Pipe Organ is a sandstone pillar located in Colorado National Monument, in Mesa County of western Colorado, United States. This 400+ foot tower is situated in Wedding Canyon, less than one-half mile east of the monument's visitor center, and west of the community of Grand Junction. It is also immediately northwest of another popular climbing destination, Independence Monument, and both can be seen from viewpoints along Rim Rock Drive. The first ascent of the summit was made January 31, 1961, by John Auld, Gary Ziegler, Jim Dyson, and John Kuglin.Jeff Achey, 2002, Climb! The History of Rock Climbing in Colorado, The Mountaineers Books, page 123. Pipe Organ has a subsidiary summit unofficially named Organ Pipe Spire on the east aspect, which the National Park Service refers to as Praying Hands. This 325-foot-high subsidiary peak was originally named Squall Spire in 1976 by Harvey T. Carter of the first ascent party.Stewart M. Green, 2019, Rock Climbing Colorado A Guide to More Than 1,800 Routes, 3rd Edition, Falcon Guides, , page 444.
Geology This tower is the remnant of a differentially eroded fin composed primarily of cliff-forming Wingate Sandstone, which consists of wind-borne, cross-bedded quartzose sandstones deposited as ancient sand dunes approximately 200 million years ago in the Late Triassic. The thin caprock at the summit consists of fluvial sandstones of the resistant Kayenta Formation. The slope around the base of Pipe Organ is Chinle Formation.Stanley William Lohman, The Geologic Story of Colorado National Monument, Geological Survey Bulletin 1508, pages 28-30. The floor of the canyon is Precambrian basement rock consisting of gneiss, schist, and granites. Precipitation runoff from this geographical feature drains to the Colorado River, approximately two miles to the northeast.
Climate According to the Köppen climate classification system, Pipe Organ is located in a semi-arid climate zone. Summers are hot and dry, while winters are cold with some snow. Temperatures reach on 5.3 days, on 57 days, and remain at or below freezing on 13 days annually. The months April through October offer the most favorable weather to visit.
Gallery
Climbing Established rock climbing routes on Pipe Organ and Organ Pipe Spire:
Southeast – – 3 pitches – First Ascent 1961 Southwest Face – class 5.10+ C2 – 3 pitches Organ Pipe Spire – class 5.8+ – 2 pitches Sirocco – class 5.9 – FA 1976 Pipe Dream – class 5.11+ – 5 pitches – FA 2005 Aces & Eights – class 5.12 C2 – 4 pitches Ender's Game – class 5.10 – 3 pitches The Weird Fun – class 5.10 – 3 pitches
See also List of rock formations in the United States Kissing Couple Sentinel Spire
References
External links Weather forecast: National Weather Service Pipe Organ rock climbing: Mountainproject.com Pipe Organ photo: USGS