Old dog learning new tricks

[Footeski]

Hey now, people of the backcountry. I have been looking for beta on some remote canyons in SE Utah and am happy to be joining this group. I am an outdoor enthusiast living in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. I have many years of experience hiking in these beautiful mountains and exploring the canyon country a few hours travel to the west. Currently looking to put a backpacking trip together exploring Gypsum and Bowdie Canyons in SE Utah. Gathering info and inspiration. Wishing you all well!

 

[regehr]

Allen's Canyoneering 2 would be a great place to look, if you've not done that yet

 

[Bob]

Welcome .......
First, do a search in the forum (upper right). You will find quite a bit of info. Search Bowdie, Fable Valley, Gypsum. Take a look, formulate a general route, then ask. I have been down all of those a couple times, floated between Fable/Gypsum to Bowdie. A couple others on here have as well.

 

[Footeski]

Thank you for the suggestions. We were thinking we would go down Gypsum and float to Bowdie for the climb out, hopefully this spring. Then my partner started reading about how the rapids in Cataract are starting to reappear with the lower lake levels. Anybody tried floating Gypsum to Bowdie with the lake below 3600'? (Currently 3570') Our "boats" probably wouldn't do well in anything bigger than minor riffles. Also, I've been researching getting through these canyons without any real rappels. Planning on taking some 7mm static line and some webbing for lowering packs, etc. Any suggestions there? I have watched the awesome trip video from George_Washington_Hayduke and those guys had rafts and ropes for their bigger hike. What a great trip down Clearwater Canyon!

 

[Bob]

We used lengths of webbing to lower packs of a couple pour offs.... That's about it. But exposure climbing up and down is a individual thing. There is a pouring below where Fable Valley meets Gypsum. There is a narrow ledge walk and a climb down a slope about 45 degrees in Gypsum. There is a exposed slab to climb in lower Bowdie. I don't remember river level but it wasn't low. It was early 2000s when we floated between the two. Been a few more times in each canyon separately. Supposed to be ruins towards the head of Palmer Canyon but never went.

 

[RyanP]

Thank you for the suggestions. We were thinking we would go down Gypsum and float to Bowdie for the climb out, hopefully this spring. Then my partner started reading about how the rapids in Cataract are starting to reappear with the lower lake levels. Anybody tried floating Gypsum to Bowdie with the lake below 3600'? (Currently 3570') Our "boats" probably wouldn't do well in anything bigger than minor riffles. Also, I've been researching getting through these canyons without any real rappels. Planning on taking some 7mm static line and some webbing for lowering packs, etc. Any suggestions there? I have watched the awesome trip video from George_Washington_Hayduke and those guys had rafts and ropes for their bigger hike. What a great trip down Clearwater Canyon!

View attachment 139680

Wow, this is really good to know. Just recently I was looking into the feasibility of doing a packrafting trip incorporating that section of river (I've never packrafted nor do I own the raft/gear, but one dreams of such things during mid-January). I decided against it since Gypsum and Bowdie sound really tough to hike through, but all the old trip reports make the river section itself sound very flat/easy. Good to know that's likely no longer the case.

 

[Bob]

Dont know. You clip is the rapids at Gypsum, says to Gypsum, but not specifing beyond. I looked thru the website from your clip. I wouldnt do it now unless in a real raft. The aerial views look rough. If you want to try, Id call a raft company and ask. It's not like you could wait for a ride like in the Grand Canyon. River conditions change yearly. Any rapid like Gypsum wouldnt work in a pack raft. Cant get out anywhere except Palmer, so you'd have to go through any big rapid. Would be a bummer to backpack all the way back up Gypsum.

You can make a nice trip down Fable Valley and cut overland to Bowdie just before Fable hits Gypsum. Or check out Gypsu, Drive over to Bowdie and make a loop down both forks and to the river....and back