Boulder Creek NON Short-cut

[Jammer]

If you watched my recent video from 9-day loop hike, you saw that at one point I got cliffed out while trying to short-cut past a portion of Boulder Creek. As I mentioned in the video, I cannot recall WHERE I saw this short-cut noted though I clearly remember how/where the short-cut was drawn on the map. I think it merely said 'bypass' and I remember thinking "Hmm... I wonder if they are confusing that with the bypass of the narrows to the north?" Now I'm going through all my source material and I cannot find anything which has it documented as I remember. I thought maybe is was on the TOPOs at the Escalante visitor center, but I checked there after my hike and it had no such notes (unless they have multiple maps?)

Anybody else ever seen mention of this? I'd love to know that I'm not losing my mind! I know about the route Allen discusses which goes higher and then down to the Escalante, but that's not what I'm talking about.

Here's my re-creation of how the supposed short-cut was noted (red double arrow):

 

[Artemus]

No help from me Jammer, but maybe @Michael ???

 

[Michael]

@Jammer
1. Your trip report and the video are excellent. Great stuff for our next seasons.

2. You haven't lost your mind.

There is a bypass southeast of the 20' drop in the end of the next big bend of Boulder Crk.

BUT I never has taken this one. April was not the right time for us to play in the water of Boulder Crk.

From the Lower Gulch TH we took Allen's overland route to a spring north of Sleepy Hollow than via Hansen Cabin towards Escalante River and back to the Gulch via Brigham Tee Bench and out.

From the corner Hansen/Escalante River, a half mile upriver is a connection to Spencer Flat Rd.



Gesendet via iPhone 6S mit TapaTalk

 

[Joey]

I'm kind of confused by you referring to 2 different short cuts. So sorry if this is not what your talking about. But I recognize that map as the short cut of the narrows. Allen has a route drawn that looks just almost exactly like your recreated map. Map 40, page 264 in Canyoneering 3. But the narrows are different from where you draw them on your map. I've dropped down right into Boulder Creek from where you have the word Narrows written. And I don't recall a 20 foot drop being mentioned. Twice i've by passed the section of canyon similar to your map, but not the section you have drawn as narrows.

Its thrown me for a loop both times. If you're hiking up canyon, the route out to by pass the narrows is between the words "swim" and "creek" on Allen's map. Pretty close to the letter c in "creek" I believe. Haven't had a chance to watch your video yet to see what you did (real slow internet right now), but look forward to checking it out to see your route.

 

[Jammer]

Allen has a route drawn that looks just almost exactly like your recreated map. Map 40, page 264 in Canyoneering 3. But the narrows are different from where you draw them on your map.

OMG -- that's it! Somehow I missed that page when I went back through my books. I can say with 99% certainty that the route is not possible as he describes/shows (the spot marked "Enter" would be a crazy climb at best). His text is even in error "a trail down a draw leads back to Deer Creek". It's Boulder Creek at this point and even he states as such on the prior page "Below the confluence of Deer and Boulder creeks the united canyons are called Boulder Creek."

I'm going to scan this and then post in more detail soon with some reference shots.

THANKS!

 

[Joey]

OMG -- that's it! Somehow I missed that page when I went back through my books. I can say with 99% certainty that the route is not possible as he describes/shows (the spot marked "Enter" would be a crazy climb at best). His text is even in error "a trail down a draw leads back to Deer Creek". It's Boulder Creek at this point and even he states as such on the prior page "Below the confluence of Deer and Boulder creeks the united canyons are called Boulder Creek."

I'm going to scan this and then post in more detail soon with some reference shots.

THANKS!

Glad that helped.
Where you coming down or going up Boulder Creek? I don't think i've used either his entrance or exit spots on that by-pass.
I've yet to go down those narrows. I want to bring a tube down there and spend a day tubing down it a few times.

 

[Jammer]

Where you coming down or going up Boulder Creek?

I was headed down Boulder Creek this time, but went up on a previous trip when I exited below the narrows, walked the rim and then descended back down through the narrows sans gear.

 

[Jammer]

OK... below is the Allen map which I believe is in error or involves some incredibly steep slickrock. As Joey noted, it's from the Canyoneering 3 guidebook. Google SAT imagery on the right for reference:



Here is the SAT image marked up with location tags for notes/pics below:



The center orange line is the bypass in question. The other orange line to the right is his route from Canyoneering 2 which leads down one bend farther south (and then continues back up through a slot.)

Closer on the area around Location #2 where Allen suggests to re-enter Boulder Creek:



I made my way down the very steep slickrock to spot #2 which sits on a bench before rounding off into a cliff around the entire bend:



Hesitant to believe that Allen is flat-out 'wrong', my guess is that he went straight down/up the drainage. I looked at this and chickened out before I could even see the route all the way down:



The same spot from below:



Definitely doesn't seem doable to me. I checked the wall all the way down and it was cliffed out the whole way.

As noted above, according to Canyoneering 2 there is a route back down to the creek one bend to the south. I didn't see this spot either, but I didn't look too closely as I was short-cutting the bend on the opposite side. Here's a shot of the area though and I suspect a way down might be hidden by that tree near the center:



Both times through the area I entered/exited via the pass leading to The Gulch (marker #5). When I did do the loop through the narrows, I had to walk up to about marker #4 where I found a spot to do a controlled slide down a 8' slickrock face to reach the bank of the creek. I remember thinking that it might be really hard to reverse if necessary. Luckily I didn't have to. Some shots from the narrows:

Looking down out the bottom of the narrows:



Looking up the narrows from the bottom and where one can access the rim:



Along the rim:



Along the rim near the top:


OK... that's it.

If anybody gets out that way in the future please size up access at spot #2. Curious if it's even doable, but I think it's definitely NOT for the masses.

 

[Nick]

Awesome post, Jamal. I looked at spot #2 when I went past and didn't see anything I thought was possible. I wasn't trying to get out so I didn't think hard about it, but I specifically remember thinking anyone who could climb out there was at least partially super human (or super stupid).

 

[slc_dan]

It is hard to gauge unless you are there, but #2 looks doable from the photo's. If I make it out this summer, that's where I'm headed and I'll report back here. I wouldn't follow the water course exactly, but looks like you might be able to kinda zig zag down the sand stone.

(or super stupid).

You know me too well.

 

[Nick]

It is hard to gauge unless you are there, but #2 looks doable from the photo's. If I make it out this summer, that's where I'm headed and I'll report back here. I wouldn't follow the water course exactly, but looks like you might be able to kinda zig zag down the sand stone.



You know me too well.

I was actually going to use you as an example for the super human part.

 

[Jammer]

Ha! I was going to make a crack that maybe only Steve Allen, Kelsey or @slc_dan could do it!

Truth is... I kinda even think it looks doable now in photos. But, at the time, it definitely didn't look feasible (esp from top). But, I also questioned if I was in the right place so my confidence was low. I wish I'd walked up to the wall at the bottom as planned, but it was so brushy I got frustrated and just gave up.

Below is the same shot from under spot #2, but cropped in tight. Note the branch in top/center which also in the shot from above.

 

[Creekwalker]

So glad I found this thread! In early October we did a loop down Deer Creek to Boulder to Escalante to The Gulch and back to the Deer Creek TH on Burr Trail road. Great trip BUT we ran into the same problem at this very spot (spot #2). Two of the three of us are very experienced rock climbers (old trad climbers, very familiar with friction climbing, desert climbing, ratings, etc) and there is no way that the #2 spot is safely climbable without encountoring very technical, unprotected climbing. Climbing out of Boulder Creek to avoid the narrows was, as Allen says, Class 4 climbing. Very solid and fun, and unprotected for the leader. No problem there. But the "trail" back to the creek after the narrows, as marked on Allen's topo in Canyoneering 3, is not doable. We made it as far down as we could go and were cliffed out. We carried rope, harnesses, rappel devices and set up a 45 foot rappel from a tree anchor. It's visible in some of your photos looking at spot #2. We were prepared but completely not expecting this. We hiked up canyon to see the bottom of the narrows and located a spot that would probably be much safer and less exposed. On Allen's topo it's NE of the word "creek" and next to the "5200" text on the contour line. Unfortunately we didn't get to try it, but visually looked good and the contours appear to support this. It's always an adventure! First photo is looking down the Class 4 climb up from Boulder Creek. Second one is looking down at the rappel.

 

[Jammer]

Very cool -- thanks for the update and I appreciate the comment/info to my site as well. I haven't been back to this spot yet, but I would like to see it again having more knowledge about all the options. But...I really think I just prefer walking in the creek around the lovely double bend so I'd probably just do that again. So many options, not enough time! ✌

 

[fossana]

For future reference I have taken a few ways down from #3, a 5th class lieback crack and an easier scramble.

 

[regehr]

good info here!!! too bad about the book, usually if Allen says it'll go at some rating, it'll go at that rating.