Aires Butte, East Face Trad Climb

Lat/Lon: 37.23250°N / 112.9077°W - CLICK FOR TOPO MAP
Aires Butte is a non historical climb in Zion National Park. Good luck googling it for
any beta whatsoever. What it served for my partner and I was a break from a big wall
climb we attempted farther down the canyon in suspect weather conditions (wind). It
is an aesthetic mountain, not unlike Ferns Nipple in Capitol Reef National Park
further east. It is one of those whitish dome shaped mountains whose rock is
questionable dry, much less wet. The trad route up Aires Butte eastern flank is an
easy day out and a good opportunity to work out some cob webs from the big wall
challenges in the park. As I recall, there were about 5 pitches with a very nice
approach and summit, all relatively easy climbing. I do remember apparently solid
rock breaking way underfoot as we were climbing in moist springtime conditions. It is
best to climb Mount Ariel when it is completely dry. The biggest factor for most
climbers would be the run out, although I never had a problem with it.

Zion National Park is a 229 sq mile protected landscape of sculptured canyons and
their respective steep, towering cliffs. It is located at the junction of the Colorado
Plateau, Great Basin and Mojave Desert. The wildlife and ecosystem is vast for such
a small area and includes many varieties of bats, reptiles and birds (including the
endangered peregrine falcon ) as well as desert big horn sheep, mountain lions,
black tailed jackrabbits, grey fox and ringtail cats just to name a few of the mammals.
Human history in the park dates back to 6000 B.C. As I mentioned with Island in the
Sky, it is favorable not to step on or damage the cryptobiotic crust as it can take over
50 years to repair itself, if at all.

At least three published guides cover climbs in Zion. They are Desert Rock, Zion
Rock and Rock Climbing Utah. Mount Ariel is not found in any of them.

Getting There
Utah Route 9 has an exit off of I-15 north of St. George, UT. Route 9 takes you into the
south end of Zion National Park through the town of Springdale and continues out
the east end through a tunnel. During the busy months, private vehicles are not
allowed into Zion Canyon itself, but they are allowed on Route 9 through the park.
After you exit the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel heading east, continue through another
smaller tunnel. Park onto a right handed pull out another kilometer down the road.
We took the wash immediately back down the road (northwest) that actually
bypasses Keyhole Canyon to the left.

Red Tape
Zion National Park will have manned kiosks on Highway 9 and you will be required to
pay a US National Park fee ($20 per vehicle for a day/week pass, $50 for an annual
pass-2006). Backcountry permits are required for all overnight trips in Zion National
Park, including climbing bivouacs. Climbing bivouac reservations are available for
Moonlight Buttress, Lunar Ecstasy, Prodigal Son, Spaceshot and Touchstone
climbing areas. The permit fees are based on group size: 1-2 people: $10, 3-7
people: $15 and 8-12 people: $20. Reservations are available for many backcountry
trips in the park. A reservation does not guarantee that you will receive a permit.
Reasons that a permit will be denied include high water, flash flood warnings, and
wildland fires. Depending upon the backcountry zone, 40%-60% of the total number
of backcountry permits are available through reservations. The remainder of permits
are available as walk-in permits.

Some rock formations and routes are closed to climbing from March 1 to mid-July
each year to protect nesting peregrine falcons. Some areas that are routinely closed
include the Great White Throne, Cable Mountain, Court of the Patriarchs, and the
Streaked Wall.

My favorite place for dinner in Springdale is the outdoor patio at Oscars. It also
appears to be the local’s favorite. Most of the staff is into climbing as well, so it is a
great place to plan your next climbing day and maybe even pick up a partner. Ask for
Zach. The Mean Bean across from Oscars is one of my favorite independent coffee
houses period. Ask for Joe.

When to Climb
Summer days are hot (95-110°F), but overnight lows are usually comfortable (65-70°
F). Climbing in the middle of the day during the summer in southern Utah is not
recommended. Carry plenty of water regardless. Afternoon thunderstorms are
common from mid-July through mid-September. Storms may produce waterfalls as
well as flash floods. Sandstone is weak when wet, so avoid climbing in damp
areas or right after a rain. I climbed Ariel in March, 2006 and some of the holds
gave way. Winter in Zion Canyon is fairly mild. Winter storms can bring rain or light
snow to Zion Canyon and much heavier snow in the higher elevations. Clear days
may become quite warm, reaching 60°F; nights are often in the 20s and 30s. Zion
roads are plowed, except the Kolob Terrace road, which is closed in winter.

Camping
There are two great campsites inside Zion’s south entrance. I have stayed at the
South Campground just inside the gates. The scenic spots are on the North Fork of
the Virgin River. This is a first come, first serve campground via self registration of
$16 per night in 2005. This is a popular park however and I advise booking a site
ahead of time at Watchman Campground if you think you are going during a popular
period. Facilities include restrooms, drinking water, picnic tables, fire grates, RV
dump stations. No showers are available at these park campsites but are available
at an in town private facility for a fee. There is also a 6-site primitive campground
called Lava Point, no water, no fee, and it is not open all year.

Springdale has tons of lodging options as well including a privately owned
campground right before the entrance on the right before Zion National Park. If you
demand the luxuries of town, I recommend Majestic View Lodge. I have stayed here
on several occasions and the rooms are first class with great views. There is also
the privately run Zion Lodge which is in the heart of the park.

It is actually “illegal” in Zion to camp at the base of a climbing wall or in your vehicle.

Mountain Conditions
The Zion National Park website has most everything you need including trail
conditions or closures, wildlife notices, weather conditions, camping permits,
canyon water levels, etc.

Route
This is a 2300’+/- ascent day. The ideal time to climb Aires Butte is in the summer
when it is drier. We climbed it on a spring day as an opportunity to clear our heads
after a failed attempt on a big wall climb back in the canyon. Weather was an issue in
March of 2006 and Aires Butte is not near the commitment that the big wall climbs
can be. You will not find this route in any of the local or state-wide guide books or
even on line for that matter, or at least I could not. The only reason I knew of it was
because I was climbing with a local. It is a very aesthetic looking mountain, similar to
Ferns Nipple in Capitol Reef National Park, but does not take near as long on the
approach. Like Mountain of the Sun directly to the west, Mount Ariel has a very scenic
and laid back approach.

Once you are down into the wash from the road, follow it along for a short distance
until you have to descend deeper into it and rise back up onto the left bank bypassing
a slot canyon on your left. Continue hiking along firm rock rising onto a large plateau
that overlooks Mount Ariel to the northwest. The barren lava type landscape
continues directly to the base of the mountain on the southeast side. Top out here
and move around to your right until you are right below a huge slabby line that is the
route. There is just enough flat ground here to change out shoes and rope up. There
are no gear placements as you head up to the first bolt and in fact most of this
route is run out quite a bit. Due to the ease of the climb I never had problems with it,
but I have partners who definitely would have.

The first pitch leads straight up and then looks confusing as you try to find the
pitons/bolts. It traverses up quite a bit to the right. The middle three pitches seemed
really tame, but avoid dropping loose rock and sand down on your partner. I don’t
remember placing much gear at all or really having the opportunity for it. The last
pitch is short, but uneventful. That being said, my partner said the last time he was
out on it, his partner would not complete the pitch because he thought it was too run
out. I found it to be just above scrambling grade.

You top out onto a multitude of loose ledges. Scramble to the actual summit which,
like many of the peaks in Zion National Park, is just a huge flat top summit where the
sheep actually go to graze. Another common phenomenon that is really apparent on
Mount Ariel is the burnt out patches of trees due to lightning strikes. When one of
Zion’s peaks is surrounded by deep canyons on all sides, i.e. Mount Ariel, it
becomes a lightning rod. There was a summit register in 2006.

You rap the whole route on descent. I don’t remember the exact raps, but you can rap
to existing stations with two 60 meter ropes. Return the same.