Echo Tower Explained

Echo Tower is a 5784feet pillar in Grand County, Utah, United States.

Description

Echo Tower is located 17miles northeast of Moab, Utah, in the Fisher Towers, on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. Echo ranks as the third-steepest peak in the United States.^[2] Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 800abbr=offNaNabbr=off above the tower's base. 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 the Fisher Towers Trail. Echo Tower is briefly shown (as a parachute flies by) in the opening scene of the film Austin Powers in Goldmember.^[3]

Climbing

The first ascent of the summit was made on October 19, 1966, by Harvey T. Carter, Fred Beckey, and Eric Bjørnstad via the North Chimney route.^{[4] [5] [6]}

Other rock-climbing routes on Echo Tower:

• Run Amok - – Jim Beyer – (1979)^[7]
• Phantom Sprint – class 5.9 – Jim Beyer – (1986)^{[8] [9]}
• The Tapeworm – class 5.8 – Brad Jarrett, Brian Warshaw – (1994)^[10]
• Emotional Grafitti – class 5.10 – Mike Baker, Leslie Henderson, Zach Merritt – (1994)^[10]
• The Iron Chef – class 5.7 – Chip Wilson, Steve Bartlett – (2007)^[11]
• Sidewinder – class 5.7+ – Paul Gagner, Jeremy Aslaksen – (2010)^[12]
• Bad Religions – Jim Beyer^[13]

Geology

Echo Tower is set on a fin and is composed of sandstone and mudstone of the Permian Cutler Formation.^[14] The reddish coloration of the rock is a result of varying amounts of hematite.^[15]

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Echo Tower. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone with cold winters and hot summers.^[16] 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

• Fisher Towers

External links

• Weather forecast: Fisher Towers
• Echo Tower Climbing: Mountainproject.com
• Account of first ascent: Americanalpineclub.org
• Aerial video: Filmsupply.com

Notes and References

1. Web site: Echo Tower - 5,980' UT. listsofjohn.com. 2024-09-13.
2. https://listsofjohn.com/steepness/angle.php?all=y&sort=&state=UT Contiguous US Steepness List
3. https://www.sceen-it.com/sceen/6164/Austin-Powers-in-Goldmember/Fisher-Towers-Hittle-Bottom-Campground Fisher Towers - Hittle Bottom Campground
4. https://www.deserttowersbook.com/first-ascent-timeline First Ascent Timeline
5. https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12196735403/North-America-United-States-Utah-Echo-Tower-Fisher-Towers North America, United States, Utah, Echo Tower, Fisher Towers
6. Stewart M. Green, Rock Climbing Utah, Rowman & Littlefield, 2012,, p. 165.
7. https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105717385/run-amok Run Amok
8. Cameron Burns, Selected Climbs in the Desert Southwest: Colorado and Utah, The Mountaineers Books, 1999,, p. 71.
9. https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105717916/phantom-sprint Phantom Sprint
10. https://books.google.com/books?id=bGmGKqbwe14C&pg=PA156&dq=echo+tower+fisher&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj-tLjPhL-IAxXGLDQIHRn2IHs4ChC7BXoECAsQCA#v=onepage&q=echo%20tower%20fisher&f=false 1995 American Alpine Journal
11. https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105962319/the-iron-chef The Iron Chef
12. https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106998496/sidewinder Sidewinder
13. https://www.mountainproject.com/route/110143864/bad-religons Bad Religons
14. https://v3geo.com/model/615#:~:text=Castle%20Valley%20runs%20along%20the,aged%20Moenkopi%20and%20Chinle%20formations. Castle Valley Overview United States of America
15. https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/geosights/fisher-towers/ GeoSights: Fisher Towers – The towering red rock sculptures of Grand County, Utah
16. 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 .