# What's the tallest cliff with a flat top? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 27, 2009, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885 "2009-08-27T07:01:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2009, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/21 "2009-08-27T19:31:45Z")
> [@runcible\_spoon](#): > > but once you get up, you can stroll, yeah? Yes, that’s so. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2009, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/22 "2009-08-27T20:24:44Z")
The top of El Capitan really isn’t that flat. (I’ve hiked there from the back side). It is a gradual slope that gets steeper as you reach the edge. The top of Half Dome would fit your requirements better, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2009, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/23 "2009-08-27T20:52:42Z")
> [@Randy\_Seltzer](#): > > Meru Peak in the Indian Himalayas is 6600 meters tall (22,600 ft) and its Eastern side is an almost perfectly vertical rock face, descending 1700 meters (5,500 ft) straight down. > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCIqogMsySs](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCIqogMsySs) Upon reflection, this most decidedly does not qualify for the OP. While it does have a taller sheer face than any of the others in the thread, it has absolutely no flat area on top. From the pictures, it looks like you climb up a 60-degree slope, which is quite suddenly interrupted by a 90-degree drop. ---
**Author:** ![Bartman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bartman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bartman)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2009, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/24 "2009-08-28T00:21:15Z")
[Mount Thor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Thor)? 1250m is a heck of a lot. But it might not qualify as a flat enough top for you. But the angle is back away from the cliff. So there is a definite hard lip. You may not feel comfortable strolling about on the top, for fear of slipping down the back slope. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/25 "2009-08-28T00:44:19Z")
You can drive to the top of Mt. Evans in Colorado in the summer, and from there it is a fairly easy (considering the 14,000’ altitude) walk down through an alpine tundra meadow to the base of the “Sawtooth” a high ridge connecting to the summit of Mt. Bierstadt. At the beginning of the sawtooth ridge is a section that provides about three feet of level ground with nearly vertical rock on your left side and 100% vertical drop on your right. It is only about thirty feet long but it is scary as hell. I don’t know what the vertical drop is, but to my eyes it is a couple thousand feet. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/HcR16o4f37E/hqdefault.jpg "Sawtooth - Mt. Bierstadt & Mt. Evans in Colorado") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcR16o4f37E) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2009, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/26 "2009-08-28T03:16:53Z")
> [@Bartman](#): > > [Mount Thor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Thor)? Now I know where my lair is going to be. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2009, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/27 "2009-08-28T15:50:15Z")
> [@Henrichek](#): > > [Preikestolen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Preikestolen_Norge.jpg) That picture is giving me the boo-hoo-heebie-jeebies! :eek: PLEASE tell me the Norwegian government has built a fence or something there to keep people from, you know, falling off. There are CHILDREN on that cliff! WON’T SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE [NORWEGIAN] CHILDREN?!?!?!?! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/28 "2009-08-28T16:12:34Z")
BTW, some pics of Preikestolen appear to show a whopping great crack (or at least joint in the rock) across it. You can see it here: [http://www.preikestolen.org/webutleie/bilder/smaal/Preikestolen-folk.jpg](http://www.preikestolen.org/webutleie/bilder/smaal/Preikestolen-folk.jpg) and here: [![](http://www.elcheimurlaub.de/de/activity/tour/Preikestolen%20von%20oben.JPG) ](http://www.elcheimurlaub.de/de/activity/tour/Preikestolen%20von%20oben.JPG) I wonder how strong that rock is… ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/29 "2009-08-28T16:54:14Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Now I know where my lair is going to be. Before you start excavating, be sure to check out nearby [Mount Asgard](http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/152334/mount-asgard.html) as well. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/30 "2009-08-28T21:03:46Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > Before you start excavating, be sure to check out nearby [Mount Asgard](http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/152334/mount-asgard.html) as well. That’s the decoy. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/31 "2009-08-28T21:37:43Z")
> [@Savannah](#): > > That’s the place I thought of, too. > > It’s beautiful. I will NEVER go there. 🙂 I scared the ever lovin’ crap out of myself there when I scrambled up the hillside behind it (sort of near where the wiki photo was taken) and made the mistake of looking down. I saw nothing below my feet but air and the bottom of the fjord. It was more the angle I was looking at than reality. I froze in a death grip until the person below me gave my foot a little push and I was on my way. I think I was 16 at the time. _shiver_ ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/32 "2009-08-28T21:55:47Z")
What about [El Capitan](http://www.mainlinephoto.com.au/images/el-capitan.jpg) and the [Lotus Flower Tower](http://www.geocities.com/~gibell/cirque/images/88cirque1475_57lft.jpg). Maybe not as high as some, but definitely vertical. ---
**Author:** ![alext](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f07891/32.png) [@alext](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alext)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/33 "2010-04-12T19:58:03Z")
South Africa fits the bill more than anywhere I’ve been. The Drakensberg mountains are like one major escarpment with huge huge cliff faces. It’s like a massive one sided mountain range - with the backside pretty much all flat. Awesome for hiking, my favorite mountains I’ve been to. A really famous cliff in the range is called the Amphitheatre for obvious reasons. Check out [Amphitheatre (Drakensberg) - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphitheatre_(Drakensberg)) for details. The cliff face is 4000 feet tall, with the back end flat and easy to walk. A waterfall over 3000 feet tall, world’s second highest, falls off it. The wiki link explains the walk too. Best pics I found online include: [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/2266/2373492801_2dc59ca6da_b.jpg "Tugela Falls") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/ptosio/2373492801/sizes/l/in/set-72157604312548814/) and [![](http://lh5.ggpht.com/_NE0XMmbe4AM/ST9BYiP34YI/AAAAAAAACyA/gZhLM7tDvE4/IMG_2592.JPG) ](http://lh5.ggpht.com/_NE0XMmbe4AM/ST9BYiP34YI/AAAAAAAACyA/gZhLM7tDvE4/IMG_2592.JPG) and [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/2266/2373492801_2dc59ca6da_b.jpg "Tugela Falls") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/ptosio/2373492801/in/set-72157604312548814/) Table Mountain is a seriously awesome option as well. Cape Town’s a wickedly brilliant city. In the US, El Cap’s an obvious one? Not as big as above, but cool obviously. Though the top is definitely not as flat as Table Mountain or the Drakensberg Amphitheatre. Preikestolen also cool, but nowhere near as tall of course. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/34 "2010-04-12T20:11:32Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > You can drive to the top of Mt. Evans in Colorado in the summer, and from there it is a fairly easy (considering the 14,000’ altitude) walk down through an alpine tundra meadow to the base of the “Sawtooth” a high ridge connecting to the summit of Mt. Bierstadt. At the beginning of the sawtooth ridge is a section that provides about three feet of level ground with nearly vertical rock on your left side and 100% vertical drop on your right. It is only about thirty feet long but it is scary as hell. > > I don’t know what the vertical drop is, but to my eyes it is a couple thousand feet. > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcR16o4f37E&feature=player\_embedded](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcR16o4f37E&feature=player_embedded) [Google Maps](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=mt+evans+colorado&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=33.626896,55.634766&ie=UTF8&hq=Mt+Evans&hnear=Mt+Evans,+Bailey,+CO+80421&ll=39.587467,-105.665388&spn=0.015974,0.027165&t=p&z=15) topo seems to imply that it is around 1000 feet, maybe a bit more if you are looking down the northwestern side and you include some of the non-100% vertical slope. 'course, 1000 feet is nothing to sneeze at either, especially if you’re on a 3 foot ridge with no cliff to lean on. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/35 "2010-04-13T21:29:30Z")
I’m sure everyone has seen it but here’s a nice hike with high cliffs. [Youtube.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/36 "2010-04-13T21:45:16Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > BTW, some pics of Preikestolen appear to show a whopping great crack (or at least joint in the rock) across it. You can see it here: > > [http://www.preikestolen.org/webutleie/bilder/smaal/Preikestolen-folk.jpg](http://www.preikestolen.org/webutleie/bilder/smaal/Preikestolen-folk.jpg) > > and here: > > [http://www.elcheimurlaub.de/de/activity/tour/Preikestolen%20von%20oben.JPG](http://www.elcheimurlaub.de/de/activity/tour/Preikestolen%20von%20oben.JPG) > > I wonder how strong that rock is… I wouldn’t worry about it. For many rock formations that seem precariously balanced (much more so than that), when you realize the mass of rock involved, you are about as likely to upset it by standing on it as a gnat landing on the end of a brick hanging half off a bookshelf. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/37 "2010-04-13T22:39:47Z")
If you are willing (and able) to go to Miranda (a moon of Uranus), there is a suitable cliff at Verona Rupes, roughly 20km high (about 65,616 feet). > **[APOD: 2007 July 23 - Verona Rupes: Tallest Known Cliff in the Solar System](https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070723.html)** > > A different astronomy and space science > related image is featured each day, along with a brief explanation. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/38 "2010-04-13T22:42:35Z")
Half Dome actually has rocks hanging over the 4,700 foot ledge and you can walk out on them. A day to get up and back. Well worth it. [http://www.yosemitevacation.com/hd\_gallery-images/halfdome-jd-06-11-07.jpg](http://www.yosemitevacation.com/hd_gallery-images/halfdome-jd-06-11-07.jpg)[http://www.yosemitevacation.com/hd\_gallery-images/halfdome-aa-08-18-06.jpg](http://www.yosemitevacation.com/hd_gallery-images/halfdome-aa-08-18-06.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/39 "2010-04-14T07:43:33Z")
It won’t win, but the cliff at [Angel’s Landing](http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1C1GPCK_enUS369US369&q=angel's+landing&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=NXDFS-nMAY6SMq_IhIIO&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBcQsAQwAA) in Zion National Park is nothing to sneeze at. Not too bad a hike either, I did it at about 5, though I think my parents didn’t let the 4 year old sis go past [this knife edge](http://www.philarmitage.net/zion/zion105.html). Can’t say I blame them - scared the hell out of me the last time I went. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885/40 "2010-04-14T10:35:26Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > If you are willing (and able) to go to Miranda (a moon of Uranus), there is a suitable cliff at Verona Rupes, roughly 20km high (about 65,616 feet). > > [http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070723.html](http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070723.html) 12-minute freefall! 🆒 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-tallest-cliff-with-a-flat-top/507885.md?page=3)