Looking Glass Arch – Private Multi-Pitch Rock Climbing Tour
fromEasy rock climbing, a beautiful summit and a spectacular rappel through an arch!
Looking Glass Rock sits proudly in the desert and features one of the most spectacular arches around. This dome presents a great opportunity for new climbers to learn the ins and outs of multi-pitch climbing while reaching a beautiful summit and tackling a huge rappel at the end of the climb.
We start the day with a short hike to the base of the long, sandstone rib. We’ll go over multi-pitch rope systems, belaying, gear cleaning and climbing technique before launching off on our first pitch. Three pitches and 400 feet of climbing later, we arrive at the top of Looking Glass Arch. We’ll take in the views of the vast open desert and nearby mountain ranges. From here, we descend via an airy rappel through a small arch and into a massive wind-carved alcove.
This climb is great for all abilities and an excellent way to spend a half day in the Moab area!
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Reviews 3 Reviews5/5
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Vacation Style Holiday Type
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Activity Level Easy
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- Duration: 4-6 hours
- Difficulty: Easy
- Total Hiking Distance: .2 miles
- Distance from Moab: 40 minutes one-way
- Season: All Year
- All tours are private – just your group and your guide!
- 2025 Prices:
- 1 Person – $300
- Group of 2 – $195/person
- Group of 3 – $175/person
- Group of 4 or more – $160/person
Looking Glass Rock sits proudly in the desert and features one of the most spectacular arches around. This dome presents a great opportunity for new climbers to learn the ins and outs of multi-pitch climbing while reaching a beautiful summit and tackling a huge rappel at the end of the climb.
We start the day with a short hike to the base of the long, sandstone rib. We’ll go over multi-pitch rope systems, belaying, gear cleaning and climbing technique before launching off on our first pitch. Three pitches and 400 feet of climbing later, we arrive at the top of Looking Glass Arch. We’ll take in the views of the vast open desert and nearby mountain ranges. From here, we descend via an airy rappel through a small arch and into a massive wind-carved alcove.
This adventure is great for climbers of all abilities and an excellent way to spend a half-day in the Moab area!
- All climbing gear and safety equipment, not including rock climbing shoes
- Private tour – just your group plus your guide(s)!
- Instruction from experienced and fun guides
- Transportation to and from the climbing location
- Rock climbing shoes are not included – please let us know if you need to rent a pair from us
- Lunch and snacks – please bring enough food to be out and active for 3-5 hours
- Water – we recommend packing at least 2 liters of water
Absolutely! Looking Glass Rock is a great introduction to rock climbing for adventurous beginners. The climbing is not particularly difficult, but the multi-pitch nature of this climb makes it more adventurous than our half day rock climbing tours.
During our time out together, we’ll go over climbing, belaying and rappelling techniques. You’ll always be attached to at least one rope – this is called “on belay” while climbing. While you’re rappelling, you’re attached to two ropes – one that you’re managing on your way down, and another that your guide is managing just in case you let go or lose control.
A “pitch” is a set length of climbing that ends at a set of anchors where your guide will stop and belay each person in the group up to them. From there, the guide continues up the next “pitch” to another set of anchors and belays each person up the them again. We repeat for another pitch until you’re on top of Looking Glass Rock!
Once up top, we’ll do one rappel that is 120 feet in length. This gets us back to the ground close to where we started.
Please visit our FAQ page for answers to general questions about rock climbing and other activities in Moab.
My 14 yr old son and I called Desert Highlights looking for a suitable rock climbing / rappelling adventure. Melissa was the one who booked us, and did an amazing job in recommending the route, formation, and plan that was suitable for my son's experience level. She answered any questions I had and was very pleasant in the booking process. Michelle was our guide for the Looking Glass Arch climb and rappel tour we decided to book. She was an awesome guide, with a great deal of knowledge and experience in rock climbing and rappelling. She always maintained a vigilant focus on safety, gear management, and strong communication while up on the rock. She assisted me in coaching my son to get past a bit of anxiety. This allowed us to comfortably coach him to continue the climb and rappel, just a tad beyond his comfort level. He was soooo glad he decided to continue on and complete the climb / rappel. Michelle was great with him, and did a great job in coaching us both through the whole climb. What a fantastic day up on the Arch. Thank you Melissa and Michelle for a wonderful experience in Moab.
Keira took us to Looking Glass Arch for a multi-pitch climb and 140 foot rappel. I was so nervous and she made me feel 100% safe and was fun to experience it with. I had previous climbing experience but the climb was rather easy. The most important is she made us feel safe the entire way, and took some great photos for us! Can't wait to return to go on another adventure.
We did the Looking Glass rock climb with Herb and had a blast! The climbing was easy, but it was so cool to get to the summit, enjoy the views and do an awesome rappel! I highly recommend this trip!