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 his morning exercise. We geared up and started bushwhacking down a steep and brushy slope, eventually descending to the head of the canyon. To my surprise there was a logbook to sign, along with a warning of the dangers of this technical route. To our knowledge, this is one of two canyon routes in the Colorado Plateau where the powers that be acknowledge canyoneering as a righteous activity. No permits are required for this route and beta is available at: Illusions Canyon – ropewiki
We put on our wetsuits and jackets at the sign, reserving a few layers for later. Illusions is known to be deep, dark, and cold, but the first section is an open creek walk with a riot of vegetation and some interesting wildlife. Nick spotted caddisfly larvae that looked like little twig cylinders and a beautiful frog that blended into the rocks. There were shallow pools of water throughout. Soon, the canyon began to narrow and downclimbs appeared as walls of pale sandstone grew taller.
We were about to enter the crux of the canyon when Nick suggested it was time to put on every ounce of neoprene that we owned. I added a 2.5mm vest, fleece cap and neoprene gloves to my 5mm wetsuit and .5mm underlayers to stave off the cold. We plunged down into the unknown.
The main section of Illusions is spectacular and lives up to its name. The canyon consists of deep pools, beautifully sculped walls, and amazing lighting filtering down from small openings above. One of the first rappels in this section descends right through an arch just large enough to fit through without a pack. This is followed by many downclimbs, some very slippery and requiring a meat belay. Fortunately, Nick has the grace of a cat and can seemingly climb down walls like a gecko.
It was in this section that Eric tore the pocket of his pants on a downclimb and lost his phone. Although we looked for it in several potholes, it was gone for good. This added some urgency to our day, but we were determined to enjoy the rest of the adventure. Perhaps to make up for this loss, Eric spied a rope bag at the bottom of a deep pool. It turned out to be a 200-foot rope, lost a year before, which Nick was able to fish out from its sunken grave.
Onwards we went, through gorgeously sculpted slots, down rappels, swims and chutes. One chamber was particularly memorable, with a short rappel into milky blue water bathed in unearthly light. This chamber had a carved opening into which rays of sunlight fell, illuminating everyone at the threshold.
We finally made it to the last rappel – a 100-foot mossy wall exiting the canyon. Nick wanted to knock down a large log that was precariously sitting on the ledge and posed some threat. We all went down first and backed well away so we could film the event while Nick gathered the rope up for safety. The log’s fall was quite impressive as it landed and splintered into a million pieces. One more swim later, we were at the edge of the keeper pothole. When dry or half-full, this would be a formidable obstacle that would be extremely difficult to get out of. Fortunately, on this occasion the pothole was completely full and we had no problem escaping.
We emerged from Illusions into a thick forest and a tributary to West Fork Oak Creek. One of the possible exits is to walk all the way down the creek to the highway. This is the path that Nick decided to take to get back to his car, carrying the wet rope Eric found. We parted ways and began our long slog up our own exit back to the plateau where we had parked. This sneak exit is steep and arduous, going through thick and brushy forest along a bouldery watercourse. When we finally reached the top, we entered a thicket of invasive locust trees with huge spines that impaled almost everyone who brushed against them. We continued to hike up a faint trail for quite a while, and eventually found our way back to the car. It was an arduous day for sure.
We had one more task remaining – to drive to Flagstaff before 7pm so we could get Eric to a Verizon store to pick up a new phone. Some speed limits may have been broken, but we managed to accomplish our goal. Now we had a long drive home after a very long but amazing day.
