Sheep Rock (Arches National Park)

Sheep Rock is a pillar in Grand County, Utah. It is located within Arches National Park and like many of the rock formations in the park, it is composed of Entrada Sandstone, specifically the Slick Rock Member overlaying the Dewey Bridge Member.Stanley William Lohman, The Geologic Story of Arches National Park, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1975, p. 65. The tower is 440 feet tall, and is approximately 0.15 mile (0.24 km) from the main park road. Sheep Rock is believed to be a remnant abutment of an ancient fallen arch.Utah's National Parks, Ron Adkison, Wilderness Press, 2001, , p. 206. Precipitation runoff from Sheep Rock drains to the nearby Colorado River via Courthouse Wash. This landform's descriptive toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.

Climbing The first ascent of the summit was made October 2, 1986, by Charlie Fowler and Kyle Copeland via the Buggers Banquet route on the west face.Desert Climbing, Eric Bjørnstad, American Alpine Journal, 1987, americanalpineclub.orgFirst Ascent Timeline, deserttowersbook.com, Retrieved 2024-09-14. Another route is the class 5.8 Virgin Wool, first climbed in November 1986 by Jim Bodenhamer and Sandy Fleming.Virgin Wool, Mountainproject.com, Retrieved 2024-09-14.

Climate According to the Köppen climate classification system, Sheep Rock is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone with cold winters and hot summers. Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to experience Arches National Park, when highs average and lows average . Summer temperatures often exceed . Winters are cold, with highs averaging , and lows averaging . As part of a high desert region, it can experience wide daily temperature fluctuations. The park receives an average of less than 10 inches (25 cm) of rain annually.

Sheep Rock (Arches National Park)

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