remote canyon

Good Day Jim Canyon, Ticaboo, Utah

It was a beautiful sunny morning at the end of May when I found myself standing on the shoulders of two strapping men in a 15-foot-deep pothole, trying somewhat unsuccessfully to get out. It was day two of our Ticaboo adventures and we were planning to descend the wonderfully named “Good Day Jim” canyon, with this pothole being the first obstacle. Our get-together had grown large enough that we decided to split into two groups. The first group consisted of several younger folks, which we decided to call “Team Testosterone”. Our group consisted of some of our more mature folks, aptly named “Team Old Lady” 😉. Team Testosterone went first, wriggling their way out of the pothole in no time. Sadly, in the team shuffles one of the members who we thought was going with us took one of our potshots, leaving us with only one functioning potshot and [...]

By |2024-12-12T05:50:34+00:00May 26, 2024|canyoneer, remote canyon, 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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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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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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High Spur Canyon, Utah

The next canyon in our remote canyon series is not only very remote, but also extremely beautiful and has been compared to the famous Antelope Canyon in Arizona. High Spur is barely a technical canyon, with only a couple big downclimbs and one rappel at the very end. It’s also possible to hike down most of the canyon and then hike back up, but it would be a pretty long day. Full beta is available here: High Spur Canyon - ropewiki. The road to High Spur is quite long and bumpy. The first leg is a 50-mile drive on pretty well graded roads to the Hans Flat Ranger Station in Canyonlands National Park. This is one of the most remote ranger stations in the lower 48 and the rangers seem very happy to see people! Our party for the day consisted of Shawn Bagci and Maggie Mahoney. Shawn drove [...]

By |2024-03-21T02:41:22+00:00October 24, 2023|canyoneer, hikeaneer, remote canyon, Utah|2 Comments
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