Waldens Room, Desert Towers Route Photo

Waldens Room 5.10c (5.9 C1)

House of Putterman, Tusher Canyon

  • Waldens Room Sun ExposureRoute quality:
  • Waldens Room First AscentCameron Burns, Brian Takei, 1994
  • Waldens Room Pitch InfoNumber of pitches: 4
  • Waldens Room Approach TimeApproach Time: 10-45 minutes
  • Waldens Room Climbing TimeClimbing Time: 2-4 hours
  • Waldens Room Descent timeDescent Time: 20-30 min to base
  • Waldens Room Sun ExposureSun exposure: Morning sun
  • About the Climb

    Walden's Room is a great moderate route that offers very diverse climbing and leads up to a great summit. Walden's Room has a little bit of everything, from perfect hand jams, to a great challenging chimney/offwidth, a short and tenuous finger crack and a final bouldery face climbing section. The sandstone on this butte is Entrada, which is the same type of rock found in Arches National Park. Be aware that it is softer and sandier than what you might find in Indian Creek.

    If you’re new to desert climbing, Walden’s Room will challenge you with all the different skills needed for your future tower climbs, and the crux sections are pretty short. Walden's Room is also a good climb to do if you need to perfect your "chimney technique", and if necessary, the 5.10 section can easily be aided by pulling on gear, making this a fine 5.9+ A0 outing.

    Other quality climbs exist around Walden's Room if you want to fill your day with more pitches. The closest one is a great 5.11 corner (Easton’s Corner) just right of the start of Walden’s Room. The start is hard to protect for the leader, but it is easy to toprope it on the way down from Walden's Room. Another high quality climb is (Digital Stimulation 5.11+), which can be found on the North Face of the formation.

    The House of Putterman is located in a beautiful area just outside of Moab. A high clearance 4x4 vehicle (or mountain bike) might allow you to get all the way to the base of the route. Otherwise, the hike in is very nice and not too long. The whole area surrounding The House Of Putterman still has a lot of potential for FA, and it offers a great escape from other, more crowded and popular desert towers. However, it is a popular destination for jeeps, dirt bikes and other off road vehicles.

    Waldens Room (Desert Towers) GearLoopTopo {Waldens Room (Desert Towers) GearLoopTopo

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    The GearLoopTopo

    Our GearLoopTopo for Walden's Room contains all the detailed information you need for the climb, including accurate driving directions starting from Moab.

    Similar Climbs

    For a similar climb at a slightly easier grade, climb North Chimney (5.9-) or Kor-Ingalls (5.9). Both climbs are on Castleton Tower and offer quality chimney sections.

    Another classic climb with a similar grade is Stolen Chimney (5.10c or 5.9 A0) on Ancient Art. This climb has a very fun 5.8 chimney second pitch on soft “muddy” rock and an incredible summit and it also features short sections of well protected face climbing.

    If you're ready for a little more challenge, you should get on Honeymoon Chimney (5.11b or 5.9 A0) located on The Priest, near Castleton Tower. You'll find wild and exposed chimneying and stemming, as well as some great face and crack climbing. Another great varied climb is Jah Man (5.10c), with it's squeeze chimney and sustained thin hands cracks.

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