Tower of Babel (Utah)

Tower of Babel
Tower of Babel
	Southeast aspect
Highest point
Elevation	4,655 ft (1,419 m)
Prominence	435 ft (133 m)
Parent peak	The Organ (4,735 ft)
Isolation	0.34 mi (0.55 km)
Coordinates	38°38′24″N 109°36′10″W / 38.6399429°N 109.6028277°W
Geography
	Tower of Babel Location in Utah Tower of Babel Tower of Babel (the United States)
Country	United States
State	Utah
County	Grand
Protected area	Arches National Park
Parent range	Colorado Plateau
Topo map	USGS The Windows Section
Geology
Age of rock	Jurassic
Mountain type	Butte
Type of rock	Entrada Sandstone
Climbing
First ascent	1986
Easiest route	class 5.4 climbing

Tower of Babel is a 4,655-foot-elevation (1,419-meter) summit in Grand County, Utah. It is located within Arches National Park and like many of the rock formations in the park, it is composed of Entrada Sandstone. The tower is 500 feet tall,^[4] and topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 500 feet (152 meters) vertically above the main park road in approximately 200 feet (61 meters) laterally. Precipitation runoff from Tower of Babel drains to the nearby Colorado River via Courthouse Wash. This landform's descriptive toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.^[3]

Climbing

The first ascent of the summit was made October 17, 1986, by Charlie Fowler, Eric Bjornstad, and Lin Ottinger via the class 5.4 Zenyatta Entrada route.^[5]^[6] Some consider this the most beautiful climbing route in the park.^[7] Another feature on Tower of Babel is The Three Gargoyles, a class 5.11 rock-climbing route first climbed by Jimmie Dunn and Joe Slansky.^[8]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Tower of Babel is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone with cold winters and hot summers.^[9] Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to experience Arches National Park, when highs average 60 to 80 °F (15 to 25 °C) and lows average 30 to 50 °F (0 to 10 °C). Summer temperatures often exceed 100 °F (40 °C). Winters are cold, with highs averaging 30 to 50 °F (0 to 10 °C), and lows averaging 0 to 20 °F (−20 to −5 °C). As part of a high desert region, it can experience wide daily temperature fluctuations. The park receives an average of less than 10 inches (25 cm) of rain annually.

Gallery

South aspect, with main park road
Southeast aspect
Argon Tower (left), Tower of Babel (right)
The Organ (left) and Tower of Babel (right) viewed from the north
Tower of Babel viewed from the north at Courthouse Wash
"The Three Gargoyles" are farther north of the summit along the fin of Tower of Babel
North aspect