Mrs. Butterworth Technical Rock Route

Lat/Lon: 37.1278°N, 113.0133°W
Mrs. Butterworth (aka Aunt Jemima) is the most prominent spire of Eagle Crags
located on BLM land on the southwestern outskirts of Zion National Park. Aptly
named as it resembles the syrup bottle, Mrs. Butterworth offers a lengthy approach
(by Zion standards) along with an entertaining 5.9 three pitch route on its west side
(backside of the bottle). Finding the start of this route can be quite the challenge. It
took me two trips as I climbed the wrong route in 2004. And in 2005, it took quite a
debate to find the start of the proper route which is equipped with four rappel stations
that are not in view from the ground.

Mrs. Butterworth is definitely a local’s choice. And as I pointed out with Island in the
Sky most climbers focus in Zion National Park, thus, a good chance of solitude at
Eagle Crags. There are sure to be other routes on Mrs. Butterworth, I invented one
myself in 2004 (too much loose rock). But the only one I recommend and/or has any
stations is the three pitch 5.9 on the “Backside”.

You will not find much, if any beta on line or in guide books. The view during the
climb and from the summit down Parunuweap Canyon and over to the Watchman
are remarkable.

An interesting phenomena occurred in 2005 on this route.   While my partners and I
were out onto the wall after finishing the first pitch, a large swarm of bees flew
between Mrs. Butterworth and the next Eagle Crag to the west, burrowing there
way into the other crag. As the swarm noise intensified, it was quite startling and
no doubt became a surreal moment for all three of us. Just prior to that, one of the
team jokingly swore he smelled the aroma of syrup. I visualized the potential
headline it the Utah newspapers: “Climbers attacked by killer bees while climbing
Mrs. Butterworth!”

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an agency within the U.S. Department of the
Interior, administers 261 million surface acres of America's public lands, located
primarily in 12 Western States. Eagle Crags is in the Canaan Mountain BLM
inventory units. These units contain four major BLM listed habitat types for wildlife:
pinyon pine and juniper country, riparian habitat, open sage lands, and cliffsides
(including Vermillion Cliffs). Mammals found in the units include the spotted bat,
desert shrew, cougar, cottontail rabbit, and the ringtail cat. A variety of birds also live
in the area including mourning doves, Lewis’s woodpecker, canyon wren, and
several species of raptors, including the golden eagle and the endangered
peregrine falcon which nests along Vermillion Cliffs. And of course plenty of reptiles
roam the landscape.

Getting There
From Rockville, UT, turn south on 200E and cross the bridge due south until the road
turns right and then turn left onto a dirt road that winds its way past several
homesteads. This narrow dirt and gravel road moves up the canyon. As you
continue, it becomes more of an all terrain dirt road. In the winter, it remains wet and
impassable at times. The trailhead is not well marked. As the road turns east, there
will be different pullouts on the right. Pulling off this road is where you want to access
the Eagle Crags Trail. It is not a well marked trailhead, but becomes a definitive
single track once you are on it. Eagle Crags and Mrs. Butterworth are in clear view to
the south and you want to aim for the left hand col which is where the trail crests and
descends to the south.

Red Tape
No permits are required to climb on BLM land. My favorite place for dinner in
Springdale is the outdoor patio at Oscars. It also appears to be the local’s favorite. I
eat there so damn often (every night when I am there), I get the locals discount. 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
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
Springdale has tons of lodging options including a privately owned campground right
before the entrance to Zion National Park. There are great campsites in Zion. We
stayed at the South Campground just inside the gates. We found a great spot on the
North Fork of the Virgin River. This is a first come, first serve campground via self
registration. 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. 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 direct views of Eagle
Crags and Mrs. Butterworth.

Mountain Conditions
The Zion National Park and BLM websites (above) have everything you need
including trail conditions or closures, wildlife notices, weather conditions, camping
permits, canyon water levels, etc.

Route
This is an 1800+/- ascent day. Getting to Mrs. Butterworth via the Eagle Crag Trail is
not a hump for an alpine climber like myself, but many a rock climber would think it is
a bit far for three pitches of 5.9. The attraction to this climb is that you stare at its
formation all day if you work or play in Springdale, UT. I went out in 2004 without
locals and could not find the route which resulted in me going up a real nasty and
loose climb on the backside. In 2005 it took us quite the analysis to determine
where to start the climb once we arrived to the west side of the feature.

Follow the Eagle Crag Trail south of where you parked to the col on the left side of
Mrs. Butterworth which is very distinguishable from the trail during the entire hike.
Once at the col, about an hour and a half on the trail, continue south for a short
distance and then leave the trail to your right and start a steep raw scramble up to
the south end of Mrs. Butterworth which is the most eastern crag of Eagle Crags.
Once to the southwestern corner, follow the feature up to its northwestern corner.
There are no trails once you leave the Eagle Crag trail.

As you stand right at the sharp northwest corner of Mrs. Butterworth, start the first
pitch slightly back (south) at the first corner/crack that leads up to a small tree and
medium sized ledge that serves as your first belay station. Cams and nuts fit this
crack nicely.

2nd Pitch- From the ledge at the tree, start the second pitch right for two moves and
then come back left and work out onto the face, smearing a consistent 5.9 pitch up to
a belay station located below a large flat ledge (roof). We used this belay station, but
I believe you can go ahead and make the additional required moves to attain the top
of this large flat area. In any regards, depending on the length of your rope, there are
two rappel/belay stations located at this ledge:   one below a small roof; and one
located at the start of the third pitch on the next wall that leads to the summit. We
used the first belay station we came to and did a small pitch to make the large flat
area where we took a breather and studied the most challenging move of the day,
the start of the third pitch.

3rd Pitch- From the large flat top ledge, you have a significant chasm between this
section of Mrs. Butterworth and the toughest and final pitch up the adjacent wall.
There is a station immediately on the wall, the idea being that as soon as you start
this pitch you are exposed over the chasm. The next several moves, required to
make a small sandy ledge on the wall, are by far the most challenging of the day.
The photos added to this page show this section extremely well. The hand holds
consist of rounded sandstone and the final push onto the ledge got a little ugly in
terms of form. Once onto the small ledge, traverse left into a fun corner that gives you
some layback problems that finish the climb off nicely.

There was a summit register in 2005. The views of Vermillion Cliffs, Parunuweap
Canyon, The Watchman and Zion are grand. On descent, rappel past the chasm and
on to the rappel station located below the small roof (move to the right). Then rappel
down to the small tree. From there, make your final rappel. It is much quicker to
descend (but would have been more difficult to ascend) the north steep slopes in
front of Mrs. Butterworth back down to the Eagle Crag Trail. Caution should be taken
here, particularly for the party to spread out as huge boulders can be released in this
descent. Very loose sand holds these slopes together.

Essential Gear
Full rack of cams and nuts, a few hexs, 60 meter rope, biners, runners, quickdraws,
helmet, climbing shoes, plenty of water, short gaiters to keep the sand out during
scrambling.

Trip Report
Went in 2004 scoping the route out, but ended up venturing out onto the wrong part of
the feature. Coming back in 2005 with two local partners made the difference. But we
still took 30 minutes trying to determine the start of the route. Had a very interesting
bee experience. BLM land in this area is as wild as neighboring Zion National Park.
Due to the approach, this is a good one to expect to be alone. Would like to visit
again and explore some of the other crags. It is all good in this part of Utah.