move out of the gate is an awkward sandy 5.4 or 5.5 move. The rest is solid 5.0 and quite fun.

The simul counterbalance rappel is worth doing and incredibly fun, if you've never done anything of the sort. We did two 70's joined and used gri-gris. A single 70 may have worked, but jury is still out on that as we didn't want to do a counter balanced ascension!

As of 4.19.24 bolts are still there. Personally, I didn't mind them nor did they ruin my experience. They are not visible from the road, they're spaced out, and if you don't like them... don't clip them. You can bring your rack if you want the adventure, or you can simul with sport draws or even solo if your risk tolerance allows. Apr 23, 2024

[Hide Comment] Bring finger sized cams for the start. Also bring more respect than I did. There’s at least one move halfway that I wasn’t sure my approach shoes could do, and it would have been quite a tumble. This climb has more sugar on the holds than a cake doughnut. Nov 17, 2024

[Hide Comment] The climbing isnt hard overall but the opening move has some spice to it as the sandstone is slippery and a fall would be less than ideal. I give the opening move a similar rating to the opening move on Looking Glass, maybe 5.6 for one move. Then the rest is pretty. You can build an anchor using a .4 and a .5 BD cam at the base to protect all from falling off the side. I personally recommend making the first pitch super super short if climbing with folks who may not feel comfortable as communication is pretty hard. Pro is one bolt on this section. There is a good crack that takes a .75 and a 1 BD at the top of the first short section. The next section takes 3 bolts and no gear really and there are two precarious steps that need to be negotiated. Not hard but very slippery and definitely harder than pitch two on Looking Glass. At the top of this section is a nice wide crack that takes a solid BD 4. The last section can be done as one but there are cactus and bushes so I recommend turning this super easy section into two pitches. Much more enjoyable. No real protection here but it is very easy. One bolt does protect the last slabby part. The rap is perfect with a 70m rope to the east. Personally I would not simul rap over the arch as it puts groves in the rock and the rope is hard to pull. Jan 6, 2025

[Hide Comment] 1 star climb, 4 star rappel. Some notes I wish I knew beforehand...

This is a 2 pitch climb with a 70m rope. Climbed the full rope to partner both pitches. Not sure why MP says its 1 pitch, unless you free solo the second pitch. Its easy enough but not for me especially as it gets pretty windy up there.

The whole route is bolted as of 5/25/2025. Don't remember how many, but brought 8 alpine draws and that was plenty. The only thing you need pieces for is building an anchor between pitches. Used a #4, 3, and .4. The 3 wasn't great as it walked in the crack. A #5 would be bomber, but the 4 and .4 were plenty solid too.

Last there's 3 bolts and a piton anchor. All had quick links. Some nice sun faded cord leftover with a master quick link I wasn't trusting. Unfortunately didn't bring extra cord or webbing to add and leave (my fault). Rapped from 2 of the quick links at the closest bolts, plus ran it thru the quick link on the cord too just because. Some permanent chains would be ideal.

As cool as a simul rap would be, agree with MTN MIA. Definitely a lot of rope groves already in the rock and the rope was hard enough to pull down as is. The single rap is still awesome on its own! May 27, 2025