Help regarding Robbers Roost Camping

E

El Matador

Member
Joined
May 3, 2012
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10
Hey guys,

A group of 5 are heading over to Robbers Roost country for a long weekend tomorrow. We are planning on hiking to Happy Canyon, maybe exploring lower Leprechan and lower Hog/Hog springs. We will finish up hiking around the Angel Cove area, maybe into Main Robbers Roost. Bail out will be to head up to Goblin Valley for a little hiking. We are looking for a scenic spot to set up a basecamp in the vicinity and camping info is scarce. We will be traveling in a lifted FJ Cruiser and a Subaru Outback. Any advice on a good spot with a nice view to pitch a tent would be appreciated. Also any other non technical canyons/hikes that might be better than what I have listed would be great. Thanks for taking the time to read this,

Safe Travels,
Matt

PS thinking about camping at the mouth of Leprechaun or somewhere on the Poison Springs Rd, but we are wide open to better ideas!!!
 
I have enjoyed camping at Burr Point. It's a great view, and there are a couple of sites that are past the turn around where people usually stop.

There are also lots of sites along Poison Spring.

This time of year, though, Poison Spring can be frozen, making it hard to drive. I've tried to drive it a couple of times in the winter, and I've always been stopped by ice. Additionally, the Dirty Devil can be in a state of flux, freezing overnight and unfreezing during the day, this time of year, making it difficult or dangerous to cross as big ice chunks tumble down the river. I think it's been pretty warm, and it's supposed to be warm this weekend, so maybe you won't have that problem. Considering the weather, the freezing in Poison Spring and Dirty Devil may not be a problem, but it's always been a problem when I've gone to those two places in the winter.

If you camp at Burr Point, be mindful of the wind if you leave your tent up while you're away from camp. It would suck to come back to camp to find your tent at the bottom of the Dirty Devil!

And I think your hikes are good hikes...if you can get across the Dirty Devil.

Have fun!

Keith
 
Hey hey! Good to see you back around here @El Matador. That kayaking trip you posted a link to last time was so inspiring man. I finally made it out and did one myself on Powell. Thanks for the motivator! Next time we just need to convince you to post it here! :)

Camping...
I hear there are some epic spots out on the canyon rim above the Dirty Devil. Burr Point looks good, hell, probably most anywhere that a road goes all the way out, someone has probably built a nice campsite. Probably not ideal in the wind, but the views should be outstanding.

If you stay closer to the highway, there is good camping at Little Egypt, just up the road from Sandthrax maybe 5-10 miles. Lots of cool geologic formations right next to camp so that kind of makes the lack of grand views a lot better. I'm really not a fan of camping at Sandthrax for a variety of reasons, but that's an option. If you go way further south, the campsite at Ticaboo Shelf Spring has a fantastic view, but that's probably way too far out of the way.

Hiking...
I wouldn't be too stoked about lower lep and the hogs. Good if you have time, but there are better options. An out and back into Swett Creek from the road down to the drops in the narrows would be well worth your time. Same for Lower Maidenwater.
 
Nick said:
Ha. Of course @Aldaron had already responded while I typed! :)
Click to expand...
I'm fast!

I saw your post when I went back to add that he could check out Maidenwater and Swett :) But I had decided that I wasn't going to say anything about Ticaboo Shelf! :)
 
Nick said:
Hey hey! Good to see you back around here @El Matador. That kayaking trip you posted a link to last time was so inspiring man. I finally made it out and did one myself on Powell. Thanks for the motivator! Next time we just need to convince you to post it here! :)

Camping...
I hear there are some epic spots out on the canyon rim above the Dirty Devil. Burr Point looks good, hell, probably most anywhere that a road goes all the way out, someone has probably built a nice campsite. Probably not ideal in the wind, but the views should be outstanding.

If you stay closer to the highway, there is good camping at Little Egypt, just up the road from Sandthrax maybe 5-10 miles. Lots of cool geologic formations right next to camp so that kind of makes the lack of grand views a lot better. I'm really not a fan of camping at Sandthrax for a variety of reasons, but that's an option. If you go way further south, the campsite at Ticaboo Shelf Spring has a fantastic view, but that's probably way too far out of the way.

Hiking...
I wouldn't be too stoked about lower lep and the hogs. Good if you have time, but there are better options. An out and back into Swett Creek from the road down to the drops in the narrows would be well worth your time. Same for Lower Maidenwater.
Click to expand...

Hey Nick!!!
Thanks for the quick response!!! If the wind forecast stays low, I think we will camp somewhere out near Burr Point. Thanks for the info on Swett creek and Maidenwater, I will start researching both ASAP. That kayaking trip on Powell was pretty mind blowing, funny you mentioned not posting it here. I was 2/3 of the way done with a TR here on backcountrypost and I lost it due to a computer glitch, so I just posted on my home forum up in the PNW. I have since moved to Durango, so I am officially adopting backcountrypost as my new home forum. You have an amazing site/resource here, thanks for all your hard work. Thanks again, Matt
 
Nice! I'm sure the northwest is awesome, but I bet you'll have lots of fun having this place in your back yard. Oh, and since that last trip report attempt, we added a sweet new auto-save feature, so if you're punching up a trip report and your power goes out or if you close the window, whatever - it will be there when you come back. It's saved my ass a couple times already.

Anyway, have fun on your trip. Here's some links:

Maidenwater:
http://backcountrypost.com/forum/threads/maidenwater-canyon.735/

Swett:
http://backcountrypost.com/forum/threads/swett-creek.760/

Leprechaun:
http://backcountrypost.com/forum/threads/leprechaun-canyon-east-fork.1480/

My kayaking Powell trip:
http://backcountrypost.com/forum/threads/kayaking-lake-powell-moqui-canyon.2485/

Speaking of which, that kayaking goodness motivated me to buy a big 22-foot pontoon so I can shuttle them even deeper into the lake for further explorations. Hoping to take it out on an early season maiden voyage here in a couple weeks.

Reach out if you have specific questions on those canyons.
 
If you are going to hike Happy Canyon, I'd camp somewhere along Black Jump the night before - it's a helluva lot easier hike from there than Burr Point. Tons of excellent camp spots along there and it's far enough up Poison Springs that I doubt you'd have any trouble, even the Subaru should be fine. Although the last little bit before the hike starts you may want to all pile in to the FJC - the Subaru could get all the way there, but it's just rough enough you may as well spare it.

- DAA
 
Good advice Keith, I was thinking about Black Jump originally, we might give that a shot. We will arrive after dark tonight, do you guys think it will be hard to navigate to black jump at night? Maybe camp somewhere along 95 tonight and then move early in the morning? We have the Kelsey and Allan guidebooks, but I could not find a good map with an overview of the entire area. Also printed a lot of stuff off of this site.
 
hey guys, how much water should we be expecting in Swett and Maidenwater? Both look like outstanding options, but not really wanting to go balls deep this time of the year:( ...No problem with occasional knee deep, and if the water is further down canyon, maybe we just hike to were it gets deeper. We are leaving in about 1 hr, so if you get a chance to post, it would be much appreciated
 
Maidenwater is dry for a lot of the canyon so it's still worth the hike until you decide to turn around. There are waist deep pools further down.

Swett Creek should have little to no water except near the spring. Once you get to the drops in the lower narrows there may be significant water but you'd probably want to turn around there anyway. I believe the spring was about crotch deep but it might be avoidable.
 
Oh, and watch out for the pit of despair if you walk through the tunnel under the highway at Maidenwater. Bring a head lamp!
 
El Matador said:
We will arrive after dark tonight, do you guys think it will be hard to navigate to black jump at night? Maybe camp somewhere along 95 tonight and then move early in the morning?
Click to expand...

It shouldn't be any big whup getting started up Black Jump at night. There are no navigation challenges.

I would not venture too far up Black Jump at night without being somewhat familiar though. There is no need to anyway, plenty of nice campspots within the first couple of miles. After the first couple miles, there are some spots with little sinkholes that might be harder to see at night and it would be a total PITA to drop a tire in one. Nothing you couldn't overcome, but who wants to dick around with that at night when all you really want to to is pitch camp.

- DAA
 
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