Colorado National Monument is a National Park Service unit near the city of Grand Junction, Colorado. Sheer-walled canyons cut deep into sandstone and granite–gneiss–schist rock formations. This is an area of desert land high on the Colorado Plateau, with pinyon and juniper forests on the plateau. The park hosts a wide range of wildlife, including red-tailed hawks, golden eagles, ravens, jays, desert bighorn sheep, and coyotes. Activities include hiking, horseback riding, road bicycling, and scenic drives; a visitor center on the west side contains a natural history museum and gift shop. There are scenic views from trails, Rim Rock Drive, which winds along the plateau, and the campground. Nearby are the Book Cliffs and the largest flat-topped mountain in the world, the Grand Mesa.
Washer Woman is a 500-foot (150-meter) tall sandstone arch and tower located in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park, in San Juan County, Utah. It is situated 300 feet northwest of the slightly higher Monster Tower. Washer Woman is so named because the feature gives the appearance of a washerwoman bent over a washtub. This geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1986 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names after previously having similar names such as Washer-Woman Arch and The Washer Woman. Washer Woman and Monster Tower are an eroded fin composed of Wingate Sandstone, which is the remains of wind-borne sand dunes deposited approximately 200 million years ago in the Late Triassic. Airport Tower is set 1.6 mi (2.6 km) to the east, and Mesa Arch is situated 1.5 mi (2.4 km) to the west. A short hike to Mesa Arch provides the easiest view of Washer Woman. Access to this formation is via the four-wheel drive White Rim Road, which is the other option to see it. The top of this geological formation rises 1,300 feet above the road in approximately one mile. Precipitation runoff from Washer Woman drains southeast into the nearby Colorado River via Buck Canyon.
Mount Hayden is an 8,362-foot (2,549 m)-elevation summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of Arizona, United States. It is situated one-half mile (0.80 km) southeast of the Point Imperial viewpoint, on the canyon's North Rim, where it towers 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above the bottom of Nankoweap Canyon. Mount Hayden, also known as Hayden Peak, is named for Charles T. Hayden (1825–1900), an Arizona pioneer influential in the development of the Arizona Territory where he was known as the "Father of Tempe", and he established Arizona State University. He was also the father of US Senator Carl Hayden, as well as a probate judge. This geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1932 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
The first ascent of the summit was made in May 1978 by Joe Sharber, George Bain, and Abra Watkins via the north side. Pegasus, a challenging class 5.10+ route on the East Face, was first climbed by Paul Davidson and Jim Haisley in 1982. The most popular climbing route is the class 5.8 South Face. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Hayden is located in a Cold semi-arid climate zone.
Zoroaster Temple is a 7,123-foot-elevation (2,171-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of Arizona, USA. It is situated 5.5 miles (8.9 km) northeast of the Yavapai Point overlook on the canyon's South Rim, from which it can be seen towering over 4,600 feet above the Colorado River and Granite Gorge. Its nearest higher neighbor is Brahma Temple, less than one mile to the north-northeast. Zoroaster Temple is named for Zoroaster, an ancient Iranian prophet. This name was used by George Wharton James and Clarence Dutton. Dutton began the tradition of naming geographical features in the Grand Canyon after mythological deities. This geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1906 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
Angels Gate is a 6,761-foot (2,061 m)-elevation summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of Arizona, United States. It is situated seven miles (11 km) due north of the Grandview Point overlook on the canyon's South Rim, three miles (4.8 km) west of Vishnu Temple, and three point five miles (5.6 km) southeast of Zoroaster Temple. Topographic relief is significant as it rises over 4,200 feet (1,300 m) above the Colorado River in three miles. Angels Gate is the place in Paiute mythology where the gods would return to Earth by descending from the shadow world above.
Holy Grail Temple is a 6,711-foot-elevation (2,046-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. It is situated seven miles north-northeast of Havasupai Point, and two miles west-northwest of King Arthur Castle, within the Shinumo Amphitheater. Topographic relief is significant as it rises over 4,500 feet above the Colorado River in three miles. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Holy Grail Temple is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone, with precipitation runoff draining south to Shinumo Creek, which flows west to the Colorado River.
Mount Huethawali is a 6,281-foot-elevation (1,914-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. It is situated 3.5 miles due east of Explorers Monument, 1.5 mile west of Grand Scenic Divide, and immediately southwest of Huxley Terrace. Surrounded by Garnet, Evolution, and Bass Canyons, Huethawali rises over 800 feet above Darwin Plateau, and over 4,000 feet higher than the nearby Colorado River.
Coronado Butte is a 7,162-foot (2,183 m)-elevation summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of Arizona, United States. It is situated one mile (1.6 km) west of the Moran Point overlook on the canyon's South Rim, and one mile northeast of Sinking Ship, its nearest higher neighbor. Topographic relief is significant as this butte rises 4,600 feet (1,400 m) above the Colorado River in 2.5 miles (4.0 km). Coronado Butte is named for Francisco Vázquez de Coronado (1510–1554), the explorer whose 1540 expedition was the first European sighting of the Grand Canyon, among other landmarks. This geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1906 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. The first ascent was made by John Hance and tourist prior to 1900, in the 1890s. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Coronado Butte is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone.
Comanche Point is a 7,073-foot-elevation (2,156-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. Part of the Palisades of the Desert, Comanche Point is the high point on the canyon's less-visited East Rim, and is four miles north-northeast of Desert View Point, its nearest higher neighbor. Topographic relief is significant as it towers 4,400 feet above the Colorado River in 1.5 mile. Comanche Point was named in 1900 by George Wharton James for the Comanche, a Native-American nation from the Great Plains, in keeping with a practice of naming the points on the canyon's South Rim for Native American nations. This geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1906 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Comanche Point is located in a Cold semi-arid climate zone. On September 27, 1994, the tabloid Weekly World News ran an outlandish cover story that wreckage of a 4000-year-old UFO had been found in limestone rubble near the base of Comanche Point.
Brady Peak is an 8,121-foot (2,475 m)-elevation summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, United States. It is situated one mile (1.6 km) northeast of the Vista Encantada viewpoint on the canyon's North Rim, where it towers 4,800 feet (1,500 m) above the bottom of Nankoweap Canyon. Its nearest higher neighbor is Mount Hayden, two miles (3.2 km) to the north, Kibbey Butte is one mile to northwest, and Alsap Butte lies one mile to the northeast. Brady Peak is named after Peter Rainsford Brady (1825–1902), a pioneer and politician of the Arizona Territory. This geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1932 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Brady Peak is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone.
Tiki Tower is a thin 300-foot (91-meter) tall sandstone pinnacle located in the Airport Tower/Monster Tower/Washer Woman area of the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park, in San Juan County, Utah. It is situated one-half mile northwest of Airport Tower, and is composed of Wingate Sandstone, which is the remains of wind-borne sand dunes deposited approximately 200 million years ago in the Late Triassic. Access to this tower is via the four-wheel-drive White Rim Road. The top of this spire rises 1,100 feet above the road in a little more than one mile. Precipitation runoff from Tiki Tower drains southeast into the nearby Colorado River via Buck and Lathrop Canyons. The first ascent of Tiki Tower was made in November 1991 by Jeff Widen and Mitch Allen, via Brave Little Toaster, with Fred Lifton and Paul Frank working the first pitch.
King Arthur Castle is a 7,344-foot-elevation (2,238-meter) summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, US. It is situated one-half mile northwest of Guinevere Castle, one mile west of Excalibur, and two miles east-southeast of Holy Grail Temple, within the Shinumo Amphitheater. Topographic relief is significant as it rises over 5,100 feet above the Colorado River in 4.5 miles (7.2 km). According to the Köppen climate classification system, King Arthur Castle is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone, with precipitation runoff draining west to the Colorado River via Shinumo Creek.
Sinking Ship is a 7,344-foot (2,238 m) elevation summit located in the Grand Canyon, in Coconino County of northern Arizona, United States. This butte is situated 1.7 miles (2.7 km) southeast of the Grandview Point overlook on the canyon's South Rim, and 1.25 miles (2.01 km) southwest of Coronado Butte. Topographic relief is significant as it rises 4,800 feet (1,500 m) above the Colorado River in 4 miles (6.4 km). According to the Köppen climate classification system, Sinking Ship is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone.
Independence Monument is a 5,739-foot-elevation sandstone pillar located in Colorado National Monument, in Mesa County of western Colorado, United States. This iconic 450-foot-high landmark is situated one mile southeast of the monument's visitor center, and 9 miles (14 km) west of the community of Grand Junction, where it towers above the floor of Monument Canyon and Wedding Canyon. It is a popular climbing destination, and can be seen from Rim Rock Drive.
Kissing Couple is a 5,815-foot-elevation (1,772-meter) sandstone pillar located in Colorado National Monument, in Mesa County of western Colorado, United States. This iconic 400-foot-high tower is situated on the west side of Monument Canyon, 1.5 mile southeast of the monument's visitor center, and nine miles (14 km) west of the community of Grand Junction. It is also a half-mile south-southeast of another popular climbing destination, Independence Monument, and both can be seen from viewpoints along Rim Rock Drive. It is so named because it resembles an embracing couple. This geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1982 by the United States Board on Geographic Names. Older USGS maps have the feature's name misplaced by about one-half mile to the southeast. The first ascent of the summit was made May 4, 1960, by Layton Kor, Harvey Carter, and John Auld via the five pitch, class 5.11a route named Long Dong Wall. The first free ascent was made in 1977 by Andy Petefish, Tom Stubbs, and Jim Pearson. Some climbers alternatively refer to Kissing Couple as "Bell Tower."
Pipe Organ is a 5,731-foot-elevation (1,747-meter) sandstone pillar located in Colorado National Monument, in Mesa County of western Colorado, United States. This 400+ foot tower is situated in Wedding Canyon, less than one-half mile east of the monument's visitor center, and 9 miles (14 km) west of the community of Grand Junction. It is also immediately northwest of another popular climbing destination, Independence Monument, and both can be seen from viewpoints along Rim Rock Drive. The first ascent of the summit was made January 31, 1961, by John Auld, Gary Ziegler, Jim Dyson, and John Kuglin. Pipe Organ has a subsidiary summit unofficially named Organ Pipe Spire on the east aspect, which the National Park Service refers to as Praying Hands. This 325-foot-high subsidiary peak was originally named Squall Spire in 1976 by Harvey T. Carter of the first ascent party.
Sentinel Spire is a 5,500-foot-elevation (1,676-meter) sandstone pillar located in Colorado National Monument, in Mesa County of western Colorado, United States. This 200-foot freestanding tower is situated in Wedding Canyon, one-half mile east of the monument's visitor center, and 9 miles (14 km) west of the community of Grand Junction. It is also immediately south of Window Rock, and north of another climbing destination, Pipe Organ, both of which can be seen from viewpoints along Rim Rock Drive. The first ascent of the summit was made May 3, 1960, by Layton Kor, Harvey Carter, and John Auld via the class 5.10 route, Fast Draw. This was the day before the climbers also made the first ascent of nearby Kissing Couple. The first solo ascent was made by Ron Olevsky in March 1976, and the first free ascent was made by Andy Petefish and John Christenson in 1978. Some climbers refer to Sentinel Spire as Watusi Spear.
Coke Ovens is a 5,962-foot-elevation (1,817-meter) linear set of pillars located in Colorado National Monument, in Mesa County of western Colorado, United States. This iconic landmark is situated on the west side of Monument Canyon, two miles south of the monument's visitor center, and 9 miles (14 km) west of the community of Grand Junction. It is also one mile south of Kissing Couple, and both can be seen from viewpoints along Rim Rock Drive. It is so named because the rounded shape resembles beehive coke ovens that were used in the nineteenth century to convert bituminous coal into coke, which was then used for smelting iron.
Terra Tower is a 5,790-foot-elevation (1,760-meter) sandstone pillar located in Colorado National Monument, in Mesa County of western Colorado, United States. This 350-foot-high tower is situated on the Redlands escarpment, approximately seven miles west of the community of Grand Junction. Topographic relief is significant as it rises 1,000 feet above the Tiara Rado Golf Course in approximately one-half mile. The first ascent of the summit was made in 1979 by Harvey Carter and Tom Merrill via the class 5.11 route, Way Bazaar.
Islet in the Sky is a sandstone pillar located within Canyonlands National Park, in San Juan County, Utah, United States. It is situated in the Island in the Sky District of the park, one mile (1.6 km) east of the Island in the Sky paved road that leads to Grand View Point. This spire is composed of Wingate Sandstone, which is the remains of wind-borne sand dunes deposited approximately 200 million years ago in the Late Triassic. Precipitation runoff from Islet in the Sky drains east to the nearby Colorado River via Buck Canyon. Access is via the White Rim Road which traverses between this remote spire and the river.
