Three Gossips

The Three Gossips is a 4,700-foot-elevation (1,433-meter) sandstone pillar in Grand County, Utah, United States.

Three Gossips
East aspect
Highest point
Elevation	4,700 ft (1,433 m)[1]
Prominence	240 ft (73 m)[1]
Parent peak	The Organ (4,735 ft)[1]
Isolation	0.28 mi (0.45 km)[1]
Coordinates	38°38′09″N 109°36′11″W[2]
Geography
Three Gossips Location in Utah Show map of Utah Three Gossips Three Gossips (the United States) Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Utah
County	Grand
Protected area	Arches National Park
Parent range	Colorado Plateau[3]
Topo map	USGS The Windows Section
Geology
Rock age	Jurassic
Rock type	Entrada Sandstone[4]
Climbing
First ascent	1970
Easiest route	class 5.7 climbing[1]

Description

Three Gossips is located within Arches National Park and it is an iconic rock feature visible from the main park road at the Courthouse Towers area. Like many of the rock formations in the park, it is composed of Entrada Sandstone which formed between 180 and 140 million years ago.^[5][6] The tower is 350 feet tall,^[7] and topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 500 feet (152 meters) above surrounding terrain in 0.15 miles (0.24 km). Precipitation runoff from Three Gossips drains to the nearby Colorado River via Courthouse Wash. The pillars were named for the shape of the rock which resembles three heads talking amongst themselves.^[8] This landform's descriptive toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.^[2] This landform was shown briefly in the opening scene credits of the 1989 American action adventure film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Climbing

The first ascent of the summit was made in October 1970 by Allen Steck and Steve Roper via the class 5.11 West Face.^[9]

Other rock-climbing routes on Three Gossips:

• Lyon Trautner Route - class 5.10 - Charles Lyon, Todd Trautner - (1981)^[10]
• Be There or Be Talked About - class 5.11 - Pete Gallagher, Bego Gerhart - (1988)^[11]
• Speak No Evil - class 5.10 - Duane Raleigh, Lisa Raleigh - (1994)^[12]
• The Crystalline Entity - class 5.9 - David Evans, Tom Sherman, Margy Floyd - (1994)^[13]

Argon Tower (left) and Three Gossips (right)

Access

The formation can be seen from Courthouse Towers viewpoint and can be accessed through a short hike down into a large wash towards the east side of the pillars.^[14]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Three Gossips is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone with cold winters and hot summers.^[15] Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to experience Arches National Park, when highs average 60 to 80 °F (15 to 25 °C) and lows average 30 to 50 °F (0 to 10 °C). Summer temperatures often exceed 100 °F (40 °C). Winters are cold, with highs averaging 30 to 50 °F (0 to 10 °C), and lows averaging 0 to 20 °F (−20 to −5 °C). As part of a high desert region, it can experience wide daily temperature fluctuations. The park receives an average of less than 10 inches (25 cm) of rain annually.

See also

• Geology of Utah
• Argon Tower