Island in the Sky Technical Rock Routes

Lat/Lon: 37.1933°N, 113.6425°W
Island in the Sky is a “climbing island” of sorts located in Snow Canyon State Park,
UT (6300 acres) which is ten miles north of St. George, UT.   There is another Island
in the Sky feature located in Canyonlands National Park further east. Snow Canyon is
full of Red Navajo sandstone, capped by an overlay of black lava rock. This process
creates significant, but sometimes delicate climbing holds called desert varnish.
Snow Canyon is exceptional in that everyone is visiting nearby Zion and Bryce
National Parks leaving it very quiet. I have been part of the only climbing party in the
park on more than one occasion and there are over 200 routes. I could camp and
climb here for a week and not get bored. There are some cool sand dunes directly
across from Island in the Sky and a significant state park campground just north of it.

The wildlife is a little different than what I am used to in Canada. The most likely
suspects are Gila monsters, desert tortoises, scorpions and the Mojave
sidewinders. Please avoid walking on the microbiological soil. It is the dark crust
that holds the surface layers together and prevents erosion. It takes centuries to
reoccur. This whole ecosystem is much more delicate than most.

Island in the Sky has nine separate climbing areas with multiple (5.6-5.12b) routes
each: Breakfast Nook, Circus Wall, Aftershock Wall, The War Zone, The Dip Area,
The Doghouse, The Sand Dunes Area, The Indian Wall and the South End.

Getting There
Take Bluff Street north out of St. George through Sunset Blvd and turn left on Snow
Canyon Parkway. Proceed for approximately six miles and turn right on Utah Route 8.
Drive three miles to the Ranger controlled entrance to the park. Once you pay your
entrance fee, continue on the park road and Island in the Sky will be on your right
hand side. Dependant on which routes you are climbing will determine where you
park. There are several options.

Red Tape
Snow Canyon State Park. You will be required to purchase a state park pass as you
enter the park. The day use fee was $5 in 2005. You can also buy an annual pass.
Camping fees range from $14 for tent sites and $17 for camper sites. There are no
permit requirements to climb in Snow Canyon State Park, but all camping is
regulated. Campsites can be reserved at the link above. There are park kiosks
manned at each end of the park. The official hours are 6:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. in the
summer and 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. in the winter. I have seen them unmanned, but
the road has always remained opened on my visits.

My favorite place for dinner is the sushi bar at Samurai, 245 Red Cliffs Drive. Good
coffee has a way to go in St George (although Springdale’s Mean Bean is one of my
all time favorites). I would stick with the Starbucks across the way from the Samurai.

When To Climb
The climbing is good all year round with the exception of daytime during the summer
months. If you are climbing anywhere in southwestern Utah during the summer
months, you more than likely better get up early and finish your climb early. The walls
get brutally hot.

Camping
The single campground is located in the middle of the park. You can make
reservations on line at Snow Canyon State Park. The campground is open all year,
no holiday closures. There is a limit on your stay of 5 days. They have 33 total units,
17 of which are reserved for the big boys (RV’s) with utility hookups. The tent sites
were $14 in 2005. Drinking water is available on site along with vault toilets and even
showers. The running/hiking/equestrian trail system is pretty cool and as long as
you don’t run into the occasional Segway group, the whole park is usually quiet.

Mountain Conditions
Other useful sites beside the Snow Canyon State Park site include the weather
forecast and a climbing guide company for the area.

Route
Leopard Skin is in the section of Island in the Sky they call the sand dunes area
because of course it is directly across the road from the sand dunes in Snow
Canyon. Park at the West Canyon day use parking lot. Walk south on paved road for
about 100 yards. Head east across the wash to an obvious scree slope for access
to the second tier. Once on the second tier you need to traverse right.

You are looking for a friction slab past two pins to a crack and station above.

First Pitch- Move up the friction slab with the crux move coming early on a short
traverse right. Clip two pins on your way to the crack above. Use a medium cam in
the crack and proceed to a ledge above with anchor. (5.7, 50’)
Second Pitch- Do a lengthy horizontal traverse right past four pins and up to a two
pin anchor. (5.7, 65’).
Third Pitch- Take the varnish slab holds straight up past seven pins to a three pin
anchor (5.6, 70’).
Fourth Pitch- More of the same past seven pins to a sling anchor (5.6, 70’).

On descent traverse down to your right (south) and rap the chimney to the lower tier
and head back north to where you ascended. There is a more challenging unnamed
route we did once we rapped the chimney a few feet further south.

Route
Unnamed is a route we did right after Leopard Skin.   Once on the second tier you
need to traverse right all the way over to the base of a long right facing chimney.

There is a route named Stranger than Friction (5.8) that ramps up the left facing wall
of the chimney. Continue right and you will find a challenging route that is bolted, but
was not listed in any guide book I had in 2005. There is an off width crack to follow
and another line of bolts that show up to your left that go off on another unnamed
route. The moves are best shown in the photos.

Rap back down to the lower tier and head back north to where you ascended.

Route
Once on the second tier you need to traverse left until you are below a large roof
looking wall.   Kibosch Buttress route follows left into the corner and then straight up
and back left out onto the face. It is an easy ramp and varnish slab past seven pins to
chains. Although the guidebook calls for medium gear on this route, I felt comfortable
not placing any. It also calls for two raps to the ground, (90’), but I used one rope and
rapped down to two pins used on the 5.11b Kibosch route. The photos are fairly
descriptive

Essential Gear
Many of the routes in Snow Canyon require two ropes for rappels. A dozen
quickdraws, small rack of cams and of course helmet and climbing shoes. This is
the desert, so plenty of water is never a bad idea.

Trip Report
My wife and I have climbed and run in Snow Canyon on several occasions. But my
October, 2005 trip was with two young climbers from Springdale (Zion National Park)
who wanted to drive to Snow Canyon for this particular climb. Even though I had
already left St. George for my Zion, Bryce, Capital Reef and Moab agenda, no one
had to twist my arm to head back to Snow Canyon. I love this place. I had just run the
St. George Marathon right by Snow Canyon four days earlier.