Looking Glass Rock 6140′
Rock Climbing– Utah
Total Time: 3:15
Distance: 1.1 miles
Elevation Gain: 365′
Crux: Class 5.5
Pitches: 3
Protection: Quickdraws, optional small cams for first pitch, 70 m rope
Companions: Holly
Trailhead: Looking Glass Rock Rd, no services
In Arches National Park, it is illegal to climb or rappel off any named natural arches within the park. Rock climbers, being creative and rebellious, subsequently found a number of natural arches just outside the park boundaries and established climbing routes. The most popular and well traveled off these is Looking Glass Rock, a straightforward 3 pitch sport climb to the summit culminating in a dramatic 130′ completely free hanging rappel through a cavernous alcove with large natural arch. After burning myself out on Owl Rock the day before and plans to attempt Ancient Art the following day, it seemed like a fantastic option for an easier day. Looking Glass Rock is about 40 minutes south of Moab, and we drove down the highway and turned off onto Looking Glass Rock Rd., dirt but well graded. We turned off on a side road near the base where the road quickly became rutted, so we parked along the north side and started our approach. The sport route climbs the eastern arete of the route giving us full morning sun, quite welcome after the cold day we had the day before. We were in the shade as we wound around the north slopes, dodging small patches of snow and trying to keep our feet dry for the day. We passed a cattle fence near the start of the route and moved around to the climbers left side of the east arete and start of the climb.
Holly had surprised me by saying she would like to lead the route the day before, her first multipitch lead ever! Knowing this, I brought a few extra cams so she could practice placing some protection along with the bolts. This was quite welcome, as the crux of the route is basically getting off the ground, heading up a 5.4-5.5 crack with great gear before reaching a ledge where you could clip the first bolt. I spotted Holly from below while she plugged in a small cam, then quickly placed a second given the sandy rock. Above the crack, she climbed confidently to the first bolt, then continued past out of sight above. The first pitch had 3-4 bolts in total, and she quickly reached the first two bolt anchor and clipped in a quad to bring me up. It feels more and more rare that I get to follow on climbs these days, and I enjoyed the more laid back role of follower as Holly brought me up to the first belay.
The second pitch was similar in length and had about the same number of bolts, although my guidebook had stated only two with several being added since publication. I could see Holly the entire time through this pitch as she moved up the slab, no real opportunity to practice placing cams until a horizontal seam just below the next anchor. She set up another belay and started to bring me up, initially struggling with the top belay until she realized it was easier to belay from beneath it.
The third and final pitch could hardly be considered a pitch at all, with a single bolt on fourth class slabs leading to the summit plateau. Holly passed the first two bolt anchor and found a three bolt anchor with quicklinks a bit further along, where she set anchor to bring me up.
It was a bit unclear as to where to go from the top belay station, with the rappel station not entirely obvious. We hiked up the easy slabs to the summit, finding no summit register or sign of the rappel station anywhere.
I checked MP and read about rappelling through an opening between the summit and a detached leaning pinnacle. We anchored back into the three bolt anchor with quick links and I spotted some additional bolts on a pinnacle just off to the side. Holly initially started to scramble down on belay, then spotted the actual rappel station, a massive three bolt chain anchor on the side of the pinnacle hidden from sight. Rather than scramble down the exposed ramp, we did a very short rappel to the chains with a nice staging platform.
At the lower rappel station, I set the long 35 meter rappel with our single 70 meter rope. Holly volunteered to go first and slowly backed through the narrow crack where the rappel became immediately free hanging, descending in a massive amphitheater with a natural arch forming one wall.
She quickly dropped out of sight, and it took quite a while before she radioed herself off belay. I was surprised to feel a little bit nervous when it was my turn. I had done plenty of free hanging rappels before, but none with this level of exposure. Dropping into the amphitheater felt surreal, my shadow cast on the far wall with nothing on any side but air and exposure.
Our 70 meter rope reached the ground easily, and I guessed that it would have been more of a rope stretcher had we used the upper three bolt anchor. Although it is possible to leave the rope in place and set a rope swing, some users on MP had said this resulted in a broken ankle, and I had used up my allotment of broken bones from climbing indefinitely. So I pulled the rope and we started back to the car, this time swinging around the south side to avoid the patches of snow back to the car.
We still had much of the day, and there was another arch (Wilson) not far away. But having already climbed one arch, there was less novelty in doing a second similar route. So we headed back towards Moab, instead cragging just outside of town for the rest of the day and taking it easy for Ancient Art the following day.