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 to days of canyons along the same road.

Our first canyon was Montezuma, rated 4B III due to all of the reasons above, especially a 270-foot rappel at the end off a cairn anchor. Montezuma is very beautiful and quite challenging. Basic beta is available here: BluuGnome.com – Canyoneering – Montezuma (aka East of Eden) Canyon, Ticaboo Mesa, Utah but be aware that it is not current and provides some basic information about what tools to bring, approach and exit.

The drop into the canyon was quite spicy with a 40-foot downclimb involving exposure, sand, and crumbly rock. This is followed by about a half mile of slots and downclimbs. The upper section of the canyon contains some incredibly tight slots. Sometimes you are stemming with your knees up to your chest, which is quite exhausting. Full body armor including knee and elbow pads is mandatory if you want to escape unscathed.

After many tight slots, downclimbs and some short rappels, the canyon opened up to reveal a unique chamber with a green wall of ferns overhanging several potholes. The first pothole was very large with extremely questionable water and steep walls. Sadly, it was too wide for me to stem over and too steep for me to be able to climb around the rim. So in I went. The water was about waist deep and I was able to get out with a hand from a taller companion.

Shortly after, we entered the crux of the canyon that required some careful pipelining. The first rappel goes into a gorgeous sculpted chamber that is dark and extremely narrow, with space for one person at a time. At this first platform, we had to maneuver on rappel to get over a deep crack. I stayed on rope after the crack to descend a tricky downclimb at the bottom of which Max was able to tagline me over a deep but narrow keeper pothole. At the end of this sequence we landed in another narrow crack, looking out on to Lake Powell and some amazing slickrock scenery. As there were no established anchors, we set up a sand trap and rappelled out of the very tight crack down to a wash that ended dramatically in a 270-foot drop overlooking Lake Powell and adjacent canyons. Spectacular.

Once we descended to the bottom, we pulled our ropes and got ready for a long hike up. The canyon ends in a brushy watercourse with large boulders that we scrambled down for a short distance, until we found a slope to exit out on the other side of a canyon confluence. At the beginning of our climb, I noticed white seashells lying in the red sand, mementos of a time not so long ago when Lake Powell filled this little valley.

Once we descended to the bottom, we pulled our ropes and got ready for a long hike up. The canyon ends in a brushy watercourse with large boulders that we scrambled down for a short distance, until we found a slope to exit out on the other side of a canyon confluence. At the beginning of our climb, I noticed white seashells lying in the red sand, mementos of a time not so long ago when Lake Powell filled this little valley.

The exit is quite long, about two miles with approximately 1500 feet of elevation gain, and very beautiful. The exit follows several steep sandstone domes with views of the Lake and surrounding canyon systems and is very exposed to sun. Fortunately, it wasn’t too hot at the time, but I wouldn’t recommend doing this hike during the summer months. What an amazing introduction to the Ticaboo canyons with a great team!