Meridian Tower

Meridian Tower is a 7,340-foot Navajo sandstone spire in the Towers of the Virgin, about two miles northwest of Zion National Park headquarters, rising some 3,350 feet above the Virgin River and the canyon floor. It's most easily picked out from town — the formation is visible from Oscar's Café in Springdale — and it ranks among the hardest of the Towers of the Virgin to reach. Its first ascent, an eight-pitch route, took five days of climbing.

Access rules matter here

• The approach to the wall below the tower passes behind the Zion Human History Museum, through a residential and maintenance area
• This is the only spot in the park where a permit is required for single-day climbs
• Climbers found on the maintenance road or in the Oak Creek drainage without authorization can be cited

For most visitors this is a formation to spot from the valley, not a hike or scramble to attempt.