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Montezuma Canyon, Ticaboo, Utah

Ticaboo is a very remote area in Southeastern Utah, about an hour south of Hanksville. The name comes from a Pauite word meaning “friendly”. This area on the northern reaches of Lake Powell was popular in the 70s due to nearby uranium mines and aquatic tourism to Lake Powell via Bullfrog. These days, Ticaboo offers basic tourist amenities and gas, useful in a place otherwise far from civilization. One thing the area does have in abundance is canyons. In late May, we were invited to join some friends for a get together to explore some of these canyons. The Ticaboo canyons are very technical and not for the beginning canyoneer. There are very tight slots, lots of high stemming, potholes with escapes, sketchy downclimbs, creative anchoring methods and long exit slogs uphill. The concentration of canyons is so high that you can park in one spot and have access [...]

By |2024-11-01T23:19:33+00:00May 25, 2024|canyoneer, Utah|0 Comments
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Illusions Canyon, Coconino NF, Arizona

Illusions Canyon is one of the most beautiful canyons in Arizona and has been on our list for quite a while. In Mid-May we found ourselves in the area after doing Bear Canyon with my niece, so we seized the opportunity to organize an Illusions expedition the next day. We had read recently that conditions in Illusions were good and the pothole right at the end was full, allowing easy escape, so it was an offer we could not refuse. We were also fortunate that both Eric Hardwick and local canyon ninja Nick Clegg were free and able to join us. Illusions is an intense canyon in all respects. Located in the Coconino National Forest, the drive to the trailhead is down a very long dirt road that gets a little exciting towards the end. There we met Nick, who had hiked up the AB Young trail to get [...]

By |2024-10-30T04:10:49+00:00May 19, 2024|arizona, canyoneer, remote canyon|0 Comments
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Bear Canyon, West Clear Creek Wilderness, Arizona

In mid-May our niece, Mira Zola, spent several weeks in Scottsdale, AZ taking care of her ailing grandmother. We seized the chance to see her and get her out into the canyons for a day, so we planned a lightning weekend trip to Arizona with our new RV trailer. Eric Hardwick had just been telling us he wanted to get into some Arizona canyons so we invited him along for the weekend as well. On Friday evening after work, we set off on a five-hour drive to the West Clear Creek Wilderness in Arizona. We agreed to meet out in the middle of absolute nowhere on a Forest Service road where we were fairly certain we could park the RV for the night. Everyone was traveling by themselves. What could possibly go wrong? It was just past dusk when we arrived at the meeting point. We drove down the [...]

By |2024-09-18T02:09:58+00:00May 18, 2024|arizona, canyoneer, hikeaneer|0 Comments
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Minaret Canyon to Mineral Gulch

Continuing our hikeaneering spree in May, we explored a new route in the remote East Fork of the Virgin River near Zion NP. The goal was to walk down to Mineral Gulch, which is normally accessed via Meadow Creek and is a 16-mile round-trip hike. However, being able to descend Minaret Canyon easily turns this trek into an exciting day trip, well worth the price of admission, which involves a 4WD vehicle with good clearance. We met very early in the morning at the Elephant Cove trailhead, ready for a long day. Our adventure began with a 10-mile drive down a deep-sand and very sketchy OHV road. With each branching, the trail got more narrow and more sandy if possible. After what felt like a very bumpy eternity, but was probably about 30-40 minutes, we descended a large and very sandy hill and found the small parking pullout. Who [...]

By |2024-09-03T23:42:04+00:00May 12, 2024|canyoneer, hikeaneer, Utah|0 Comments
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Micro Death Hollow, Escalante, Utah

At the beginning of May, our friend Sri came to visit Utah and proposed a weekend in Escalante. We jumped at the chance to take our new RV trailer out for a test run. We drove up on Friday night and found a fantastic dispersed RV camping area right off Hole in the Rock road. There were a number of RVs already there, but we had privacy and it was extremely quiet. The next morning we met up with some friends on a balmy day and headed into Micro Death Hollow, a great canyon with a scary name. This is a short canyon that definitely packs a punch, depending on water levels. Several members of our party did not have wetsuits, so we were hoping that conditions were not too wet but planned for an early exit via the sneak route if needed. No permits are needed and beta [...]

By |2024-07-09T22:22:09+00:00May 5, 2024|canyoneer, remote canyon, Utah|0 Comments
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Lower Death Hollow, Escalante, Utah

Lower Death Hollow is one of the most beautiful river hikes in the Escalante area featuring clear, calm water and beautiful plants. We also had some amazing wildlife encounters in the river corridor. To access this hike, you can choose to do a strenuous 3+ day backpacking route, a moderately strenuous day hike or a technical canyoneering route down to the river through Micro Death Hollow, which is what we decided to do. Most people choose the day hike option, which starts at the Micro Death Hollow trailhead and is in fact the exit route for the canyon. This in and out route is down a steep slickrock bench which involves finding an appropriate slope to descend down to the Escalante River, at which point a well-worn social trail emerges along the banks of the river. Walk upstream a short distance until you see the confluence with Death Hollow, [...]

By |2024-08-14T17:04:28+00:00May 4, 2024|hike, hikeaneer, remote canyon, Utah|0 Comments
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Fat Man’s Misery, Zion NP, Utah

Fat Man’s Misery is one of the ultimate hikeaneering adventures in Zion NP. Located just outside the park, this route features a grueling but beautiful hike into the Zion backcountry and requires decent navigation skills to get where you’re going and back out. If there was ever a route that could be considered going uphill both ways, this would be it. No permits are required for this canyon aside from the entry fee into Zion. Canyon beta is available here: Canyoneering Misery (Fat Mans) East / West Forks - Zion East Side - Road Trip Ryan It was a balmy day at the end of April when we met up early with our friend Brian Connelly at a pullout near Checkerboard Mesa in Zion NP. The weather was just right – highs around 70, which would mean we could warm up in the sunny stretches between the wet canyon [...]

By |2024-06-28T15:40:25+00:00April 28, 2024|canyoneer, hikeaneer, Utah|0 Comments
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Round Valley Draw, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Utah

Round Valley Draw is a wonderful intermediate hike into a marvelous slot canyon in the Grand Staircase-Escalante NM. Located about 15 miles south of the tiny town of Cannonville, Utah, the trailhead is accessible off the Cottonwood Canyon Road, which is usually well-graded and accessible to passenger vehicles when dry but difficult if not impassable when wet. This is a fairly remote area in general, but this hike is very close to Willis Creek, so it’s a great idea to combine them for a full day. Although you are heading into a tight slot canyon, be careful in the summer months as it can be extremely hot out. I recommend doing this hike in the fall, spring or winter months when temperatures are more pleasant. There are several reasons for why I would deem this an intermediate hike: to get into the canyon, there are two obstacles that require [...]

By |2024-06-19T23:17:22+00:00April 21, 2024|hike, remote canyon, Utah|0 Comments
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Averett Canyon and Willis Creek Slot Canyon, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Utah

Water in the desert is a magical occurrence, especially if it’s fresh and flowing. One of our more pleasant local hikes on a lazy spring day is Willis Creek Slot Canyon, located right off Skutumpah Road in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Specific information on how to find the trailhead is available here: Willis Creek Narrows | Easy Slot Canyon Hike | Visit Utah. Unlike most of our adventures, this is a family-friendly hike, appropriate for all ages, walking down a mostly flat, gently flowing creek. There are three sets of narrows to see, spanning a little over a mile each way. If you venture to the end of the third narrows, you will find yourself at the confluence with Averett Canyon, the other subject of this post. Willis Creek holds a special place in our hearts as it was the first slot canyon we ever entered, many years [...]

By |2024-06-06T03:26:41+00:00April 14, 2024|hike, hikeaneer, Utah|0 Comments
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Portal Canyon, Virgin River Gorge, Arizona

The Virgin River Gorge, known as the VRG, is a place of transitions and contradictions. It is the intersection of the Colorado Plateau and the Mojave Desert, between sandstone and limestone, between an incredibly arid climate and the Virgin River flowing through it, between remote wilderness and nearby civilization. Located between St. George and Mesquite, the VRG is accessed through I-15, one of the most expensive highway projects ever constructed. This section of highway is a challenging drive in the best of conditions due to an extremely curvy road, small shoulders and surprisingly high speeds. Add in high winds or darkness and the fact that there is no cell signal in most of the Gorge and the drive can become somewhat nerve-wracking. There are several technical canyons in the VRG, accessible through small pullouts off I-15, if you know where to look. This area is popular in the winter [...]

By |2024-06-05T05:04:10+00:00April 7, 2024|arizona, canyoneer|0 Comments
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