The Oracle is a pillar in Grand County, Utah, United States.
Description The Oracle is located northeast of Moab, Utah, in the Fisher Towers, on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises over above surrounding terrain in . 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.
Geology The Oracle is set on a fin and is composed of two principal strata of sandstone and mudstone: Permian Cutler Formation capped by Early Triassic Moenkopi Formation. There is an unconformity between the Cutler and the Moenkopi layers.Castle Valley Overview United States of America, Virtual 3D Geoscience, v3geo.com, Retrieved 2024-09-13. 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 2024-09-13.
Climate Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit The Oracle. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone with cold winters and hot summers. Summers highs rarely exceed . Summer nights are comfortably cool, and temperatures drop quickly after sunset. Winters are cold, but daytime highs are usually above freezing. Winter temperatures below are uncommon, though possible. This desert climate receives less than of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.
Climbing The first ascent of the summit was made in 1970 by Harvey T. Carter Tom Merrill, Steve Kentz, and Mike Pokress via the Fantasia route on the south ridge.First Ascent Timeline, deserttowersbook.com, Retrieved 2024-09-13.
Other rock-climbing routes on The Oracle:
Beaking In Tongues – – Steve Bartlett, Dave Levine – (1997)Beaking in Tongues, Steve Bartlett, deserttowersbook.com, Retrieved 2024-09-13. Beak to the Future – class 5.10 – Paul Gagner, Jeremy Aslaksen – (2012)Fisher Towers, The Oracle, Beak to the Future, Paul Gagner, 2013, Americanalpineclub.org Empire of Dirt – class 5.8 – Jeremy Aslaksen – (2019) Curse the Gods – Jim Beyer – (2021)
See also Fisher Towers
References
External links Weather forecast: Fisher Towers The Oracle: Mountainproject.com