Lowe Route on Angels Landing
Description: This route seems to have enjoyed some popularity in Zion for a non-trade route. You still rarely see people climbing it but of all the non-trade routes, this is a likely one for people to have done. It has some great free climbing, great aid climbing and it tackle s a beautiful line up the center of Angels Landing. Have fun!
This route is best done as a fix and blast because the hauling would be difficult, especially on the last few pitches. Before climbing this route, consult the route information at the Visitor Center. There is some great information that will help big time. The topo in McAfee's guide is incomplete and the topo on bigwalls.com is very "inaccurate" or unhelpful at the least. Be prepared for serious climbing on the last two pitches despite the description of an "Exit Gully" going at 5.5 and 5.2.
There's a great account of Mike Anderson's free climb of this route on rockclimbing.com under the Zion history thread, which is mostly worthwhile reading itself.
Difficulty: V 5.10 C3+ (may be more like C2+, depends on who you talk to) Nailing rating: A2 (?) Free at 5.13.
First Ascent: Jeff Lowe and Cactus Bryan, September 1970. First free ascent by Mike Anderson in 2004 at 5.13 with a two or three pitch variation above pitch seven, the crux aid climbing pitch.
Protection: 2-3 sets of offset nuts, double set offset aliens, triple set of cams up to #4 Camalot, small ball nuts, and small tri-cams.
Approach: Park or get off the bus at Big Bend, cross river, and find a faint climber's trail that takes you to the base of the route. There is some relatively recent rockfall on the ground to the left of the Lowe Route.
Pitch 1: (5.6) Two nice bolts at a ledge.
Pitch 2: (5.9) Hanging belay. Two bolts, a pin, and a drive-in.
Pitch 3: (5.8) Nice ledge. Two bolts and some drive-ins(?).
Pitch 4: (5.8) Multiple bolts. Nice ledge.
Pitch 5: (C2) First aid pitch. I think Anderson freed this at 5.12. Climbs thin crack above belay with some soft rock. Multiple bolt/pin anchor.
Pitch 6: (C1) Easy aid pitch and I think Anderson free this at 5.10 or easy 5.11. False belay, one of the bolts has been chopped so there is now only one bolt. Sloping ledge with multiple bolt/pin anchor.
Pitch 7: (C3) Pitch traverses left of the belay past an old bolt (star drive?) to the overhangs. For some people the overhangs are the aid crux but with offset aliens they were relatively easy. After climbing through the series of overhangs ascend a thin, scarred crack up the face. It feels like a relatively long pitch, perhaps because you are constantly stepping on thin offset nuts. Finsh on a nice ledge with multiple bolts. The free variation climbs the face up and left of this ledge and rejoins the route a few pitches later.
Pitch 8: (C2) This is a really cool, exposed pitch. From the ledge, climb the short bolt ladder that climbs above the huge overhang. The exposure here is unreal and just really, really cool. The bolt ladder leads to a short section of C2 crack. The aid only gets easier to the belay. There is a one bolt false belay. Keep going to the sloping ledge under a roof with one bolt, one pin, and two drive-ins.
Pitch 9: (5.10 C1) A really cool mixed free and aid pitch. Free climb out the sweet roof that has a 7" crack but isn't harder than 5.10. It's protected by a big Camalot in the back of the crack which you can walk with you. After pulling the roof free climb as much as you can and then pull out the adiers. Multiple bolt/pin anchor.
Pitch 10: (5.10 C1) Another cool mixed free and aid pitch. Climb up the thin crack and through a small roof that is easier to free than aid. If you try to aid the free sections you will be very stretched to reach placements. Multiple bolt/pin anchor.
Pitch 11: (5.8) Climb up from the belay to get some gear in a crack then traverse left on a ledge that starts very small and gets gradually bigger. The "bolt" on the traverse is actually a Star drive-in. Finish in a sandy chimney that we dubbed the "rat cave" after seeing a rat scurrying around. These last pitches can be done as one or split as we did which seemed easier at night. Two pins for an anchor if you go all the way otherwise sling big boulder in chimney. From the guides it appears that you would climb through the first overhang to stop at the two pin anchor but it seemed like rope drag would have been difficult, hence we stopped at the chimney and slung ther large boulder.
Pitch 12: (5.7-9?) Climb through a couple of overhangs by traversing underneath them and then up. Seemed kind of freaky for us because of loose rock, routefinding, lack of protection, and darkness. There is one bolt with wire hanger that can be backed up with a pink tri-cam, offset nut, and an offset alien if you go all the way. We broke this pitch into two.
Pitch 13: (5.9) Our topo said that the last pitch was 5.2 but it wasn't for us. In the Visitor Center someone labeled this pitch 5.9+. Whatever the rating, you climb above the belay in a runout, sandy corner then up questionable rock to the top. You don't get any pro for 10 or 15 feet so it has a bit of a pucker factor, which was magnified for us by darkness and fatigue. Tree at the top for an anchor.
Bivies: The tops of pitches 4 and 7 have the best ledges.
Descent: Hike down the Angels Landing Trail to the Grotto Picnic area.
Helpful Beta/Strategy Tips: