Originally done as an aid route, Silmaril is a great mixed free and aid line. Moderate aid on good rock with "Indian Creek" type crack climbing. The first ascent party didn't place any bolts. A free ascent is equally good. A left hand variation for the first 3 pitches climbs a very good corner system to an intersection with the original route. The crux free climbing is right off of the ground.

There are good ledges at almost every belay. The bivy ledge on top of pitch 9 is huge. This is one of those seldom done routes in Zion that is high quality...no crowds, no fixed gear or belays, just beautiful cracks.

Silmaril

Surf's Up

North Ridge

The Vigil

Hoods in the Woods

Chastity Crack

Cradle to Grave

Mythical Kings & Iguanas

Strikes & Gutters

Negative Ghostrider

This route has a long list of First Ascensionists Brad Quinn established the first wide hands pitch. Then followed by Brian Smoot and Garrett Kemper had attempted a similar line and made it to the vegetated ramp below the upper half of the route. Smoot and Kemper’s line of ascent was slightly left of our first three pitches. We later found out that the two pitches above Brad Quinn’s initial hand crack were climbed by Andy Anderson, Rob Duncan, and Ari Menitove in March 2014, but they had also descended from the vegetated ramp. Ethan and I over a number of trips up the wall Established pitches 4-10.

The route is good, though there is a lot of scrambling/route finding between sections on the route and a fair bit of fist and wide climbing. It's great for something off the beaten path but there are many routes on the W Face to climb before this route, 7/10 pitches are good, the rest, is take it or leave it. The photos are of the best pitches, there's plenty of bush whacking and standard Zion adventure choss as well.

The crux is a tips to tight hand crack at pitch 8, that could be easily aided at C1.

Link to the AAJ report on the route;

http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201214513/The-Watchman-First-Ascent-of-Surfs-Up-and-First-Free-Ascent-of-Cradle-to-Grave

I was surprised this route wasn’t already on here, so I figured I’d add what I know and anyone else can keep improving it. We used a combination of Zion free and clean and this summitpost writeup to aid in finding the route:

https://www.summitpost.org/watchman-north-ridge-iv-5-10/1000569

We parked inside the park at the visitor center and took a gully most of the way towards the Watchman. There’s a faint trail that goes up towards the base then gets clearer. Hiked around until we spotted some reasonable scrambling, then kept going, for about 400 vertical feet, until we felt like roping up.

We roped up for a longish crack a little below what a summitpost writeup described as the first pitch. For that pitch (5.10), you crawl into a little chimney and work your way over or around a small roof, then up the rest of the chimney. There are a lot of trees or gear belay options.

Numbering pitches is somewhat tricky on this one. Some things the party may feel comfortable scrambling up. I found the rock pretty loose and the route less than obvious enough that we stayed roped up most of the time. Pitch 2(?) was some 5.7 and a bit mossier rock that finishes up a small roof move. From here or soon on you can see the next real pitch (5.9), and the only bolt we came across. Some facy moves take you right around the arete. Then up.

From here I ran the rope way right and up a grassy gully to a tree belay, where we could see the next pitch (5.7), we set up the next belay here and went up some loose rock and took the left-most crack to a boulder with some slings around it (one sling tore apart when we pulled on it). We had some route-finding problems here. The next belay is down some and left along the ridge, until you see a long pretty curved corner crack (5.9+). Finger width widens to hand width up higher.

From here my description will get worse, as it turned more into mountaineering again. The next couple pitches we had to keep rather short because of rope drag. We would go until that got too annoying then use the nearest tree, all the while aiming for the headwall. We ran into a lot of loose rock and some interesting moves. At one point we reached a bolt/sling we rapped off to get back farther right and closer to on-route. Eventually we came to the headwall pitch. It is very loose and looks pretty difficult to protect, The Zion free and Clean guidebook appears to suggest you take the left chimney, which they say goes at 5.10A0. The summitpost writeup suggests you go right up the corner chimney by taking an airy step into the chimney farthest right.

From the top, it is possible to rap down the route, if you’re willing to rap off trees, or to traverse the ridge and rap down the hanging canyon to the east.

Starts in a 7" crack & follows various sizes of cracks, face & chimney climbing to the top in 10 pitches. There is a good ledge (bivy) at mid height. This is an outstanding route, with some sporty face climbing. Topo available at visitors center.

Probably the best route on

The Watchman

.

Descent: Hike off or rap route with two ropes.

This is a nice 3 pitch climb that begins approximately 150' to the left of Mythical Kings and Iguanas and 200' to the right of Chasity Crack in an obvious handcrack splitting the arete.

P1  Begin by climbing the striking handcrack that slashed around the arete quickly widening to fists then O.W. The crux is turning the arete 5.10b.  From here climb up the 4-7 inch crack, laybacking and faceclimbing outside of the crack.  At ledge traverse right 30 feet and set belay just above the small tree visable from the ground. 120'

P2  Faceclimb up and right heading for the thin varnished cracks on the face.  A red alien in a pod was key in protecting this section.  Climb the steep varnished crack (5.10) to a ledge and then climb the fingercrack buldge (5.11) and finish with nice hands to a bolted anchor. 100'

P3  Climb the nice fist crack which leads to a strenuous O.W. crack through a buldge (10+/11-). Climb the remaining 30 feet to a ledge with a nice 2 bolt anchor. 100'

The route converges with mythical kings and iguanas on this ledge.  It would be possible to continue up MKI or climb the first three pitches and rappel our route. Do two rappels with 60m ropes to get back to the base

This is an excellent 3 pitch route, that does not see much traffic mostly due to the 60-90 minute approach, if it were on the road side, it would be classic.  It is on the north side of the watchman tower feature.

Pitch 1: (5.9)  Start in a straight in hand crack 50 feet on the left side of a 50 foot tower to a belay stance. (no bolts top of pitch 1)

Pitch 2: (5.9+) Left facing hand crack to a roof with good face holds, to a short arete and to a bolted belay stance.

Pitch 3: (5.11) starts as splitter straight in  fingers on two cracks, then that turns into hands and its a little steeper through the last section, end in a bolted belay.

Descent: Rap the route 2 60M ropes

Cradle to Grave starts with 3 excellent chimney/offwidth pitches on great rock. One squeeze section was so narrow I had to take my harness off to get through. It's also possible to avoid this section by climbing the offwidth out side of the chimney. 3 more pitches, including a 35' section of clean aid, lead to an excellent, exposed crack, leading to the summit.

Mythical Kings and Iguanas offers a fun and adventurous Zion outing, located in a great position on The Watchman.  The climb mainly consists of handcracks and chimneys, with the exception of a few OW sections. The rock quality is mixed, yet solid for the majority of the route.

Those looking for something off-the-beaten-path that is scrappy, and moderate in grade, will find this to be a worthy outing. The view of Zion Canyon from the top is outstanding.

P1

: Hands to big Hands with stemming and face climbing. Traverse right when you hit the OW (there's a chockstone stuck in the OW) and continue up smaller crack.

5.9+

P2

: OW flare to splitter hands. Reach deep for solid jams and good gear, or face climb left side of OW (watch for choss). Climb to pod/cave. Gear anchor.

5.10-

P3

: Left onto face, and up mixed cracks. Lots of choss. Climb to a large ledge. Bolted anchors on left side. Or Link pitches 2 and 3 so the belayer isn't underneath said choss. Bring extra 1, 2, and 3 if you decide to link.

5.8

P4

: Follow right crack system. Chimney and stemming. Climb to ledge with one bolt.

5.8

P5

: Climb low-angle OW (camalot #6) to ledge. Natural anchor. Pitch 5 can be linked with either P4 or P6.

5.8

P6

: Low-angle broken terrain and cracks. Natural Anchor.

5.6

The Following Rappels are taken from two different parties, the first set of directions are more current.

Descent

: (2015) Single rope raps recommended, double ropes get stuck. There are new slings and year-old slings at each single rope rap, with an exception to the final, which is still a double-rope rap.

R1:

From slung tree on west side of large ledge, free-hang rappel to large ledge below.

R2

: Single rap. Down-scramble two ledges, walk north, look for small cairn on large boulder, and rap off nearby slung tree on east side.

R3

: Single rap. Slung pondo tree to north shoulder. Tie ends for this one.

R4

: Double rap to base. Move rope far from the north shoulder before you pull so it doesn't get stuck.

OR

R1

: (2012) Double rope. 60m. Walk to the west side of the formation and look for slings on a tree.

R2

: Double rope. 60m. Drop through a notch in the north side of the formation. Look for slings on a tree. This one drops you off on the top of the north ridge shoulder. OR  2b) if following the 2nd set of Single rap. Down-scramble two ledges, walk north, look for small cairn on large boulder, and rap off nearby slung tree on east side.

R3

: Double rope. 60m. Walk to the east side of the ridge and look for slings on a tree. This one drops you at the base of the route. Watch for rope drag.

Climb the Obvious cleft located on the right side of the Watchman when viewing from town. Locate a steep chimney/ crack system and climb it straight up for 4 pitches passing a 5.10 "SQUEEZER" on P2 and through a 5.11 or C1 roof on P3. and a scary chockstone on P4. From the top of P4 trend up and right into the obvious cleft/ chimney system and to the top of the Watchman in 4 or 5 pitches. Lower part of the route is good but the upper part is a Gutter. But a very unique feature can be discovered near the top! Guess I could say adventurous route but not all that recommended.

Negative Ghostrider is a fun climb.  It is the southernmost climb on the west face of The Watchman.  Climbing consists of mostly finger to fist sized cracks, with a bit of chimney as well. Rock ranges from solid to choss, with most being pretty good.  All in all we had a blast on this route, with cool features, engaging climbing, and most belays at comfy stances.

Descent by rapping the route is surprisingly straight forward.

Be aware that there is a huge detached flake atop pitch 3.  There is a bolted belay in bomber rock above the flake, but you are basically standing on it with your belayer straight below.

The topo in the Bird guide is right on, although we did link pitches 4-6.

Description

Location

Protection

Routes in The Watchman