Although this route has a 5.11a crux, the climbing is mainly runout face climbing on patina edges that sometimes crumble under bodyweight or less. Given this, the route will probably get harder over time as more of the holds disappear. You'll need a good intuition for route finding as well. This is a high quality climb with exciting moments that will definitely help you forget about the couple of less desirable pitches in the middle of the route.

This climb is far more committing than the trade routes in Zion; if you've only brought one rope, retreating after the first pitch will be difficult and costly. There are only 2 fixed anchors on this climb. Getting caught in the rain on this climb would be bad.

P1 (5.10, 35m) Follow obvious flake crack (starting wide then gets smaller) to a set of anchors. The crux of this pitch is turning the corner/roof of the flake.

P2 (5.9 R, 40m) Head right over loose blocks to a wide crack (you can see through it). A #4.5 Camalot is useful here. Layback with kneebars or offwidth up the wide crack (harder). The crack gets smaller and eventually peters out. Head slightly left once the crack disappears, on runout 5.9 face climbing (good rock) and past a bolt. Then head back right to a ledge and belay at bolted anchors.

P3 (5.9 R, 35m) Head up and right on face holds and moss past a bolt to a sandy finger crack. Watch out, some of the face holds crumble, and the moss does not hold bodyweight. The crux comes at the top of the crack. Then continue up mantling small bushes and such until you reach a sandy ledge and belay off a bush.

P4 (5.8/5.9, 40m) Climb up a loose groove filled with sandy, loose blocks while mantling bushes and the like. A flared, wide crack takes you up to a ledge and bolted anchor. This pitch sucks, unless of course you like sandy, vertical bushwhacking.

P5 (5.11a/5.9 R, 40m) There is a crack to your right (shallow left facing dihedral) with a bolt up high. Guidebook says this is 5.10. We'll call this a crux variation and we'll save the description for someone who's done it. Climb straight up above the belay through a small roof into a right facing corner. The rock is great here and there are some great face holds. Medium size stoppers and stemming get you through the 5.11a crux which is not too hard. Once the gear and holds disappear, cut left around the arête on a sloping horizontal break.

Continue heading up and left on face holds around several arêtes (5.9 R) until you reach a big ledge. Look left and there should be 5 bolts next to each other just above the ledge (perhaps a bivy ledge?). The guidebook gives the impression that you should follow the corner to the top and traverse left on a ledge to the belay. The corner, however , turns blank and there is no longer any gear. Go this way if you dare.

P6 (5.8 R, 30m) Follow the crack in a right-facing dihedral for about 20 ft. where it is possible to cut left on jugs to another right-facing dihedral (which does not reach the bivy ledge) with a bush. Climb over the bush and continue up this crack/dihedral to a ledge.

P7 (5.8 initially, then easier, 40m) Continue up this same dihedral/crack system to a big, broad, sandy ledge and belay.

P8 (5.6, 100m) Head up crack in the buttress (left of a big groove) above and into sandy, bush-filled groove (4th class). Scramble to summit.

IMPORTANT: Zion National Park rangers advise to take this climb very seriously. It is atypical of the area and contains longer runouts, more challenging route finding, and more questionable rock than you'll find elsewhere in Zion. It is home to every recent big wall rescue and the only actual climbing fatality in memory. Don't be the next.

Northeast Buttress

Dancin’ With The Devil

Lowe Route

Prodigal Sun

South of Heaven

Gabriel

Mostly American

Lucifer's Ladder

South Buttress

Days of No Future

Apollyon

Perhaps the proudest aid route on the face. Hard off the deck, so thin you can't see the thing until you are on the route. Lots of beaking, lots of natural stretches of hooking, hard desert-alpine free climbing at the top. Another futuristic Klaus Route. Don't make this your first nailing route.

P1-3

The route shares the first three (short) pitches of "Unknown 5.10" on the East Face. 5.9?

P4

This one is a stretcher... C2

P5

5.7

P6

Head up the obvious right-facing dihedral. Dance around large loose blocks down low. Be delicate! Pull yourself through the bomb bay. A1

P7

Into the ‘Gaping Maw’. One drilled angle in chimney. A2+

P8

Traverse left. 5.9

P9

Head up. A2?

P10

Tits or Quits. Climb vertical cracks that lend way to soft horizontals. This pitch tops out on the ‘tower’. A2+

P11

From the top of the ‘tower’, follow an old piton ladder (left).

P12

Traverse left and around the corner.

After, grovel your way up and right through the loose gulley. 4th class

Keep moving up and right to a short 5.7 to the proper summit.

There is spectacular cave bivy after the 5th pitch and another stellar bivy could be made on the ‘tower’ above pitch 10.

Bomber hardware can be found at every belay that needs it!

Future parties should be aware of the loose blocks on pitch 6! They're manageable, but they're there.

Many pitches can be linked.

Descend the Angels Landing trail to the Grotto.

This route ascends the middle (guts) of

Angel's Landing

.  Look for a topo in the visitors center.

No matter what, make sure you allow time for the ending two pitches.  Everybody that I've talked to about this route, including myself, says that they take longer than one would think.  It's not simple scrambling,  especially if you have a pig.

Awesome route, with great exposure, with an enormous array of climbing.  Very adventurous.

Topo

P1/P2

(C1, 160') The first bolt is about nine feet off the ground (have your buddy give you a boost to clip it).  The first two pitches can be combined.

P3

(~70') Gain a comfortable ledge.

P4

(C2) Attack the Wrinkles which calls for a series of pendulums (reach right) and tension traverses to the left. When good placements run out move left.

P5

(C1) Climbs through the arch roof via a nice crack.

P6

(C1) Takes a crack to a short bolt ladder.

P7

(C2) Takes a left-facing corner up a few trickier moves to a decent stance for the last aid pitch.

P8

Continues up the corner system and then makes a clever pendulum out left to gain access to another corner.  (Fixed point) This pitch ends on a big, dirty, sandy, down sloping ledge (be extremely careful of the loose stuff here).

P9

(5.5) Free climbs a low-angle chimney filled with loose debris to a ridiculously crappy chute filled with loose sand, rock, and plant material.  After suffering through this mess, you arrive at a good trees to belay from.

A few recommendations:

1. Bring a belay seat as the stances are not always very comfortable.

2. Do not haul if you can help it.  If you think you'll take more than one day, fix the first two or three pitches.

One of the more obvious routes on the wall, all the way to the right about 200 ft right of Days of no Future, yes up the big ugly flake, just blank for the first 100 feet or so. Well Ammon hooked up and to the leaning ramp, very heading pitch so beware. Great nailing, some expando, goo free climbing and the "maw" is really not bad at all. The last aid pitch is almost all hooks w/ some bolts and a ledge fall if you blow it. The final pitch I got lost in the dark and ended up in no mans land, untied from the rope (holding a small bush) and they pulled the rope back to them. Ammon relead the pitch (over to the right) and kindly dropped me a rope, thanks man. link to story

rocknclimb.com/heaven.html

One of the biggest baddest offwidths around! This beefy 9" crack splits a roof just off of the Angels Landing hike. Caution: the cave is an amplitheatre and will project your Ludacris very loudly towards the poor folks hiking Angels Landing.

Obscure route on the left side of the face. We had so much stuff with us, we called our rig the "mongolian chicken bus". It was a blast, good times. I recall that Doug Heinrich had given Bird and Draper some prototype big peckers and we were so psyched. We were calling them African Peckers. I don't think BD could market them with that name. Kind of not PC...

Any climber who has driven through the main canyon has seen and wondered about this climb. It took me almost 2 years to go and do it but really worth it. But you do have to LOVE ofwidth.

P1: 5.9 60ft This pitch gives the meaning of "Zion Funky"

Really weird moves thrown in with "Chalkstone O' Death" on questionable rock. The chalkstone is actually somewhat solid. 2 bolt anchor at the lip.

P2: The Goods 5.10+ 130ft Exit the belay and Climb in your face fist and off hands to a squeeze. From here you can reach left and clip a bolt or skip it and go through a few weird pods to a 2 Bolt hanging belay.

P3: 5.9+ 60ft continue up the crack which turn into a well protected flaring squeeze, on frail varnished rock. Quickly turns into a  tight hands roof with a crazy fun exposed move turning the lip. Varied splitter climbing on odd but good rock leads to a ledge with a anchor.

Decent:

Walk / Bush wack 200 yards to climbers left and rap a fixed line in the gully. If you don't want to rap the fixed line 2 Single rope raps (off the good anchors for the fixed line) lead to the ground

I believe the crux was the first or second pitch, how ever I took a fall up high and zippered the pitch.

Apollyon is a free climbing route (with 3 bolts of A0) that ascends the south face of Angel’s Landing. There is an all free variation that goes at 5.10+ R. The first half of the route boasts good rock and is sustained in the 5.10 range. Notable features include a 50m hand to wide fist crack, a steep pumpy hand sized splitter, and a moderate roof crack that is over a body length long. Due to it’s proximity to the West Rim Trail, this route is not for those with stage fright.

This climb was established ground up. Every hole drilled on lead and all glue ins were installed after completion of the route. Thanks to Erin McMahon and Matthew Eckelberg for their help in equipping the rap route.

P1

The monster enduro opening pitch. Scramble up a ledge with a stubby pillar on the left side. A0 your way past 3 bolts and into the base of the wide, left leaning crack. Battle it all the way to a ledge. Continue up a left facing corner for another 15ft to a large ledge. You'll need most the rack for this one. Conserve gear and save a couple big pieces for up high. Even with a bit of A0 this pitch is a quality battle of free climbing not to be missed.

(5.10+ A0, 60m, 2 bolt anchor)

Alt P1-1.5 (all free variation)

30ft left of the leaning crack is a clean corning system that turns into a seam about 50ft up. Before the crack closes do a spooky unprotected face traverse left around an arete and into another crack system. Follow it straight up until hitting the final rap anchor. This was the original first pitch.

(5.10+ R, 40m, 2 bolt anchor)

From the anchor traverse right across the stance to a great flake. Follow the flake to the ledge and the standard pitch 1 anchors. This was the original second pitch.

(5.10-, 18m, 2 bolt anchor)

P2

Walk across the tenuous ledge to a hand crack that splits the leaning pillar. Follow the crack for about 15ft before it disappears at a stance. Climb an easy slabby offwidth with no pro to a small ledge that is the top of the pillar (rap anchor out left). Then, climb a splitter offwidith to hand crack until reaching a pedestal inside the large chimney. This is the last pitch that requires anything larger than #3. Doubles .5 - #3, single #5 and #6.

(5.10, 30m, gear anchor takes finger sizes and large nut)

P3

Inside the chimney an easy .75 splitter (5.8) leads to a good rest below the ominous roof. Be careful of loose chockstones in the back of the chimney. Very tight hands and stemming through the roof lead to a few strenuous moves over the lip. A fixed nut and hex at the lip of the roof are there to keep the rope out of the crack. Doubles .4 - 2, save a .75 for the lip of the roof.

(5.10, 15m, 2 bolt anchor)

P4

Long awesome off fingers layback crack right off the belay. Toward the top of the dihedral, pull into a large pod that is difficult to protect. From here cast out left onto the face toward a glue in bolt. From the bolt, decode the technical face crux up to a large ledge. Doubles in micro - #2.

(5.10+, 30m, 2 bolt anchor)

P5

Either extend or move the belay left across the ledge under a double crack system. Climb the double before committing to the right crack through awesome steep thin hands. Reach a ledge and climb slabby splitter offwidth (hand size gear in the back) to a small fun roof. Doubles in fingers - #3.

(5.10+, 30m, 2 bolt anchor)

**Pitch 5 is the last pitch with a bolted anchor. Decide whether to rap or summit from here**

P6

This pitch marks the waning of both difficulty and quality of the rock. Work your way up and left through manzanita and sandy rock. Belay 20ft short of a mega ledge. (

5.8, 30m, gear anchor)

P7

Traverse a narrow stance straight left for 25ft and climb the fun chimney straight up to some face climbing and belay in a small alcove.

(5.9, 25m, gear anchor)

P8

Tough start over a steep, leaning thin crack that is a pain to protect. Many sloping mantles and manzanita. Belay in a large crack. (

5.9, 60m, gear anchor takes #3 - #6)

P9

Classic Zion adventure climbing. Plain and simple. Belay at large tree. (

5.8, 60m, tree anchor)

P10

Loose summit slog. Watch for rope drag, loose rocks, and tourist trash. Belay at final set of chains/posts on the Angel’s Landing Trail.

(5.0 R, 60m, post anchor)

Description

Protection

Routes in Angel's Landing