Canyoneering Route Description

Stone Dagger Canyon - 3A IV (V)
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

Quick Facts

09-17-16, 5 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 12.15 hours) Pictures Icon Cap to canyon to a camp in Spring Canyon

Time Required - 11 to 12 hours car to car. or 8 to 9 hours camp to camp if camped in spring canyon
Distance - 12.2 miles Total, 0.8 miles Technical
Rappels - 4 Rappels, Longest Rappel 140 feet.  Will need 180 foot of rope due to anchor set back from drop.
Elevation Range - 5920 - 7070 Feet
Shuttle Required - No Vehicle - Passenger Permit Required - Yes

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up to 180 feet and 70 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.  Actual larges drop is 140 but the anchor is set back about 40 feet so 180 feet of rope should be on hand.

General Comments

Stone Dagger is a great trip for those wanting to get farther out into the back country of Capitol Reef National Park with a little technical challenge added to a long day of off trail hiking with scenic views. The approach to Stone Dagger Canyon is off the beaten path with little signs of previous passage. A GPS or good map reading skills are required for this route.  Thanks to John D. for inviting us to join in on checking this place out.

There was water on our visit but all water was avoidable with easy galumphing or stemming.

Stone Dagger was named after a large boulder near the end of the canyon wedge between the walls with a pointed bottom. We all joked about it looking like it was a huge dagger poised to fall on anyone who dared pass under it. I forget who actually uttered the words Stone Dagger first.

Driving Directions

To get to the Trailhead

From the junction of highways 12 and 24, drive east on highway 24 toward Capitol Reef for 6.8 miles to a turn off on the left for Chimney Rock Trail.
OR
From the visitor center in Capitol Reef, drive 3 miles east on highway 24 to a turn off on the right for Chimney Rock Trail.  

The turn off is paved and runs a couple hundred feet to the parking area at the Chimney Rock Trailhead (tChimneyRock).

To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod

No exit vehicle is needed.  This is done as a loop route.

Maps

GPS coordinate information listed at the bottom.  For information about waypoint naming and map symbols, refer to the Glossary page.

Map Link Icon
Click the links for maps of the route.
Map of the entire route.
Map zoomed in of later part of approach.
Map of the technical section.

Details

The Approach:
From the parking lot (tChimneyRock) follow the Chimney Rock trail northeast about 150 feet to where a small trail branches off (wSmokStakRP-01) to the left (northwest).   To go to Stone Dagger or A-Door-Able canyons, continue northeast on the main trail.

About 0.5 miles down the trail is a trail junction (jChim-Sprg-cyn) on the Chimney Rock Loop Trail.  To go to Stone Dagger or A-Door-Able canyons follow the trail northeast and not the trail to the south leading to Chimney Rock.  About 350 feet east the trail will cross a drainage then continue east and roughly follow along a drainage below also going east.

About 0.9 miles farther is a spot on the Chimney Rock Loop Trail where use trails leave (jChim-SprgCyn2) the main trail and drop north down into the large drainage about 90 feet away.  To go to Stone Dagger or A-Door-Able Canyons, leave the main trail and follow use trails about 90 feet down into the major drainage below.

Once in the main drainage below (wSmokStakRP-21) continue east down the wash.

About 0.27 miles farther a large side canyon joins in from the north (wSmokStakRP-20).  Continue east down the wash.

About 0.55 miles farther is the bottom exit of Smokestack Canyon (ySmokStak-Bt) on the left (northish), continue east in the wash.

About 0.3 miles farther a side canyon joins in (ChimRkCyn30) from the north with two large cottonwood trees just west of where the side canyon joins in.  Continue east down the wash.

About 0.3 miles farther is a confluence where Chimney Rock Canyon meets Spring Canyon with wooden signs posted.  To go to Stone Dagger or A-Door-Able canyons go north up Spring Canyon.

About 0.5 miles north up Spring Canyon is a large drainage (jA-Door-Able) on the right (northeast) side of Spring Canyon. Leave Spring Canyon and go northeast up this large drainage.

About 250 feet up the drainage is the bottom of a rubble filled ravine (A-Door01) leaving the drainage going up to the northwest. Note a small peak in the center of the ravine and routefind up the slopes to the right of that peak. As you get higher up the slopes, you will be going into a smaller ravine going up the right side of the center peak. There are a couple spots with exposed 4th class scrambling for a short distance.

Example Pic. Note a small peak in the center of the ravine and routefind up the slopes to the right of that peak. As you get higher up the slopes, you will be going into a smaller ravine going up the right side of the center peak. There are a couple spots with exposed 4th class scrambling for a short distance.

Shortly up the slopes on the right of the ravine the  rock gets steeper (A-Door02) requiring more hands and feet in places. Staying far right seems to be the best route but effort is required to route find through this convoluted area. There is one spot you will need to climb 4th class up about 10 feet to continue up.

A few hundred feet farther is the top out of the small ravine (A-Door03) on the right of the peak. Veer left and scramble down steep slickrock to the main ravine below.

Once down in the main ravine (A-Door04), scramble and boulder hop northwest up the ravine.

About 500 feet farther up the ravine is a very large boulder in the ravine with ledges on the left to help scramble up over it. From the top of the boulder (A-Door05) you can see the ravine is getting wider and the grade becomes more gentle.  To go to Stone Dagger Canyon continue northwest about 150 feet farther up the ravine then leave the ravine to the right (north) scrambling up a series of ledges.

Note:
If you were going to A-Door-Able Canyon, you would continue northwest up the wash about 375 feet to a brief top out in the ravine.

Example Pic. About 150 feet up canyon of the boulder (jStoneDagger), leave the drainage and begin routefinding north up a series of ledge. On our visit the route up the ledges had the occasional cairn but they may not remain, so they should not be depended on.

About 150 feet up canyon of the boulder (jStoneDagger), leave the drainage and begin routefinding north up a series of ledge. On our visit the route up the ledges had the occasional cairn but they may not remain, so they should not be depended on.

About 200 feet up the ledges the route gets to a long section of scrambling up steep with slickrock (StoneD01) where good route finding is needed.

About 500 feet farther the route begins to become a little less steep (StoneD02). From here you begin to see a red rock peak about 0.3 miles to the northeast. Visually follow the ridge line running left (west) down from the red peak to a smaller peak / outcropping of more yellow rock. Travel north to go around the left (west) side of that smaller peak / outcropping.

Example Pic.Depending on your route through this section you may come across a 3 legged rock (StoneD03-3Legs) making for a fun place to hang out for a short break and admire a large rock you can crawl under that is held up by 3 rock legs.

A few hundred feet farther the route traverses around the left (west) side of the smaller rock outcropping (StoneD04) noted earlier for navigation.  Continue north about 500 feet to a small saddle.

At the small saddle (StoneD05-Sdle) there are views into a small valley like area to the north. Take note of what this area looks like as you will cross this same point on the exit route from the canyon.  To go to Stone Dagger Canyon, drop north down the slope toward the valley and veer left (northwest) to contour over to a saddle left of of a large rock hill.  Note and remember the large hoodoo directly across the valley to the northeast, you will be on that ridge on the exit from Stone Dagger Canyon.

Example Pic.To get up to the saddle on the left it is easier to stay high and traverse rock ledges to avoid the cliffs just below the saddle.

Once on the next saddle (StoneD06-Sdle) continue northwest contouring around the top of a drainage then over to the left (west) side of a large rock outcropping about 1000 feet away.

From the large outcropping (StoneD07-OutCr) continue northwest about 0.4 miles to drop down into the top of Stone Dagger Canyon. While traveling toward the head of the canyon, continue to make solid effort to veer left as the lay of the land makes you want to veer right. Conscious effort is needed to stay left so you do not automatically start wandering off to the right.

About 0.4 miles farther the route drops down into the drainage at the top of Stone Dagger Canyon (yStoneDaggerTp).  This drop in is about 150 feet down canyon of a large shelf in the wash. 

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
From the drop in at the top of Stone Dagger (yStoneDaggerTp) walk east down canyon and around a cross joint pothole on the RDC side where a short scramble and a downclimb of about 8 feet gets you back into the canyon.  A little over 100 feet down canyon is rap 1.

Rap 1 (dStoneD-R1) anchored LDC from a small arch and drops about 35 feet. Optionally you can walk a ledge on the RDC side to bypass the rap but it is a bit spicy.

About 80 feet down canyon is a gently sloped downclimb (StoneD08) of about 20 feet.  About 60 feet down canyon is rap 2.

Rap 2 (dStoneD-R2) is anchored from a rock under a large boulder at the top of a crack and drops about 50 feet down into a deep chamber like area. Getting started on this rap is a little awkward as you get on rope, worm your way through the crack over a large choke stone over into free hang in a crack / chamber like area.

About 50 feet down canyon is a pretty slot section (StoneD09) to go down through starting with gently sloped downclimb through swirly section to a pothole that can be bridged over, another gently sloped downclimb leads to log and boulder debris where you can worm through a hole under the boulder or go over boulder and stem down. After the boulder is sandy wash walking.

About 150 feet down canyon is a drop (StoneD10-PAsst) of about 12 feet with the last 5 to 6 feet being vertical. A partner assist get the group down quick and easy with only the last person downclimbing with assistance from below. The next 900 feet is mostly easy walking in long corridor with the occasional spot to galumph over water or debris.

About 900 feet farther are large boulders (StoneD11) near end of vegetated section with 2 easy sloped downclimbs of about 8 to 10 feet each.  About 150 feet down canyon is rap 3.

Rap 3 (dStoneD-R3) anchored from a small tree about 40 feet back from the lip then drops about 140 feet with a large ledge mid way down. After the rap is easy walking in long corridor with a couple short easy downclimbs mixed in.  A little over 600 feet down canyon is rap 4.

Rap 4 (dStoneD-R4) anchored from tree on the RDC side and drops about 35 feet.

Shortly after rap 4 are some boulders (StoneD12) where you can easily go over the first one but are forced to go under the second boulder. While going under the second boulder we had mud on ground below and the boulder overhead is low forcing us to stem / galumph in a very awkward head first sideways stem. After getting under the boulder is easy walking again in sandy corridor.

About 900 feet farther is the start of (StoneD13Veg) a vegetated section that is a little thick in spots.

About 275 feet farther is the start (StoneD14) of 150 foot long slot after a vegetated area. In this slot travel is best about 10 feet off the deck where there are good features to easily stem / galumph down canyon to go over small pools and log debris.

Shortly after is the start (StoneD15) of another slot about 100 feet long. At the start of this slot is a downclimb of about 12 feet that is wide and reachy which can be leaned out and bridged over from the RDC side start the downclimb. Just after is another downclimb of about 15 feet that is made awkward by the need to get over a large choke stone. At the bottom of the second downclimb is a long pool that when filled with water can be stem / galumphed over.

Shortly after is an easy sloped downclimb (StoneD16-Dagg) through winding walls to slot where a huge boulder with a pointed bottom hangs between the walls and you need to pass under it. This boulder is the name sake of the canyon as it reminded us of a large Stone Dagger poised to fall on anyone who dared pass under it.

About 100 feet farther is a downclimb (StoneD17) of about 10 feet that marks the end of the Stone Dagger slot and where a small side drainage drops in on the RDC side. Continue down canyon about 200 feet to where the walls on the RDC allow you to scramble up out of the canyon.

About 200 feet farther are ledges (yStoneDaggerBt) on the RDC (south) wall allowing an easy scramble up out of the canyon about 200 feet down canyon of the small side drainage.  Begin scrambling up the ledges out of Stone Dagger.

The Exit:
From the bottom of Stone Dagger (yStoneDaggerBt) scramble up the ledges on the RDC side.  After scrambling up, route find your way right (west) over toward the side drainage then go southwest up along the side of the the side drainage.

A little more than 400 feet after getting up out of Stone Dagger walk into the drainage then scramble up over two shelves (StoneD18) then continue up the drainage another 150 feet.

About 150 feet after the shelves (StoneD19) look southwest up the drainage and note a large hoodoo like structure and a large sandstone peak about 0.65 miles away. Route find your way over to the saddle between the hoodoo and sandstone peak. Travel is easier if you contour up out of the drainage and roughly follow it.

Example Pic.

Once up on the saddle (StoneD20Sdle), continue the exit by traveling south down through a small valley and up to a saddle on the other side. The hoodoo is the same hoodoo you saw across a small valley on the approach hike into Stone Dagger.  To continue the exit, reverse the approach route almost due south contouring along the slope toward the base of a small peak.

Note:
It is possible to follow down the shallow drainage to the southwest but it soon becomes rough and difficult to travel with a lot of scrambling.

About 600 feet farther you will once again be traversing under a rock outcropping (StoneD04).  Continue south about 0.3 miles to the top of the ledges.

From the top of the shelves (StoneD02), continue south route finding and scrambling down ledges for about 700 feet to the ravine / wash below (jStoneDagger).

Once in the ravine / wash (jStoneDagger) turn left and go southeast down the wash a short distance to a large boulder.

At the large boulder (A-Door05) downclimb the boulder and continue down the ravine.

About 500 feet down the ravine (A-Door04) scramble up to the right (northish) up a boulder filled slope to the top of a side ravine.

At the top of the side ravine (A-Door03) scramble down the slopes about 500 feet down into a larger drainage with a couple of 4th class scrambles on the way.

Once down in the large drainage (A-Door01) turn right and walk south about 250 feet back into Spring Canyon.

Once in Spring Canyon (jA-Door-Able) travel south down Spring Canyon.

About 0.5 miles down Spring Canyon is a confluence where Chimney Rock Canyon meets Spring Canyon with wooden signs posted (jChimney-Spng).  Go west up Chimney Rock Canyon.

Warning:
When exiting from Stone Dagger, A-Door-Able, or Pandoras Box Canyons, it is easy to walk right by this junction on the hike out and accidentally continue walking aimlessly south down Spring Canyon. Even with the wooded signs posted I have seen people just walk by and never see the sign.

About 1.4 miles up Chimney Rock Canyon a use trail goes up out of the drainage and up to the trail above (wSmokStakRP-21).  Walk up use trails to the main trail on the south side of the wash.

Once on the main trail (jChim-SprgCyn2) follow the trail west about 0.8 miles to a trail junction.

From the trail junction (jChim-SprgCyn1) follow the trail going west about 0.5 miles to the Chimney Rock Parking area (tChimneyRock).

GPS Waypoint Information

Downloadable GPX files available at BG-Gear Store (easier than manual entry and a great way to support Bluugnome).
Waypoint naming convention and map symbol information can be found on the Glossary page.  Elevations are approximate.
BEFORE
manually entering coordinates set your system to WGS84 datum and Lat/Lon hddd.ddddd° coordinate format
Inconsistent datum's and coordinate formats will result in location errors.

Click to show / expand the list of waypoints below........
Stone Dagger (1) - Approach
  1. tChimneyRock          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.31570   W -111.30397        Elev: 6,055 Feet
    Chimeny Rock Trailhead. Paved parking and a pit toilet.
  2. wSmokStakRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.31602   W -111.30372        Elev: NaN Feet
    Small trail branches off to the left (northwest). To go to the top of Smokestck Canyon, leave the main trail and walk northwest following the smaller trail over to a draiange about 400 feet away. To go to Stone Dagger or A-Door-Able canyons, continue northeast on the main trail.
  3. jChim-SprgCyn1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.31756   W -111.29826        Elev: 6,300 Feet
    Trail junction on the Chimney Rock Loop Trail. To go to Stone Dagger or A-Door-Able canyons follow the trail northeast and not the trail to the south leading to Chimney Rock. About 350 feet east the trail will cross a drainage then continue east and roughly follow along a drainage below also going east. On the hike back out to the parking area Follow the trail west about 0.5 miles back to the parking lot.
  4. jChim-SprgCyn2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.31741   W -111.28488        Elev: NaN Feet
    Spot on the Chimney Rock Loop Trail where use trails leave the main trail and drop north down into the large drainage about 90 feet away. To go to Stone Dagger or A-Door-Able Canyons, leave the main trail and follow use trails about 90 feet down into the major drainage below.
  5. wSmokStakRP-21          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.31766   W -111.28491        Elev: NaN Feet
    Use trail goes up out of the draianage and up to the trail above. To go to Stone Dagger or A-Door-Able canyons continue east down the wash. To go to the Chimney Rock parking area walk up use trails to the main trail on the south side of the wash.
  6. wSmokStakRP-20          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.31922   W -111.28163        Elev: NaN Feet
    Large side canyon joins in from the north. To got to Stone Dagger or A-Door-Able canyons continue east in the wash.
  7. ySmokStak-Bt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.32288   W -111.27389        Elev: 6,000 Feet
    Bottom exit of Smokestack Canyon where it dumps into Chimney Rock Canyon. To go to the Chimney Rock parking area turn right (south) and walk up stream in Chimney Rock Canyon. To go to Stone Dagger or A-Door-Able canyons continue east in the wash.
  8. ChimRkCyn30          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.32407   W -111.26967        Elev: NaN Feet
    Side canyon joins in from the north with two large cottonwood trees just west of where the side canyon joins in.
  9. jChimney-Spng          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.32428   W -111.26421        Elev: 5,920 Feet
    Confluence where Chimney Rock Canyon meets Spring Canyon with wooden signs posted. To go to Stone Dagger or A-Door-Able canyons go north up Spring Canyon. To go to the Chimney Rock parking area go west up Chimney Rock Canyon. Warning: when exiting from Stone Dagger, A-Door-Able, or Pandoras Box Canyons, it is easy to walk right by this junction on the hike out and accidentally continue walking aimlessly south down Spring Canyon. Even with the wooded signs posted I have seen people just walk by and never see the sign.
  10. jA-Door-Able          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.33168   W -111.26385        Elev: NaN Feet
    Large drainage on the northeast side of Spring Canyon. To go to A-Door-Able or Stone Dagger Canyons go northeast up this large drainage. To go to the Chimney Rock parking area travel south down Spring Canyon.
  11. A-Door01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.33233   W -111.26348        Elev: NaN Feet
    Bottom of a rubble filled ravine leaving the drainage going up to the northwest. Note a small peak in the center of the ravine and routefind up the slopes to the right of that peak. As you get higher up the slopes, you will be going into a smaller ravine going up the right side of the center peak. There are a couple spots with exposed 4th class scrambling for a short distance. On exit from Stone Dagger, turn right and walk south about 250 feet back into Spring Canyon.
  12. A-Door02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.33272   W -111.26378        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rock gets steeper requiring more hands and feet in places. Staying far right seems to be the best route but effort is required to route find through this convoluted area. There is one spot you will need to climb 4th class up about 10 feet to continue up.
  13. A-Door03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.33336   W -111.26464        Elev: NaN Feet
    Top out of the small ravine on the right of the peak. Veer left and scramble down steep slickrock to the main ravine below. On exit from Stone Dagger, scramble down the slopes about 500 feet down into a larger drainage with a couple of 4th class scrambles on the way.
  14. A-Door04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.33309   W -111.26537        Elev: NaN Feet
    Down in the main ravine. Scramble and boulder hop northwest up the ravine. On exit from Stone Dagger, scramble up to the right (northish) up a boulder filled slope to the top of a side ravine.
  15. A-Door05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.33379   W -111.26687        Elev: NaN Feet
    A very large boulder in the ravine with ledges on the left to help scramble up over it. From the top of the boulder you can see the ravine is getting wider and the grade becomes more gentle. To go to Stone Dagger Canyon continue northwest about 150 feet farther up the ravine then leave the ravine to the right (north) scrambling up a series of ledges. To go to A-Door-Able Canyon continue northwest up the wash about 375 feet to a brief top out in the ravine. On exit from Stone Dagger, downclimb the boulder and continue down the ravine.
  16. jStoneDagger          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.33412   W -111.26729        Elev: 6,420 Feet
    Leave the drainage and begin routefinding north up a series of ledge. On our visit the route up the ledges had the occasional cairn but they may not remain, so they should not be depended on. On exit, turn left and go southeast down the wash a short distance to a large boulder.
  17. StoneD01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.33459   W -111.26700        Elev: NaN Feet
    Route gets to a long section of scrambling up steep with slickrock where good route finding is needed.
  18. StoneD02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.33595   W -111.26671        Elev: NaN Feet
    Route begins to become a little less steep. From here you begin to see a red rock peak about 0.3 miles to the northeast. Visually follow the ridge line running left (west) down from the red peak to a smaller peak / outcropping of more yellow rock. Travel north to go around the left (west) side of that smaller peak / outcropping. On exit, continue south route finding and scrambling down ledges for about 700 feet to the ravine / wash below.
  19. StoneD03-3Legs          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.33845   W -111.26635        Elev: NaN Feet
    A 3 legged rock here is a fun place to hang out for a short break and admire a large rock you can crawl under that is held up by 3 rock legs.
  20. StoneD04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34079   W -111.26649        Elev: NaN Feet
    Route traverses around the left (west) side of the smaller rock outcropping noted earlier for navigation. Continue north about 500 feet to a small saddle. On exit, continue south about 0.3 miles to the top of the ledges.
  21. StoneD05-Sdle          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34232   W -111.26657        Elev: 7,015 Feet
    Saddle with views into a small valley like area to the north. Take note of what this area looks like as you will cross this same point on the exit route from the canyon. To go to Stone Dagger Canyon, drop north down the slope toward the valley and veer left (northwest) to contour over to a saddle left of of a large rock hill. Note and remeber the large hoodoo directly across the valley to the northeast, you will be on that ridge on the exit from the canyon. On the exit, reverse the approach route almost due south contouring along the slope toward the base of a small peak. Note: On exit it is possible to follow down the shallow drainage to the southwest but it soon becomes rough and difficult to travel with a lot of scrambling.
  22. StoneD06-Sdle          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34608   W -111.26831        Elev: 7,070 Feet
    Saddle where you will need to contour up the left side to get up over a rock shelf just before getting to the saddle. From this saddle continue northwest contouring around the top of a drainage then over to the left (west) side of a large rock outcropping about 1000 feet away.
  23. StoneD07-OutCr          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34852   W -111.27014        Elev: NaN Feet
    Spot just left (west) of a large rock outcropping. Continue northwest about 0.4 miles to drop down into the top of Stone Dagger Canyon. While traveling toward the head of the canyon, continue to make solid effort to veer left as the lay of the land makes you want to veer right. Conscious effort is needed to stay left so you do not automatically start wandering off to the right.
  24. yStoneDaggerTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35387   W -111.27102        Elev: 6,775 Feet
    Top of Stone Dagger Canyon. This drop in is aouot 150 feet down canyon of a large shelf in the wash. Walk east down canyon and around a cross joint pothole on the RDC side where a short scramble and a downclimb of about 8 feet gets you back into the canyon.
Stone Dagger (2) - Canyon
  1. yStoneDaggerTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35387   W -111.27102        Elev: 6,775 Feet
    Top of Stone Dagger Canyon. This drop in is aouot 150 feet down canyon of a large shelf in the wash. Walk east down canyon and around a cross joint pothole on the RDC side where a short scramble and a downclimb of about 8 feet gets you back into the canyon.
  2. dStoneD-R1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35359   W -111.27065        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 1 - Stone Dagger Canyon. Anchored LDC from a small arch and drops about 35 feet. Optionally you can walk a ledge on the RDC side to bypass the rap but it is a bit spicy.
  3. StoneD08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35348   W -111.27040        Elev: NaN Feet
    Gently sloped downclimb of about 20 feet.
  4. dStoneD-R2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35340   W -111.27021        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 2 - Stone Dagger Canyon. Anchored from a rock under a large boulder at the top of a crack and drops about 50 feet down into a deep chamber like area. Getting started on this rap is a little awkward as you get on rope, worm your way through the crack over a large choke stone over into free hang in a crack / chamber like area.
  5. StoneD09          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35333   W -111.27003        Elev: NaN Feet
    Pretty slot section to go down through starting with gently sloped downclimb through swirly section to a pothole that can be bridged over, another gently sloped downclimb leads to log and boulder debris where you can worm through a hole under the boulder or go over boulder and stem down. After the boulder is sandy wash walking.
  6. StoneD10-PAsst          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35320   W -111.26955        Elev: NaN Feet
    Drop of about 12 feet with the last 5 to 6 feet being vertical. A partner assist get the group down quick and easy with only the last person downclimbing with assistance from below. The next 900 feet is mostly easy walking in long corridor with the occasional spot to galumph over water or debris.
  7. StoneD11          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35374   W -111.26658        Elev: NaN Feet
    Large boulders near end of vegetated section with 2 easy sloped downclimbs of about 8 to 10 feet each.
  8. dStoneD-R3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35384   W -111.26598        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 3 - Stone Dagger Canyon. Anchored from a small tree about 40 feet back from the lip then drops about 140 feet with a large ledge mid way down. After the rap is easy walking in long corridor with a couple short easy downclimbs mixed in.
  9. dStoneD-R4          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35321   W -111.26409        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 4 - Stone Dagger Canyon. Anchored from tree on the RDC side and drops about 35 feet.
  10. StoneD12          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35321   W -111.26385        Elev: NaN Feet
    Some boulders where you can easily go over the first one but are forced to go under the second boulder. While going under the second boulder we had mud on ground below and the boulder overhead is low forcing us to stem / galumph in a very awkward head first sideways stem. After getting under the boulder is easy walking again in sandy corridor.
  11. StoneD13Veg          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35388   W -111.26076        Elev: NaN Feet
    Start of a vegetated section that is a little thick in spots.
  12. StoneD14          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35427   W -111.25995        Elev: NaN Feet
    Start of 150 foot long slot after a vegetated area. In this slot travel is best about 10 feet off the deck where there are good features to easily stem / galumph down canyon to go over small pools and log debris.
  13. StoneD15          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35452   W -111.25935        Elev: NaN Feet
    Start of another slot about 100 feet long. At the start of this slot is a downclimb of about 12 feet that is wide and reachy which can be leaned out and bridged over from the RDC side start the downclimb. Just after is another downclimb of about 15 feet that is made awkward by the need to get over a large choke stone. At the bottom of the second downclimb is a long pool that when filled with water can be stem / galumphed over.
  14. StoneD16-Dagg          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35466   W -111.25894        Elev: NaN Feet
    Easy sloped downclimb through winding walls to slot where a huge boulder with a pointed bottom hangs between the walls and you need to pass under it. This boulder is the name sake of the canyon as it reminded us of a large Stone Dagger poised to fall on anyone who dared pass under it.
  15. StoneD17          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35469   W -111.25855        Elev: NaN Feet
    Downclimb of about 10 feet that marks the end of the Stone Dagger slot and where a small side drainage drops in on the RDC side. Continue down canyon about 200 feet to where the walls on the RDC allow you to scramble up out of the canyon.
  16. yStoneDaggerBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35496   W -111.25787        Elev: 6,190 Feet
    Lower end of Stone Dagger Canyon. Ledges on the RDC (south) wall allowing an easy scramble up out of the canyon about 200 feet down canyon of the small side drainage. After scrambling up, route find your way right (west) over toward the side drainage then go southwest up along the side of the the side drainage.
Stone Dagger (3) - Exit
  1. yStoneDaggerBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35496   W -111.25787        Elev: 6,190 Feet
    Lower end of Stone Dagger Canyon. Ledges on the RDC (south) wall allowing an easy scramble up out of the canyon about 200 feet down canyon of the small side drainage. After scrambling up, route find your way right (west) over toward the side drainage then go southwest up along the side of the the side drainage.
  2. StoneD18          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35404   W -111.25870        Elev: NaN Feet
    Walk into the drainage then scramble up over two shelves then continue up the drainage about another 150 feet.
  3. StoneD19          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.35369   W -111.25891        Elev: NaN Feet
    Look southwest up the drainage and note a large hoodoo like structure and a large sandstone peak about 0.65 miles away. Route find your way over to the saddle between the hoodoo and sandstone peak. Travel is easier if you contour up out of the drainage and roughly follow it.
  4. StoneD20Sdle          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34578   W -111.26499        Elev: 6,990 Feet
    Saddle between the sandstone peak and large hoodoo. Continue the exit by traveling south down through a small valley and up to a saddle on the other side. The hoodoo is the same hoodoo you saw across a small valley on the approach hike into Stone Dagger.
  5. StoneD05-Sdle          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34232   W -111.26657        Elev: 7,015 Feet
    Saddle with views into a small valley like area to the north. Take note of what this area looks like as you will cross this same point on the exit route from the canyon. To go to Stone Dagger Canyon, drop north down the slope toward the valley and veer left (northwest) to contour over to a saddle left of of a large rock hill. Note and remeber the large hoodoo directly across the valley to the northeast, you will be on that ridge on the exit from the canyon. On the exit, reverse the approach route almost due south contouring along the slope toward the base of a small peak. Note: On exit it is possible to follow down the shallow drainage to the southwest but it soon becomes rough and difficult to travel with a lot of scrambling.
  6. StoneD04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34079   W -111.26649        Elev: NaN Feet
    Route traverses around the left (west) side of the smaller rock outcropping noted earlier for navigation. Continue north about 500 feet to a small saddle. On exit, continue south about 0.3 miles to the top of the ledges.
  7. StoneD02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.33595   W -111.26671        Elev: NaN Feet
    Route begins to become a little less steep. From here you begin to see a red rock peak about 0.3 miles to the northeast. Visually follow the ridge line running left (west) down from the red peak to a smaller peak / outcropping of more yellow rock. Travel north to go around the left (west) side of that smaller peak / outcropping. On exit, continue south route finding and scrambling down ledges for about 700 feet to the ravine / wash below.
  8. StoneD01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.33459   W -111.26700        Elev: NaN Feet
    Route gets to a long section of scrambling up steep with slickrock where good route finding is needed.
  9. jStoneDagger          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.33412   W -111.26729        Elev: 6,420 Feet
    Leave the drainage and begin routefinding north up a series of ledge. On our visit the route up the ledges had the occasional cairn but they may not remain, so they should not be depended on. On exit, turn left and go southeast down the wash a short distance to a large boulder.
  10. A-Door05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.33379   W -111.26687        Elev: NaN Feet
    A very large boulder in the ravine with ledges on the left to help scramble up over it. From the top of the boulder you can see the ravine is getting wider and the grade becomes more gentle. To go to Stone Dagger Canyon continue northwest about 150 feet farther up the ravine then leave the ravine to the right (north) scrambling up a series of ledges. To go to A-Door-Able Canyon continue northwest up the wash about 375 feet to a brief top out in the ravine. On exit from Stone Dagger, downclimb the boulder and continue down the ravine.
  11. A-Door04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.33309   W -111.26537        Elev: NaN Feet
    Down in the main ravine. Scramble and boulder hop northwest up the ravine. On exit from Stone Dagger, scramble up to the right (northish) up a boulder filled slope to the top of a side ravine.
  12. A-Door03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.33336   W -111.26464        Elev: NaN Feet
    Top out of the small ravine on the right of the peak. Veer left and scramble down steep slickrock to the main ravine below. On exit from Stone Dagger, scramble down the slopes about 500 feet down into a larger drainage with a couple of 4th class scrambles on the way.
  13. A-Door02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.33272   W -111.26378        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rock gets steeper requiring more hands and feet in places. Staying far right seems to be the best route but effort is required to route find through this convoluted area. There is one spot you will need to climb 4th class up about 10 feet to continue up.
  14. A-Door01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.33233   W -111.26348        Elev: NaN Feet
    Bottom of a rubble filled ravine leaving the drainage going up to the northwest. Note a small peak in the center of the ravine and routefind up the slopes to the right of that peak. As you get higher up the slopes, you will be going into a smaller ravine going up the right side of the center peak. There are a couple spots with exposed 4th class scrambling for a short distance. On exit from Stone Dagger, turn right and walk south about 250 feet back into Spring Canyon.
  15. jA-Door-Able          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.33168   W -111.26385        Elev: NaN Feet
    Large drainage on the northeast side of Spring Canyon. To go to A-Door-Able or Stone Dagger Canyons go northeast up this large drainage. To go to the Chimney Rock parking area travel south down Spring Canyon.
  16. jChimney-Spng          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.32428   W -111.26421        Elev: 5,920 Feet
    Confluence where Chimney Rock Canyon meets Spring Canyon with wooden signs posted. To go to Stone Dagger or A-Door-Able canyons go north up Spring Canyon. To go to the Chimney Rock parking area go west up Chimney Rock Canyon. Warning: when exiting from Stone Dagger, A-Door-Able, or Pandoras Box Canyons, it is easy to walk right by this junction on the hike out and accidentally continue walking aimlessly south down Spring Canyon. Even with the wooded signs posted I have seen people just walk by and never see the sign.
  17. ChimRkCyn30          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.32407   W -111.26967        Elev: NaN Feet
    Side canyon joins in from the north with two large cottonwood trees just west of where the side canyon joins in.
  18. ySmokStak-Bt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.32288   W -111.27389        Elev: 6,000 Feet
    Bottom exit of Smokestack Canyon where it dumps into Chimney Rock Canyon. To go to the Chimney Rock parking area turn right (south) and walk up stream in Chimney Rock Canyon. To go to Stone Dagger or A-Door-Able canyons continue east in the wash.
  19. wSmokStakRP-20          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.31922   W -111.28163        Elev: NaN Feet
    Large side canyon joins in from the north. To got to Stone Dagger or A-Door-Able canyons continue east in the wash.
  20. wSmokStakRP-21          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.31766   W -111.28491        Elev: NaN Feet
    Use trail goes up out of the draianage and up to the trail above. To go to Stone Dagger or A-Door-Able canyons continue east down the wash. To go to the Chimney Rock parking area walk up use trails to the main trail on the south side of the wash.
  21. jChim-SprgCyn2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.31741   W -111.28488        Elev: NaN Feet
    Spot on the Chimney Rock Loop Trail where use trails leave the main trail and drop north down into the large drainage about 90 feet away. To go to Stone Dagger or A-Door-Able Canyons, leave the main trail and follow use trails about 90 feet down into the major drainage below.
  22. jChim-SprgCyn1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.31756   W -111.29826        Elev: 6,300 Feet
    Trail junction on the Chimney Rock Loop Trail. To go to Stone Dagger or A-Door-Able canyons follow the trail northeast and not the trail to the south leading to Chimney Rock. About 350 feet east the trail will cross a drainage then continue east and roughly follow along a drainage below also going east. On the hike back out to the parking area Follow the trail west about 0.5 miles back to the parking lot.
  23. tChimneyRock          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.31570   W -111.30397        Elev: 6,055 Feet
    Chimeny Rock Trailhead. Paved parking and a pit toilet.