Canyoneering Route Description
Happy Dog Canyon - 4B III or V R
The Kingdom portion of
Halls Creek area, Utah.
The times are from a Basecamp near the confluence of Millers and Halls Creek
then back to Basecamp.
Add extra time in for the approach into the area from the car park or
another base camp spot of your choosing.
09-07-12, 6 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 9.5 hours)
09-20-13, 6 people, 1 Day (travel time in route 9.5 hours)
04-20-17, 4 people, 1 Day (travel time in route 11.75 hours)
Shortcut route approach to the confluence of Millers and
Halls Creek:
Time Required - About 5.25 hours each way for the hike in
/ out via the Short Cut
Route.
Elevation Range - 4300 to
3840
The Canyon Route from a basecamp near the confluence of
Millers and Halls Creek:
Time Required - 7 to 11 hours
Distance -
3 miles Total, 1.3 miles Technical
Rappels - 6 Rappels, Longest Rappel 140 feet.
Elevation Range - 3860 - 5140 Feet
Shuttle Required - No Vehicle - Passenger
for short cut route.
Permit Required - No
Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up
to 140 feet and 70 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.
Bring a couple of potshots in case they are needed to escape
potholes. Even in high water conditions some of the potholes
are awkward or difficult to exit.
Wet suits may not be needed on very warm or hot days.
There are mandatory swims and some sections of wading, so
cool or cold days a wet suit is recommended.
Halls Creek itself is a very long drainage running north up
from Lake Powel for over 30 miles. The Halls Creek Area runs through
portions of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Capitol Reef National Park and
Grand Staircase / Escalante. When someone refers to the Halls Creek
area, they are typically referring to the lower 10 or 15 miles of Halls
Creek.
A small popular portion of the Halls Creek area has routes named after animals with positive emotions, Smiling Cricket (aka
Poe), Baboon Laughs and Happy Dog Canyons. I refer to this area as The
Kingdom, as in the Animal Kingdom. The Kingdom falls inside the Glen
Canyon National Recreation Area and is about 3 miles up Halls Creek from
Lake Powel.
Happy Dog Canyon is in The Kingdom area of Halls Creek.
Accessing Happy Dog Canyon via land is best done as an overnight.
Allow a day for the approach, another day for the canyon and another day for
the exit. The remote nature of the area makes it more worthwhile to
plan a basecamp then spend multiple days playing in canyons nearby.
There is poison ivy in various places on the routes
around the Halls Creek Area. Most (not all) of it is easy to avoid if you are looking for it.
Happy Dog is a remote canyon requiring a long approach.
The time rating of III or V reflects the remoteness of the place. To
do Happy Dog from the car park and back is an over night trip giving a time
rating of V. If you pack into the area for a multiday trip and are
planning your times from a near by base camp, Happy Dog has a time rating of
III from base camp back to base camp.
Note:
There are two over land routes that can be used to
access The Kingdom area (it is also commonly done from the lake from a
boat). One land route is via an old airstrip and the distance is about 9.2
miles from the start of that route down to Millers Creek. The shortcut
route follows open desert to a rubble pile allowing access down the cliffs
into Halls Creek and is about 5.9 miles down to Millers Creek.
This route description describes the shortcut route since it is 3.3 miles
shorter, has less elevation range and does not need a high clearance vehicle to access it. If
you would like information for the old airstrip route, I have made a separate
page for the
Old Airstrip Route into Halls Creek.
Happy Dog Canyon gets the risk factor rating of R due
to a section of stemming about 25 feet off the deck for about 100 feet.
The technical difficulty rating of 4 is due to the pothole crossing that may
require potshot or pack tosses for exit.
Happy Dog Canyon has multiple potholes to cross.
Some of the potholes are awkward to get out of even when completely full of
water and would be very difficult in low water conditions. Some of the
potholes have sand and debris near by to fill a potshot with while others do
not. In low water conditions there may be some potholes where a pack
toss will be required to exit.
The narrow section down
canyon rap 4 is about
1000 feet long and where
the physical work of Happy Dog takes place. There are a
couple sections of high
stemming to 25 feet off
the deck, multiple pools
to cross, a few stem
style downclimbs to 25
feet and 4 potholes to
cross that may require
potshot or pack toss to
escape in low water
conditions. Even
in high water conditions
some of the potholes
here are difficult or
awkward to get out of.
Some of the potholes do
not have sand or debris
nearby to fill a potshot
with so be prepared to
do a pack toss if the
need arises.
Happy Dog is a fun day but does require some solid
effort to get through. The Happy Dog Arch near the head of the canyon
and the alcove below the final rappel are both worth the visit all by
themselves for scenic beauty.
After the final rap is a narrow riparian section to
walk with a lot of thick, big, healthy poison ivy. Be careful!
To get to the Trailhead
DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO THE SHORT CUT ROUTE ............
The junction of highways 95 and 276 is about 26 miles south on
highway 95 from Hanksville Utah.
From the junction of highways 95 and 276, drive south on highway
276 for 35 miles to the turn off on the right (west) for the
south end of the Burr Trail (extBurrTairlS). Turn right
(west) to drive down the Burr Trail which is paved here.
About 2.25 miles from Highway 276 the Burr Trail is still paved
but crosses a major drainage (wBurrTrailDP01) and may be washed
out or flooded at times.
About 2.8 miles farther the Burr Trail crosses over Bullfrog
Creek (wBurrTrailDP02) and may be washed out or flooded at
times.
About 1.25 miles farther the Burr Trail goes up a couple switch
backs to climb up onto the mesa. After getting to the top
of the switch backs drive 0.3 miles farther to a large dirt turn
out on the left (west) side of the road. The large dirt
turn-out is where you will park (pkKingdomSrtCt) to take the
shortcut route into The Kingdom.
To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod
No exit vehicle is needed. This is done as a loop route.
GPS coordinate information listed at the bottom. For information about waypoint naming and map symbols, refer to the
Glossary page.
Click the links for maps of the route.
Map of the drive into the route.
Map of the route into The Kingdom via the Shortcut Route.
Map of the Canyon route from near Millers Creek.
The Approach to
The Kingdom via
the Short Cut Route:
Note /
Navigation Warning:
The shortcut route into
The Kingdom leads over
to a rubble pile forming
a weakness in the high
cliffs running along
Halls Creek. It is
very important to
navigate to the rubble
pile weakness. If
you navigate to some
other point along the
top of the cliffs you
will likely find
yourself at the top of
very high sheer drops
with no way down into
Halls Creek.
The shortcut route into
The Kingdom does not
have a trail and has few
landmarks over most of
it. Good map
reading and navigation
skills are required to
complete this route.
A GPS can make life a
whole lot easier as
well. Other routes
over this terrain will
work also as a lot of
the terrain is
forgiving. However
the route described here
follows a path that is
overall a direct line in
AND avoids a lot of un
needed ups and downs.
From where you parked
(pkKingdomSrtCt) walk at
a bearing of 258 degrees
(true not magnetic) for
about 0.6 miles across
the desert.
About 0.6 miles from the
parking area is a large
drainage to cross.
There is an easy slope
(wHalls-SC-RP01) to get
down into the drainage
just north of the apex
of a sharp horseshoe
bend.
Note:
If you happen to find
your way to the apex of
the big horseshoe bend
and find the drop to the
drainage is a sheer
drop, route find your
way north 100 to 200
feet where you will find
a slope leading down in.
Once
down in the drainage,
cross it and climb up
the bank on the west
side by scrambling up
onto the nose of the
ridge formed by the
horseshoe bend.
Note:
The scramble up the nose
of the ridge is easy,
but if desired there is
an easier slope to walk
up just north of the
ridge in the apex of the
upstream corner (wHalls-SC-Slop).
See the map to note
where it is, which is
simpler than trying to
explain it in text.
Once at the top of slope
up the nose of the ridge
(wHalls-SC-RP02),
continue west along the
ridge for about 900 feet
to where the ridge ends
and you are out on open
desert (wHalls-SC-RP03).
When you get to the end
of the ridge travel
across open desert
southwest on a bearing
of 237 degrees (true)
for about 0.46 miles
toward the bottom of a
rubble pile going up a
steep sandstone band.
From the bottom of the
rubble pile
(wHalls-SC-RP04) it is
an easy scramble slash
walk up the slickrock
slope for about 500 feet
(horizontal distance) to
the top of the slope
where you are once again
greeted with wide open
desert (wHalls-SC-RP05).
Once at the top of the
slickrock slope travel
southwest on a bearing
of 232 degrees (true)
across open desert.
About 0.71 miles from
the top of the slickrock
slope you should drop
down into a large
drainage at the
confluence of two forks
(wHalls-SC-RP06).
From the confluence do
not follow down the
drainage. Instead, cross
over and continue
southwest across desert
westish on a bearing of
230 degrees (true).
As you walk you will
start to notice a
whitish sandstone cliff
band in the distance
slightly left (south) of
your course. Aim
slightly right (north)
of it to where it looks
like you can scramble up
onto it. About 0.4
miles after leaving the
drainage at the
confluence will be a
short easy scramble up
to the the top of the
whitish cliff band
(wHalls-SC-RP07).
After you are on top
continue west for about
0.25 miles on a bearing
of 255 degrees (true)
down to a confluence /
fork in a large
drainage. From
that confluence
(wHalls-SC-RP08) travel
up the fork of the
drainage that goes west
(not the ones that go
south or north).
About 1000 feet up the
west fork the drainage
will make a sharp bend
right (north) then about
400 feet farther north
up the drainage will be
a large cairn in the
wash (wHalls-SC-RP09).
The large cairn in the
wash signifies where to
leave the drainage and
scramble up and west to
the open desert above.
Note:
At this point you are
just over a mile from
the top of the rubble
pile allowing access
down the side of the
cliffs running along
Halls Creek. Also
of note is that this
later half of the route
is difficult to explain
verbally or written.
With that in mind good
navigation skills are
helpful and a GPS is a
big asset here.
After getting to the top
of the scramble up out
of the drainage
(wHalls-SC-RP10) route
find your way southwest
on a bearing of 248
(true). While
traveling on this
bearing you will be
traversing along a
sloped area slowly
working to a wide top
out area
(wHalls-SC-RP11).
From the wide top out
area continue southwest
on a bearing of 230
degrees (true) about
0.17 miles to where you
will cross over a small
drainage
(wHalls-SC-RP12).
After crossing the small
drainage continue
southwest on a bearing
of 240 degrees (true)
for about 0.3 miles to
where you will drop down
into another large
drainage
(wHalls-SC-RP13).
This large drainage
(wHalls-SC-RP13) has
several large drainages
/ ravines traveling up
to the and northwest and
southwest.
Choosing the proper
ravine will get you to
where you need to go.
This area is a little
convoluted but if you
look around you should
notice 4 ravines /
drainages. The
ravine / drainage you
want to go up is the one
traveling southwest at a
bearing of about 245
degrees (true). Of
note there is also
another drainage to the
left (south) of the
drainage you want
running roughly the same
direction and parallel.
Both Ravine / drainages
will get you pretty much
to the same place.
The actual bottom of the
correct ravine /
drainage is
(wHalls-SC-RP14).
Travel southwest about
850 feet to what feels
like the top of the
ravine (wHalls-SC-RP15).
As you are traveling up
the ravine you will be
pointed directly at a
white sandstone peak
ahead. The peak
you will be pointed at
is the middle peak of
three small peaks in the
area.
As you get to the top of
the ravine continue up
the slickrock slope up
toward that center peak
which is now about 500
feet away. As you
get close to the peak
contour around the left
(south) side of it and
walk over to the cliff
edge looking down into
Halls Creek.
As you get around to the
west side of the peak
and over to the top of
the cliffs
(wHalls-SC-RP16) be on
the look out for various
cairns marking the way
down over the side of
the cliffs down toward
Halls Creek. Next
is the descent down the
rubble pile area.
There are a few cairns
on the route down but
they are widely spaced
and not always obvious
so be prepared to figure
out your own way down.
The route down the side
of the cliffs into Halls
Creek will work its way
down the rubble pile
section, while at the
same time traversing to
the right (north)
eventually getting to a
dirt slope that will
allow easy walking down
into Halls Creek.
The distance from the
top (wHalls-SC-RP16) of
the cairned route down
the rubble pile and
traversing down to the
top of the dirt slope
(wHalls-SC-RP17) is
about 0.22 miles.
When you get to the top
of the dirt slope,
simply walk down to a
use trail about 500 feet
away.
Note:
It is also possible to
begin traversing south
on the rubble pile and
work over to a ramp near
a side drainage to drop
down to the bottom.
However this route
involves a little more
route finding, a little
more scrambling and
doesn't seem to safe
significant effort over
the route traversing
down to the north.
But if you are feeling
adventurous it does go
and may be a fun
alternative for you.
A point for the top of
the ramp (wHalls-Opt-2)
is shown on the map but
no waypoint info is
added to the route
description.
When you get down onto
the use trail
(wHalls-SC-RP18) turn
left (south) and follow
the trail as it stays
roughly along the top of
a cliff running along
Halls Creek.
Follow the trail about
0.65 miles south until
you see a very large
obvious slickrock half
dome shaped fin.
Just before reaching the
huge half dome shaped
fin (wHalls-SC-RP19),
LEAVE the use trail and
follow down the slope on
the north side of the
half dome shaped fin
down into the Halls
Creek water course.
About 700 feet down
along the slope you will
be down in Halls Creek
(jHalls-SC-Bot).
After getting down into
Halls Creek walk south
down the creek about 0.3
miles to where Millers
Creek joins
(wHalsCrsMilers) in from
the right (west).
Note / Basecamp:
Once you have found your
way to Miller Creek it
is a good time to look
around for a good spot
to set up basecamp and
drop all your overnight
gear. From your
basecamp you can grab
your tech gear and head
out for trips though the
local canyons. Of
note Millers Creek has
water flowing as well as
Halls Creek. There
have been reports of
beaver activity in Halls
Creek and reports of
people getting sick from
the water. Millers
Creek is where we
typically get our water
and have not had issues
with it. Your
mileage may vary.
Continuing the
Approach from a Basecamp
somewhere near Millers
Creek..........
About 0.25 miles down
from Millers Creek the
trail crosses over to
the east side of the
Halls Creek (wHallsHappyCrs)
about 250 feet before
reaching the bottom of
Happy Dog Canyon.
Note:
To continue over to
Baboon Laughs Canyon or
Smiling Cricket Canyon
you would cross over to
the east side of Halls
Creek and follow the
trail high up on the
east bank to continue
south down Halls Creek.
But that is not where
this description takes
you.
From where the trail
crosses (wHallsHappyCrs) to the
east side of Halls Creek
just before getting to
the Happy Dog drainage,
do
not cross the creek to
the east side.
Instead go west up the
dirt slopes about 450 to
the base of the
slickrock slope going up
to the west.
When you get to the
slickrock
(wHappyDogRP01) start up
the slope continuing
west).
About 950 feet up the
slope is a large flat
area (wHappyDogRP02).
Start up the steep slope
continuing up west from
the flat area.
A little over 500 feet
farther is another large
flat area
(wHappyDogRP03).
Continue route finding
your way west up the
steep slickrock slope.
From this flat spot
follow the slickrock
ridge running up the
left (south) side of
this large flat area.
The canyon on your left
(south) is Happy Dog
Canyon.
About 0.2 miles farther
the slope levels off a
bit for a while for
easier travel.
Shortly after leveling
off a little there is a
flat area
(wHappyDogRP04) as you
pass by the top of a
side ravine on the right
(north) that drops down
into Millers Creek.
Continue route finding
your way about 800 feet
to where the slickrock
begins to slope up
steeply again
(wHappyDogRP05).
After about 100 feet the
slope tops out
(wHappyDogRP06) then
begins slightly down
hill for a little bit.
From the brief top out
note a peak about 500
feet ahead to the west.
The route up to Happy
Dog will skirt around
the left (south) side of
that peak.
As you are skirting
around the left (south)
side of the peak
(wHappyDogRP07) you will
have good views down
into parts of upper
Happy Dog Canyon.
After getting around the
peak note the red
sandstone loafs a few
hundred feet ahead to
the west.
Navigating through those
loafs is a little
convoluted. As you
start up the red loafs a
good route through them
is to stay far right
(north) near a sharp
drop off (wHappyDogRP08)
down into Millers Creek.
As you get to the west
end of the red sandstone
loafs there will be an
easy down climb
(wHappyDogRP09) of about
15 feet that will drop
you down onto a dirt
saddle.
After crossing this
saddle travel about 450
feet up over a small
hill then back down to
another flat area
(wHappyDogRP10).
When you get to the flat
area walk about 150 feet
south over to the bottom
of the slope
(wHappyDogRP11) going up
from the left (south)
end of the flat area.
Go west up the slope a
little over 200 feet to
the top of a draw /
ravine (wHappyDogRP12).
This draw drops down to
the left (south) of a
sandstone peak and leads
down to the top of Happy
Dog.
As you get down the draw
you will start to see
the top of Happy Dog a
couple hundred feet
away. Scramble
down to a slickrock flat
area just up out of the
canyon. From the
flat area you can
scramble right down into
the head of the canyon (yHappyDogTp)
where there is a sharp
drop of about 30 feet
west down into a side
ravine leading down to
Millers Creek.
Happy Dog Canyon
continues east from
here.
Note:
Just before getting down
into the actual drainage
at the top of Happy Dog
look for a arch / hole
in the sandstone about 8
feet in diameter and
positioned so you can
walk into it.
Walking onto this arch
places you inside a
large alcove looking
over the top part of
Happy Dog. This is
a very interesting not
to be missed feature.
The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
From the top of
Happy Dog (yHappyDogTp)
walk / scramble down
canyon a little over 200
feet where you will be
next to the Happy Dog
Arch (sHappyDogArch) but
this time down in the
canyon below it looking
up.
Down canyon from the
Happy Dog Arch are
multiple small potholes
that could be about
waist deep if full of
water and a few easy
crack downclimbs of up
to 10 feet.
About 500 feet down
canyon of the Happy Dog
Arch is a drop of about
12 feet (wHappyDogRP13)
and is the first of 4
downclimbs before
reaching rap 1 about 150
feet farther down
canyon. These 4
downclimbs are 10 to 15
feet each with the top
of each being a fairly
easy downclimb but the
bottom needing a partner
assist. A couple
of these downclimbs will
need a very aggressive
partner assist to get
the last man down.
Rap 1 (dHappyDogR1) is
anchored from a small
tree about 15 feet back
from the drop and drops
about 35 feet over a
VERY awkward overhang.
Most of rap 1 is free
hanging as you drop over
a hanging garden area.
When pulling the ropes
for rap 1, try to back
up as far as you can to
avoid adding more rope
grooves.
Note:
There are sections of
skinny canyon with
stemming and galumphing
between raps 1 and 2.
It may be a good idea to
remove your harness for
the journey of about 0.5
mile to rap 2.
At the bottom of rap 1
is a wide open section
with flat-ish sandstone
floor to walk.
About 550 feet down
canyon the walking comes
to an end where the
canyon starts to become
narrow again
(wHappyDogRP14).
As the canyon gets
narrow galumphing will
be required for movement
down canyon.
There are multiple small
potholes that you can
avoid by stemming or
bridging over for the
first 350 feet of the
galumph section until
you get to a much larger
pothole (wHappyDogRP15).
This pothole was about
waist deep by hugging
the LDC side on our
visit in 2012 but was
sand filled so I am not
sure how deep it could
be and may require a
potshot to exit out of
if scoured out in future
years. Down canyon
of here is a narrow
section to wade through.
section to wade through.
About 150 feet down
canyon is another large
pothole (wHappyDogRP16).
This pothole is deep and
is a definite swimmer
for about 15 feet.
If full of water the
exit is pretty easy but
with water only a foot
low the exit is already
awkward and moderately
difficult. A
potshot may be required
here to toss an exit
rope. There are
spots of sand behind you
for material and the
toss would be fairly
easy to make.
As soon as you exit the
pothole there is another
pothole which was almost
swimmer depth in 2012
but has a sand bottom so
it may get deeper.
The exit of this pothole
is also awkward and may
require a potshot to
exit if water levels are
low.
Note:
There is no sand between
these two potholes.
If you need a potshot
for the second pothole
you may need to farm
sand from up canyon so
be sure to keep someone
back until you evaluate
what is needed for both
pothole exits.
Just after the two
potholes is a section of
galumphing with a couple
easy V shaped sloped
downclimbs before
getting to a wide open
spot for easy walking
about 450 feet down
canyon.
The walking section is
about 350 feet long with
a waist deep pool to
wade through at one
point.
At the end of the
walking section
(wHappyDogRP17) the
canyon starts to get
narrow again where
galumphing is required
to continue down canyon.
The galumphing section
goes for a little over
200 feet and has
sections that are very
tight at the bottom.
If your stemming skills
are strong, travel is
easier up off the deck
about 15 feet but you
can stay low and squeeze
through the skinny stuff
at the bottom with your
pack off.
As the canyon opens up
after the skinny section
it is easy walking for
almost 200 feet to a
couple of pools in a
wide area. Both
pools can be carefully
bypassed by traversing
the sandstone features
on the RDC (south) side.
Bypassing the second
pool you will need to go
a little higher on the
side and be careful
dropping back in the
steep slope on the down
canyon side.
Note:
Bypassing these pools
also bypasses rap 2.
Rap 2 (dHappyDogR2) looks to be about
12 feet and drops down
to the second pool with
a thick section of
vegetation to fight
through to get to it.
We bypassed the pools
and rap 2 on my visit(s).
There were a couple
sketchy parts of the
bypass as you go around
the second pool but it
looked much better than
fighting the brush and
water below for a 12
foot rappel.
Just after the bypass or
the two pools and rap 2
(depending on your
choice here) is a drop
of about 12 feet to a
pothole about 6 feet
across and deep (full of
water when we were
there). The drop
can be gently
downclimbed but a
dynamic move / jump is
needed to get you over
the pool if you prefer
not to swim.
Continuing down canyon
are a few potholes /
pools to get through or
around and are mostly
easy to get out of if
you drop in. One
of the pools has a drop
of about 12 feet that we
jumped into on our
visit. If water
levels are low a pack
anchor can get the last
man down safely.
Rap 3 (dHappyDogR3) is a
little over 600 feet
down canyon of rap 2 (or
the bypass if you used
it) is anchored LDC from
two bolted hangers and
drops about 140 feet
down a vertical wall.
Note:
Raps 3 and 4 can be
bypassed
bypassed by going up and
around RDC from the top
of rap 3, then
scrambling down around a
crack system into a
short side drainage down
to the canyon floor
about 60 feet down
canyon of rap 4.
At the bottom of rap 3
is a downclimb of about
10 feet down to a pool
where a partner assist
will be needed The
pool can be avoided with
careful walking along
the rim of it but would
be an easy walk out if
you decide to swim.
About 50 feet down
canyon of the pool is a
drop down into a V
shaped slot and is the
top of rap 4.
Rap 4 (dHappyDogR4) is
anchored from a single
bolted hanger and drops
into the side of a V
shaped crack dropping
about 30 feet.
There is sand in the
area if you wanted to
use a sandtrap or
potshot as an anchor.
Only the first 15 feet
of the rappel needs a
rope and the lower half
can be dowclimbed.
About 60 feet down
canyon of rap 4 is the
bottom of
(wHappyDogRP18) a side
drainage / crack system
that joins in from LDC
(south) side. The
bypass route to get
around raps 3 and 4
drops down next to the
side drainage.
Down canyon of rap 4 and
the side drainage is
a
narrow section where the
physical work of Happy
Dog takes place.
The 1000 foot narrow
section down canyon of
here has a lot going on.
Giving every detail of
what is in the narrow
section would be very
convoluted, so a basic
run down will have to
do.
The narrow section down
canyon of here is about
1000 feet long, has a
couple sections of high
stemming to 25 feet off
the deck, multiple pools
to cross, a few stem
style downclimbs to 25
feet and 4 potholes to
cross that may require
potshot or pack toss to
escape in low water
conditions. Even
in high water conditions
some of the potholes
here are difficult or
awkward to get out of.
Some of the potholes do
not have sand or debris
nearby to fill a potshot
with so be prepared to
do a pack toss if the
need arises.
As the narrow section
ends (wHappyDogRP19)
where the canyon turns
right and opens up.
At this open area you
can escape the canyon
and scramble up the LDC
(north) side up to the
approach route.
After the narrow section
and the canyon widens
out there are two long
pools to swim with a V
shaped downclimb of
about 30 feet between
them. Next is a
short walking section
over to a short section
of easy galumphing to a
pool to swim across, a
12 foot downclimb to
another pool just before
reaching rap 5.
Rap 5 (dHappyDogR5) is
about 550 feet down
canyon after the hard
working narrow section.
Rap 5 is anchored
RDC from a single bolted
hanger and drops about
70 feet with an overhang
part way down that drops
you down over a hanging
garden area. The
bolted hanger for rap 5
does not look to be in
good shape. If the
bolt is undesirable
there is plenty of sand
where a sand trap can be
used.
Rap 6 (dHappyDogR6) is
anchored from two bolted
hangers RDC and drops a
total of about 130 feet
over two stages.
The first stage drops
about 25 feet to a waist
deep pool and the second
stage is mostly free
hanging and drops down
to a huge alcove area.
There are two bolted
hangers at the top of
the second stage of rap
6 that do not look to be
in good shape and should
not be used.
The alcove at the bottom
of rap 6 is very
beautiful and worth the
trip! Down canyon from
rap 6 is fairly easy
travel but has a lot of
thick poison ivy to push
through.
About 700 feet down
canyon of rap 6 the LDC
(north) side starts to
open up where a dirt
bank (yHappyDogBt) will
allow you to scramble up
out of the drainage.
The Exit:
After
scrambling up onto the
LDC bank route find your
way east about 500 feet
back to Halls Creek
(wHalsHappyCrs).
Next find your way back
to base camp where you
can pack up for the long
journey out or stay
overnight for another
fun day in one of the
other nearby canyons.
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........
| Happy Dog (1) - Drive into the Shortcut Trailhead |
- extBurrTairlS
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57554
W -110.71199
Elev: 3,990 Feet
Exit off of Highway 276 to start onto the south end of the Burr Trail. The Burr Trail is paved here and leaves the highway going west.
- wBurrTrailDP01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57949
W -110.74897
Elev: NaN Feet
Burr Trail is paved here but crosses over a draiange and may be washed out or flooded at times.
- wBurrTrailDP02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59983
W -110.78411
Elev: NaN Feet
Burr Trail is paved here but crosses over Bullfrog Creek and may be washed out or flooded at times.
- pkKingdomSrtCt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61615
W -110.79873
Elev: 4,150 Feet
A large dirt turn-out on the west side of the road. This is where you park if using the shortcut route into "The Kingdom". The Kingdom is the area with the animal named canyons (Smiling Cricket, Babbon Laughs and Happy Dog). To start on the route walk slightly north of due west from the parking area and cross over a small drianage about 450 feet away.
|
| Happy Dog (2) - Shortcut Route into Millers Creek |
- pkKingdomSrtCt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61615
W -110.79873
Elev: 4,150 Feet
A large dirt turn-out on the west side of the road. This is where you park if using the shortcut route into "The Kingdom". The Kingdom is the area with the animal named canyons (Smiling Cricket, Babbon Laughs and Happy Dog). To start on the route walk slightly north of due west from the parking area and cross over a small drianage about 450 feet away.
- wHalls-SC-RP01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61426
W -110.81002
Elev: 3,910 Feet
A slope that leads down into a large draiange. This is just north of the apex of a sharp horseshoe bend.
- wHalls-SC-RP02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61352
W -110.81020
Elev: NaN Feet
Up on the ridge fromed by the horseshoe bend. Continue west to follow the route into The Kingdom.
- wHalls-SC-Slop
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61359
W -110.81162
Elev: NaN Feet
An optional slope to go up or down rather than scramble up the end of the ridge.
- wHalls-SC-RP03
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61285
W -110.81300
Elev: 3,960 Feet
Ridge formed by the horseshoe bend in the drainage ends as it widens out into open desert. Continue southwest on a bearing of 237 for about 0.46 miles to a rubble pile allowing you to sramble up to the shelf above.
- wHalls-SC-RP04
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60929
W -110.81993
Elev: 4,090 Feet
Bottom of a rubble pile where you start scrambling up the slickrock slope to get to the top.
- wHalls-SC-RP05
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60861
W -110.82161
Elev: 4,150 Feet
Top of the slickrock slope. From here you are greeted with wide open desert to teh west.
- wHalls-SC-RP06
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60226
W -110.83181
Elev: 4,040 Feet
Confluence in a drainage. Cross the drainage here and continue southwest across the desert on a bearing of 230 degrees (true). As you walk you will notice a whitish slickrock cliff band slightly left of your course off in the distance about 0.4 miles. Aim to the right of the cliff band area where it looks like you can scramble up onto it.
- wHalls-SC-RP07
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59838
W -110.83757
Elev: 4,080 Feet
A spot where you can easily scramble up onto the top of the whitish cliff band. This is north of the cliff band you have been seeing on the walk in.
- wHalls-SC-RP08
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59745
W -110.84194
Elev: NaN Feet
Fork in a large drainage. To continue on the shortcut route to The Kningdom follow up the fork traveling west.
- wHalls-SC-RP09
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59753
W -110.84565
Elev: 4,010 Feet
Large cairn in the wash. This cairn notes where you will leave the wash and climb up to the west. Scramble west up out of the draiange to the open desert above. You will need to do a little route finding to scramble up this section.
- wHalls-SC-RP10
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59706
W -110.84680
Elev: NaN Feet
Top of the scramble up out of the drainage. Continue southwest to continue on the shortcut route into The Kingdom.
- wHalls-SC-RP11
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59599
W -110.85002
Elev: 4,125 Feet
Wide top out area shortly after route finding your way up out of the draiange with the large cairn.
- wHalls-SC-RP12
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59444
W -110.85227
Elev: NaN Feet
Cross over a small drainage and continue southwest on a bearing of 230 deg true.
- wHalls-SC-RP13
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59158
W -110.85706
Elev: NaN Feet
Route drops down into a drainage here whre there are several ravines going up to the northwest and southwest. Travel up the drainage / ravine running southwest on a bearing of 245 deg true.
- wHalls-SC-RP14
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59119
W -110.85812
Elev: 4,170 Feet
Bottom of the correct drainage running up to the southwest at a bearing of 245 deg. true.
- wHalls-SC-RP15
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59028
W -110.86071
Elev: 4,310 Feet
A point that starts to feel like the top of the ravine. There is still a slockrock slope continuing toward a sandstone peak. Continue southwest up toward the peak then veer left (south to contour around it to get to the top of the cliff band.
- wHalls-SC-RP16
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58945
W -110.86279
Elev: 4,400 Feet
Top of the cairned route down the rubble pile along the cliff down into Halls Creek. The route down the rubble pile drops down while at the same time traverses north about 0.22 miles to the top of a dirt slope that leads down toward Halls Creek.
- wHalls-SC-RP17
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59212
W -110.86400
Elev: 4,085 Feet
Top of a dirt slope after traversig down the rubble debris area. Walk down this dirt slope west about 500 feet to get to a use trail.
- wHalls-SC-RP18
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59197
W -110.86583
Elev: 3,960 Feet
Bottom of the route down the rubble pile area where you end up on a use trail. This use trail is up out of Halls Creek following along the top of a cliff band. Follow the use trail south for about 0.65 miles until you see a large slickrock fin / half dome shape. Just before the halfdone shape follow the slope down into Halls Creek.
- wHalls-SC-RP19
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58203
W -110.86799
Elev: 3,865 Feet
Top of the slope where you can leave the use trail up on the top of the cliffband and walk down into Halls Creek. On the route in on the shortcut route this slope is just before reaching a huge obvious slickrock half dome shaped fin. This slope is in the north side of the half dome.
- jHalls-SC-Bot
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58020
W -110.86821
Elev: 3,831 Feet
This is where the short cut route into The Kingdom area of Halls Creek drops down into Halls creek water course.
- wHalsCrsMilers
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57711
W -110.86952
Elev: 3,840 Feet
The trail down Halls Creek crosses over Millers Creek here.
|
| Happy Dog (3) - Approach from Millers Creek |
- wHalsCrsMilers
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57711
W -110.86952
Elev: 3,840 Feet
The trail down Halls Creek crosses over Millers Creek here.
- wHalsHappyCrs
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57440
W -110.87043
Elev: 3,860 Feet
A point where the trail crosses Halls Creek near the bottom of Happy Dog Canyon. Cross Halls Creek here to continue south down Halls Creek on the trail on the east side of the draiange.
- wHappyDogRP01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57478
W -110.87217
Elev: 3,890 Feet
Start up the slickrock slope here to start up to Happy Dog. This is a little over 100 feet north of the Happy Dog draiange itself.
- wHappyDogRP02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57642
W -110.87452
Elev: NaN Feet
A large flat area on the way up to Happy Dog.
- wHappyDogRP03
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57666
W -110.87615
Elev: 4,310 Feet
Another large flat area on the way to Happy Dog. Continue route finding your way west up the steep slickrock slope. The canyon below you to the south (left facing up) is Happy Dog Canyon.
- wHappyDogRP04
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57762
W -110.87962
Elev: 4,590 Feet
A flat area near the top of a side ravine on the right (north) that drops down into Millers Creek. Continue west.
- wHappyDogRP05
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57749
W -110.88235
Elev: NaN Feet
The route begins to climb steeply again up slickrock.
- wHappyDogRP06
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57717
W -110.88568
Elev: 4,930 Feet
Slope tops out. Continue west down a gentle slope for a short distance. Note a peak about 500 feet ahead to the west. The route up to Happy Dog will skirt around the left (south) side of the peak.
- wHappyDogRP07
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57750
W -110.88757
Elev: 5,000 Feet
Skirting around the left (south) side of a sandstone peak. In this area you have great views down into parts of Happy Dog.
- wHappyDogRP08
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57802
W -110.88876
Elev: NaN Feet
As you go over the red sandstone loafs stay to the far right (north) near the sharp drop off down into Millers Creek.
- wHappyDogRP09
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57784
W -110.88937
Elev: NaN Feet
Easy downclimb of about 15 feet dropping down to a dirt saddle.
- wHappyDogRP10
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57695
W -110.89029
Elev: NaN Feet
Another flat area.
- wHappyDogRP12
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57655
W -110.89084
Elev: 5,140 Feet
Top of a small draw / ravine leading down to the top of Happy Dog Canyon.
- sHappyDogArch
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57627
W -110.89127
Elev: 5,120 Feet
Happy Dog Arch. Very cool feature that is like a large alcove with an access arch / door in the back.
- yHappyDogTp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57628
W -110.89200
Elev: 5,120 Feet
Top of Happy Dog Canyon. West of here is a sharp drop of about 30 feet down into the side of Millers Creek. Happy Dog continues down canyon to the east.
|
| Happy Dog (4) - The Canyon and Exit to Halls Creek |
- yHappyDogTp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57628
W -110.89200
Elev: 5,120 Feet
Top of Happy Dog Canyon. West of here is a sharp drop of about 30 feet down into the side of Millers Creek. Happy Dog continues down canyon to the east.
- wHappyDogRP13
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57630
W -110.88949
Elev: NaN Feet
Drop of about 12 feet where an aggressive partner assit can be used to get the last man down. Just after is a drop of about 15 feet where and aggressive partner asist will be needed for the bottom half.
- dHappyDogR1
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57639
W -110.88899
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 1 - Happy Dog Canyon. Anchored from a small tree about 15 feet back from the drop and drops about 35 feet over a VERY awkward overhang. Most of rap 1 is free hanging as you drop over a hanging garden area. At the bottom of rap 1 is a large wide open area to walk.
There are sections of skinny canyon with galumphing and stemming so removing your harness after rap 1 may be desired for the 0.5 mile journey down to rap 2.
- wHappyDogRP14
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57659
W -110.88712
Elev: NaN Feet
Easy walking section ends as the canyon begins to get narrow here where travel down canyon requires galumphing.
- wHappyDogRP15
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57603
W -110.88605
Elev: NaN Feet
Potholes up to this point were avoided by stemming or bridging over. The pothole here is much wider so you will have to go in. May be a swimmer for about 20 feet and need a potshot to escape IF sand washes out in the future.
- wHappyDogRP16
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57569
W -110.88560
Elev: NaN Feet
Two potholes one right after the other here.
The first is large and is a swimmer for about 15 feet. Easy exit if full of water. If water is low a potshot may be required to toss an exit rope before dropping in. Should be a pretty easy toss to make.
The second pothole is also a swimmer and may be difficult to eascpe with low water also requiring a potshot toss. There is no sand between these potholes so leave someone back until BOTH potholes have been evaluated so they can assist farming sand from up canyon if needed.
- wHappyDogRP17
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57574
W -110.88294
Elev: NaN Feet
Start of another section of galumphing just after a wide section of easy walking.
- dHappyDogR2
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57675
W -110.88146
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 2 - Happy Dog Canyon. Looks to be about 12 feet into a pool after fighting through a thick vegetation section. Rap 2 is between two pools. On our visit through Happy Dog we bypassed both pools and rap 2 by traversing the RDC side and dropping back to the canyon floor after the second pool.
- dHappyDogR3
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57618
W -110.87964
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 3 - Happy Dog Canyon. Anchored from two bolted hangers LDC and drops about 140 feet down a vertical wall.
Raps 3 and 4 can be bypassed bypassed by going up and around RDC from the top of rap 3, then scrambling down around a crack system into a short side drainage down to the canyon floor about 60 feet down canyon of rap 4.
- dHappyDogR4
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57608
W -110.87934
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 4 - Happy Dog Canyon. Is anchored from a single bolted hanger and drops into the side of a V shaped crack dropping about 30 feet. There is sand in the area if you wanted to use a sandtrap or potshot as an anchor. Only the first 15 feet of the rappel needs a rope and the lower half can be dowclimbed.
- wHappyDogRP18
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57591
W -110.87910
Elev: NaN Feet
A side drainage / crack system joins in from RDC. This is where the bypass route for raps 3 and 4 get back to the canyon floor. This is also the start of a narrow section down canyon of here about 1000 feet long. The narrow section down canyon of here is where the physical work of Happy Dog Canyon takes place. There are a couple sections of high stemming to 25 feet off the deck, multiple pools to cross, a few stem style downclimbs to 25 feet and 4 potholes to cross that may require potshot or pack toss to escape in low water conditions. Even in high water conditions some of the potholes here are difficult or awkward to get out of. Some of the potholes do not have sand or debris nearby to fill a potshot with so be prepared to do a pack toss if the need arises.
- wHappyDogRP19
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57549
W -110.87553
Elev: 4,180 Feet
The bottom end of a narrow section where the canyon takes a sharp right and opens up. It is possible to escape the canyon here and scramble up the LDC side to meet up with the approach route.
- dHappyDogR5
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57444
W -110.87442
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 5 - Happy Dog Canyon. Anchored RDC from a single bolted hanger and drops about 70 feet with an overhang part way down that drops you down over a hanging garden area. The bolted hanger for rap 5 does not look to be in good shape. If the bolt is undesirable there is plenty of sand where a sand trap can be used.
- dHappyDogR6
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57470
W -110.87441
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 6 - Happy Dog Canyon. Anchored from two bolted hangers RDC and drops a total of about 130 feet over two stages. The first stage drops about 25 feet to a waist deep pool and the second stage is mostly free hanging and drops down to a huge alcove area. There are two bolted hangers at the top of the second stage of rap 6 that do not look to be in good shape and should not be used.
- yHappyDogBt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57439
W -110.87218
Elev: 3,870 Feet
Bottom of Happy Dog Canyon. This is not the bottom end of the actual draiange. This is where the LDC side gives way to a dirt slope you can scramble up to get up out of the canyon.
|