Castleton Tower
You might recognize this movie star rock formation from the epic opening sequence of HBO’s Westworld. SInce 1979 Castleton Tower was known as among the Fifty Classic Climbs in North America, we found this little hike in 2022, just a short drive Red Cliffs Lodge on the Colorado River near Moab with just the right amount of adventure, solitude and spectacular vistas!
You won’t miss the Tower, there is a parking lot with a bathroom at the trailhead which leads you up a dried riverbed. The washout includes many places that would make stunning waterfalls during the flash floods but all dried up the climb is adventurous and you may even get the feeling you lost the trail a time or two.
A couple of the small stretches are fairly challenging scrambles up, and a lot of fun for us and our kids (ages 7-12). Once you pass the dried creek you’ll find the trail marker to head further up. The view only gets closer and closer, and towards the top steeper and narrower. We did get to a point where my wife felt it wasn’t safe to continue but me and my oldest went ahead to the top of the giant white rock just below the tower.
For a shorter adventure, the dry washout would have captured most of the the fun and tower view. Keep Going up for a royal view of Castle Valley!
Adventure Details
- Highlights: Washout Climbs, Stunning Views of Castle Valley
- 1.5 mile Round Trip, Steep Hike–Can Proceed further!
- Non-Plumbing Bathroom
- Quite steep in parts
- No Fees | Free to Park
Fine Art Photos
from Jake the Photographer
Castleton Tower View
This is the stunning view of Castleton Tower once you make it to the top of the rock wash-outs, ahead is the trail that leads to the base of the tower. The Rectory is the rock formation just to the left of the tower.
Getting This Shot!
EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM
1/100 sec at f / 9.0 ISO 160
17mm focal length
Jan 17, 2022 at 12:16 PM
38°38’39.606″ N
109°22’31.392″ W
5,026.2 ft Altitude
Stone Wash-Out Climb
This scramble up dried waterfalls feels like it’s straight out of an Indiana Jones movie. There are no trail-markers through the dry creek so you’ll wonder if you’ve gone off trail at some parts but it’s hard to lose sight of this epic trail up to storming the castle.
Getting This Shot!
EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM
1/250 sec at f / 8.0 ISO 320
16mm focal length
Jan 17, 2022 at 1:34 PM
38°38’42.912″ N
109°22’26.898″ W
5,023.3 ft Altitude
Scrambling Multi-Colored Stone
The climb was a kid favorite, worried mom just enough that she wondered if we should turn back… but we pressed on. The sense of exploration here is just something you can’t find on the well-worn and well maintained trails in the National parks.
Getting This Shot!
EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM
1/400 sec at f / 9.0 ISO 160
16mm focal length
Jan 17, 2022 at 12:14 PM
38°38’39.606″ N
109°22’31.392″ W
5,026.2 ft Altitude
Scrambling Multi-Colored Stone
As you approach the the tower you’ll see a large, flat-faced white rock at the base of the tower. The youngest kids stayed behind with their mom, but this is where myself and my oldest son stopped our climb and turned around. A great spot to see the Castle Valley below.
Getting This Shot!
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM
1/800 sec at f / 8.0 ISO 320
16mm focal length
Jan 17, 2022 at 1:12 PM
38°38’58.44″ N
109°22’19.188″ W
5,425.2 ft ft Altitude