The Titan (Fisher Towers)

The Titan is a pillar in Grand County, Utah, United States.

Description The Titan is located northeast of Moab, Utah, in the Fisher Towers, on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. It is the largest of the Fisher Towers which are near Castle Valley. The Titan is the steepest peak in the United States.Contiguous US Steepness List, listsofjohn.com, Retrieved 2024-09-14. It has also been attributed to be the largest, free-standing, natural tower in the United States. The tower contains the Finger of Fate Route, first climbed in 1962, which is recognized in the historic climbing text Fifty Classic Climbs of North America and considered a classic around the world. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 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. The Titan should not be confused with Titan Tower which is 0.8 mile to the east.

Climbing The first ascent of the summit was made on May 13, 1962, by Layton Kor, Huntley Ingalls, and George Hurley via the Finger of Fate route.First Ascent Timeline, deserttowersbook.com, Retrieved 2024-09-14.

Rock-climbing routes on The Titan:

Finger of Fate - – Layton Kor, Huntley Ingalls, George Hurley – (1962)Finger of Fate, Mountain Project, Retrieved 2024-09-14. Sundevil Chimney – class 5.9 – Harvey T. Carter, Tom Merrill, Bob Sullivan, Ken Wyrick – (1971)Cameron Burns, Selected Climbs in the Desert Southwest: Colorado and Utah, The Mountaineers Books, 1999, , p. 78.Sundevil Chimney, Mountain Project, Retrieved 2024-09-14. Naked Lunch – class 5.10 – Duane Raleigh, Pete TakedaNaked Lunch, Mountain Project, Retrieved 2024-09-14. World's End – Jim Beyer – (1986)World's End, Mountain Project, Retrieved 2024-09-14. Gimp Warfare – class 5.8 – Paul Gagner, Jeremy Aslaksen – (2010)Gimp Warfare, Mountain Project, Retrieved 2024-09-14. Jade Gate – Jim BeyerJade Gate, Mountain Project, Retrieved 2024-09-14.

Geology The Titan is composed of sandstone and mudstone of the Permian Cutler Formation with an Early Triassic Moenkopi Formation caprock.Castle Valley Overview United States of America, Virtual 3D Geoscience, v3geo.com, Retrieved 2024-09-05. There is an unconformity between the Cutler and the Moenkopi layers. The reddish coloration of the rock is a result of varying amounts of hematite.GeoSights: Fisher Towers – The towering red rock sculptures of Grand County, Utah, Carl Ege, Utah Geological Survey, Retrieved 2024-09-12.

The Titan (Fisher Towers)

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