Cirque of the Towers Rock Climbing
Elevation: | 10,400 ft |
GPS: |
42.772, -109.223 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
Page Views: | 774,418 total · 3,550/month |
Shared By: | Ron Olsen on May 23, 2006 · Updates |
Admins: | Mike Snyder, Taylor Spiegelberg, Jake Dickerson |
Description
A superb alpine climbing area with some of the most stunning scenery in the Winds. Home of the classic Northeast Face on Pingora and East Ridge of Wolf's Head.
Summitpost.org has excellent information on the Cirque of the Towers.
Pooping in the Winds: Please Pack Out Your Poop
Every climber, backpacker, and hiker is expected to use a wag bag and pack out your poop. Though it often feels remote, the Cirque of the Towers is visited by more and more people each year- we are loving the area to death. Please bring multiple wag bags any time you are hiking into the Winds.
Lonesome Lake, in the Cirque of the towers, has been declared unfit to drink from, even when filtered or treated because of fecal contamination. Help keep other lakes in the Winds from this same fate of contamination by using Wag bags.
Getting There
Cell service gets spotty on the way in, so have the route mapped out and stick to it. Don't expect many services except a gas station or two unless you pass through Pinedale, which is slightly out of the way. Boulder, WY is just a gas station/bar combo. Once you get on the dirt roads they can lull you into a false sense of security before whipping a hairpin turn at you out of nowhere, so keep an eye out for that. Most passenger cars should be able to make it to the Big Sandy Trailhead, but there can be some big rocks poking out of the road so take your time.The parking lot at the trailhead always seems to be full. It may be easier to organize your bags in the big field people are parked in on the way in, pull up and drop your bags off, then drive back out to the overflow lot. It adds a half mile or so to walk from there.
The trail to the Cirque is well traveled and pretty straightforward. If I remember correctly, all major trail junctions have signs. Expect it to be flat-ish until Big Sandy Lake, where you'll lose most of the backpackers and hikers. Then the trail gets steep, then flat, then steep, then flat, etc until you get past Jackass Pass. If you are a strong hiker it goes pretty quick and the scenery is great. Parties with several days worth of gear may take longer on the hike in.
Note: people with recent experience climbing in the Cirque of the Towers, please feel free to add additional info on access, hiking, camping, and other logistics.
Classic Climbing Routes at Cirque of the Towers
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