Watch Tower (mountain)

Watch Tower is a (12,331-foot (3,758 m)) mountain located in the southern Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming. Watch Tower is on the west side of the Cirque of the Towers, a popular climbing area and is just southeast of Block Tower.[3] Watch Tower is immediately east of the Continental Divide.

Watch Tower
Watch Tower
Location in Wyoming
Watch Tower
Location in the United States
Highest point
Elevation12,331 ft (3,758 m) [1]
Prominence246 ft (75 m) [1]
Coordinates42°46′27″N 109°14′04″W [2]
Geography
LocationFremont and Sublette Counties, Wyoming, U.S.
Parent rangeWind River Range
Topo mapUSGS Lizard Head Peak

Hazards
Main articles: Hazards of outdoor recreation and Mountaineering § Hazards

Encountering bears is a concern in the Wind River Range.[4] There are other concerns as well, including bugs, wildfires, adverse snow conditions and nighttime cold temperatures.[5]

Importantly, there have been notable incidents, including accidental deaths, due to falls from steep cliffs (a misstep could be fatal in this class 4/5 terrain) and due to falling rocks, over the years, including 1993,[6] 2007 (involving an experienced NOLS leader),[7] 2015[8] and 2018.[9] Other incidents include a seriously injured backpacker being airlifted near SquareTop Mountain[10] in 2005,[11] and a fatal hiker incident (from an apparent accidental fall) in 2006 that involved state search and rescue.[12] The U.S. Forest Service does not offer updated aggregated records on the official number of fatalities in the Wind River Range.

References
  1. "Watch Tower, Wyoming". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  2. "Watch Tower". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  3. Lizard Head Peak, WY (Map). TopoQwest (United States Geological Survey Maps). Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  4. Staff (April 24, 2017). "Bear Safety in Wyoming's Wind River Country". WindRiver.org. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  5. Ballou, Dawn (July 27, 2005). "Wind River Range condition update - Fires, trails, bears, Continental Divide". PineDaleOnline News. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  6. Staff (1993). "Falling Rock, Loose Rock, Failure to Test Holds, Wyoming, Wind River Range, Seneca Lake". American Alpine Club. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  7. MacDonald, Dougald (August 14, 2007). "Trundled Rock Kills NOLS Leader". Climbing. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  8. Staff (December 9, 2015). "Officials rule Wind River Range climbing deaths accidental". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  9. Dayton, Kelsey (August 24, 2018). "Deadly underestimation". WyoFile News. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  10. Funk, Jason (2009). "Squaretop Mountain Rock Climbing". Mountain Project. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  11. Staff (July 22, 2005). "Injured man rescued from Square Top Mtn - Tip-Top Search & Rescue helps 2 injured on the mountain". PineDaleOnline News. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  12. Staff (September 1, 2006). "Incident Reports - September, 2006 - Wind River Search". WildernessDoc.com. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
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