Guess the spot: Utah Edition

[Jackson]

Narrowing down the general area may be helpful. Doesn't seem like anyone really has many ideas even with all the photos.

 

[regehr]

or a bit more surface level, down in the canyon things tend to look pretty similar to other canyons

 

[RyanP]

Ok, maybe this canyon isn't as popular as I thought. It's certainly a famous canyon, and I know for a fact that one of you (who has made a guess here) has been there. I thought the last photo might give a strong enough clue, just based on the sheer depth of the canyon. Here's a photo taken when I was starting off, nearly back at the car:

 

[Jackson]

It reminds me of some of the slots off of the Notom Road, but I don't know that I'd call any of them famous. I'll guess Sheets Gulch since I think it's the most well known one.

 

[regehr]

hmm at this point I'll guess Blue John -- this looks a lot like the W Fork trailhead area

 

[RyanP]

hmm at this point I'll guess Blue John -- this looks a lot like the W Fork trailhead area

You're up! The first few photos were from when I exited the canyon to return cross-country to my car (at the end of the day), the next few were from down in the canyon, and the last was near the car. My trip down there was 100% inspired by your trip report on this forum!

 

[RyanP]

It reminds me of some of the slots off of the Notom Road, but I don't know that I'd call any of them famous. I'll guess Sheets Gulch since I think it's the most well known one.

yeah, maybe "infamous" would have been the more accurate word

 

[regehr]

You're up! The first few photos were from when I exited the canyon to return cross-country to my car (at the end of the day), the next few were from down in the canyon, and the last was near the car. My trip down there was 100% inspired by your trip report on this forum!

well now I'm embarrassed I didn't recognize it earlier, I do have a really hard time telling these canyons apart
I don't have something handy, will dig just a bit later

 

[regehr]

ok you have to look a bit closely but there's a backpacker in the sorta notch-looking feature towards the bottom left of the photo, walking on a moderately obscure constructed trail into a well-known canyon. name the canyon.

 

[John Morrow]

Great pic!

 

[regehr]

ok a clue, the main canyon here, the one I'm looking for the name of, is one that you would walk if you did all of the routes from Steve Allen's book #2, the one with the crazy loop hikes. you would not, on that route, walk the side canyon containing this stock trail, but the book mentions it as an alternate access or escape from the route.

 

[Glasterpiece]

Larry Canyon?

 

[regehr]

Larry Canyon?

no but the pictured canyon does drain into the DD as well.

 

[Reef&Ruins]

<Goes to Read Copy of Allen's Book>

 

[regehr]

surface-level view. the grassy meadow in the near distance drops off sharply into the side canyon shown above, and beyond that is the main canyon

 

[John Morrow]

the closest I've been in that area is at the head of one of the Happy Canyon forks viewed from a dispersed camp less than a mile from Hans Flat. So this is pure speculation. A friend once mentioned he had a pilot friend that could take us to one of the Roost/DD airstrips where they intended to camp by the plane. Then we were going to hike possibly from Happy to French Spring over to one of the Corral Box area entries and return to my car parks at Burr. Seems like quite the pipe dream now but we were really close to planning this...Didn't happen, obviously. All that said I'll guess it is French Spring Canyon descent. Whatever it is, it is saying," gotta come check this out."

 

[regehr]

you got it John!

in the original photo there wasn't really a giveaway other than that slightly unusual notch my buddy is walking through

in the surface-level photo there are a few identifiable features, such as the south block (on the left 1/3 of the horizon), Holmes and/or Ellsworth (right side horizon) and then near-invisible through the haze, Navajo Mountain (center horizon)

these pics are from a very pleasant and straightforward backpack into upper Happy in March 2012. French Spring Fork is indeed quite pretty and then scouting Allen's exit from Happy to the Big Ridge was fun as well. in the middle part of part of the canyon where we were camped the water was super mineralized -- not real tasty and upset our stomachs after a few days. there's much better water in upper French Spring Fork but I suspect it's not reliable in summer/fall

I had wanted to visit the narrows on this trip but got vetoed since this would have meant basically two full days of walking the wide-open flats in lower Happy. I still want to do this! it probably has to be done either in early spring or during a bit of a wet period though.

 

[John Morrow]

I am standing at the confluence of which two canyons?

 

[John Morrow]

Hmm, is this that nondesctipt, or just a temporary lack of visitation?

First hint? I'll say it is noticeable that the chinle rests immediately below the kayenta, thus this is an area where there is not wingate present in the stratigraphy. Maybe that is obvious, maybe that is unhelpful? Translation: "a broad canyon bottom in the vermillion cliffs region..." I just went hee on GE and the little point on left doesn't appear, not enough vertical I guess.

 

[John Morrow]

Perhaps I should try a different photo?