Cottontail Tower Explained

Cottontail Tower
Elevation Ft:5980.
Elevation Ref:[1]
Prominence Ft:480.
Isolation Mi:0.19
Parent Peak:Kingfisher Tower
Country:United States
Region Type:County
Map:Utah#USA
Map Size:210
Label Position:left
Range:Colorado Plateau[2]
Coordinates:38.7197°N -109.3017°W
Topo:USGS Fisher Towers
Rock:Sandstone
First Ascent:1967

Cottontail Tower is a 5980feet pillar in Grand County, Utah, United States.

Description

Cottontail Tower is located 17miles northeast of Moab, Utah, in the Fisher Towers, on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. Cottontail ranks as the second-steepest peak in the United States, second only to nearby The Titan.[3] Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 800abbr=offNaNabbr=off above the tower's base.[4] Precipitation runoff from the tower drains to Onion Creek which empties into the Colorado River, approximately three miles to the west. Access is via Fisher Towers Road from Route 128, and hiking one mile on the Fisher Towers Trail.[4] This landform's descriptive toponym refers to the summit rock resembling the tail of a Cottontail rabbit.[5] Cottontail Tower is briefly shown (as a parachute flies by) in the opening scene of the film Austin Powers in Goldmember.[6]

Climbing

The first ascent of the summit was made June 11, 1967, by Harvey T. Carter, Art Howells, Mike Dudley, Don Doucette, Morgan Gadd, and Herbie Hendricks via the West Side Story route on the northwest side of the tower.[7]

Other rock-climbing routes on Cottontail Tower:

Geology

Cottontail Tower is set on a fin and is composed of two principal strata of sandstone and mudstone: Permian Cutler Formation capped by Early Triassic Moenkopi Formation. There is an unconformity between the Cutler and the Moenkopi layers.[15] The reddish coloration of the rock is a result of varying amounts of hematite.[16]

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Cottontail Tower. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone with cold winters and hot summers.[17] Summers highs rarely exceed 100°F. Summer nights are comfortably cool, and temperatures drop quickly after sunset. Winters are cold, but daytime highs are usually above freezing. Winter temperatures below 0°F are uncommon, though possible. This desert climate receives less than 10abbr=offNaNabbr=off of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cottontail Tower - 5,980' UT. listsofjohn.com. 2024-09-11.
  2. Web site: Cottontail Tower, Peakvisor.com. 2024-09-11.
  3. https://listsofjohn.com/steepness/angle.php?all=y&sort=&state=UT Contiguous US Steepness List
  4. Stewart M. Green, Best Easy Day Hikes Moab, Rowman & Littlefield, 2020,, p. 48.
  5. Stewart M. Green, Rock Climbing Utah, Rowman & Littlefield, 2012,, p. 164.
  6. https://www.sceen-it.com/sceen/6164/Austin-Powers-in-Goldmember/Fisher-Towers-Hittle-Bottom-Campground Fisher Towers - Hittle Bottom Campground
  7. https://www.deserttowersbook.com/first-ascent-timeline First Ascent Timeline
  8. Cameron Burns, Selected Climbs in the Desert Southwest: Colorado and Utah, The Mountaineers Books, 1999,, p. 72.
  9. https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198813800/North-America-United-States-Utah-Utah-Desert-Climbing North America, United States, Utah, Utah Desert Climbing
  10. https://books.google.com/books?id=fP5hratMoogC&pg=PA173&dq=Intifada+Jim+Beyer&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjo6cnowbqIAxU5HUQIHe4oHToQuwV6BAgFEAY#v=onepage&q=Intifada%20Jim%20Beyer&f=false The American Alpine Journal 1991
  11. https://books.google.com/books?id=UhmT3_I_xU4C&pg=PA230&dq=cottontail+tower&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjy5_6ivrqIAxVxE0QIHZ7EC5gQuwV6BAgFEAY#v=onepage&q=cottontail%20tower&f=false Fisher Towers
  12. https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12201210400/North-America-United-States-Utah-Fisher-Towers-Cottontail-Tower-Trick-of-the-Tail North America, United States, Utah, Fisher Towers, Cottontail Tower, Trick of the Tail
  13. https://www.mountainproject.com/route/108720452/free-gaza Free Gaza Cottontail Tower
  14. https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201214571/Cottontail-Tower-Line-in-the-Sand Cottontail Tower, Line in the Sand, Utah, Fisher Towers
  15. https://v3geo.com/model/615#:~:text=Castle%20Valley%20runs%20along%20the,aged%20Moenkopi%20and%20Chinle%20formations. Castle Valley Overview United States of America
  16. https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/geosights/fisher-towers/ GeoSights: Fisher Towers – The towering red rock sculptures of Grand County, Utah
  17. Peel, M. C. . Finlayson, B. L. . McMahon, T. A. . amp . 2007 . Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification . Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. . 11 . 5 . 1633–1644 . 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . 2007HESS...11.1633P . 9654551 . 1027-5606. free .

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