Fisher Towers, near Moab

The canyon and river country around the towers has been home and travelway to Native peoples for thousands of years, among them the Ancestral Puebloan and Fremont peoples, and the Ute, Paiute, and Navajo, or Diné, whose ties to this region continue today. The Colorado River corridor nearby carries reminders of that long presence in the rock art and sites of the wider area.

In the age of exploration and ranching, the river corridor became a route for travelers and stockmen, and the towers took their name from an early figure associated with the area. In modern times the spires drew rock climbers from around the world, and one of the tallest, the Titan, was first climbed in 1962 in a celebrated ascent that made national news, cementing Fisher Towers as a proving ground for desert climbing.

The towers are carved mostly from the Cutler Formation, a deep-red rock of ancient river-deposited mud and sand, capped in places by a harder layer of sandstone. That soft, crumbly red rock erodes readily, and where a resistant caprock protects the material beneath it, tall pillars and spires are left standing while the surrounding rock washes away.

Wind, rain, and the freeze and thaw of water in cracks have fluted and channeled the towers into their strange, organ-pipe forms, and the process continues, with the spires slowly eroding even as we admire them. Their deep color comes from iron minerals rusted within the rock, the same iron that reddens so much of the Utah desert, and in the long light of dawn and dusk that color deepens to a fiery glow.

The Fisher Towers trail is one of the finest desert day hikes near Moab, a moderate out-and-back that loops around the base of the towers, dipping through washes and skirting ledges, with the spires rising overhead at every turn. A short ladder helps hikers down one steep spot, and the trail ends at an overlook with a sweeping view of the towers, the river valley, and the mountains beyond.

For climbers, the towers are a world unto themselves, their soft, sandy rock demanding specialized skill and nerve. The famous routes up the Titan, Ancient Art, and the other spires are objectives that draw experienced desert climbers from far away, and watching them work their way up the exposed faces from the safety of the trail is a thrill in itself.

The desert around the towers supports the hardy life of the canyon country. Lizards bask on the warm rock, ravens and canyon wrens call from the cliffs, and desert bighorn sheep, mule deer, and coyotes range through the surrounding washes and slopes. Along the nearby river, cottonwoods and willows draw songbirds and beavers.

Spring and fall bring the best hiking weather and the loveliest light on the red spires. Summer is fiercely hot on the shadeless trail, so early morning and evening are the times to go, and the late-day monsoon storms can be dangerous on the exposed route. Winter is cool and quiet, and a dusting of snow on the deep-red towers, with the frosted La Sals behind, makes for an unforgettable scene.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.