Sixshooter Peaks, Desert summit formation in San Juan County, United States
Sixshooter Peaks are two freestanding sandstone towers in southeastern Utah's San Juan County that rise sharply above the desert floor. The two summits stand close together but differ in height, and each has its own set of climbing routes along its rock faces.
The sandstone towers formed over millions of years as wind and water wore away softer rock around harder layers, leaving these columns standing. The wider region was inhabited long before European contact, and traces of earlier peoples survive in the cliffs nearby.
The sandstone walls near the peaks carry rock art left by the ancestors of today's Pueblo peoples. Visitors who look closely at the cliff faces can still spot these markings in the surrounding rock.
Spring and fall offer the most comfortable conditions for a visit, as summer heat in the desert can be extreme. The area is remote, so come prepared with enough water and the right gear before setting out.
Seen from the side, the outline of the two towers looks like a pair of revolvers pointing skyward, which is how they got their name. The name dates from a time when the imagery of the American West shaped how people described the landscape around them.
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