Canyoneering Route Description

Pork Chop Canyon - 4A(B) IV
Escalante National Monument, Utah.

Quick Facts

06-13-20, 6 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 12.25 hours)

Time Required - 11 to 13 hours
Distance - 10.2 miles Total, 2.4 miles Technical
Rappels - 5 Rappels, Longest Rappel 70 feet.
Elevation Range - 5570 - 6590 Feet
Shuttle Required - No Vehicle - High Clearance or carefully driven passenger car Permit Required - No

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up to 100 feet and 20 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.  The longest rap is 70 feet but a 100 foot rope will be helpful for the exit climb-out.  Sandtrap, Watertrap recommended to simplify some of the raps.  If no no Sandtrap or Watertrap, you may need to be more creative with anchor building and or farm materials to build anchors.  Wet suites recommended in case of wet conditions.

General Comments

Pork Chop Canyon is the Upper North Fork of Choprock Canyon and also called Poison Ivy Fork of Choprock in Steve Allen's book Canyoneering 3.

Pork Chop Canyon is a long fun day but has a high pay to play ratio. The route has multiple spots to practice partner assists, short sections of stemming, wide open walking, narrow corridors, swimming, some incredible arches and a climb out exit that requires a decent climber to get out. Be prepared for a long day with a few challenges.  If you like long day adventure routes, this is a good one.  On our visit in May 2020 most of the water was waist deep but a lot of it had water lines indicating there could be a lot of swims if in wet conditions.

The technical rating of 4 is due to the recommendation of Sandtrap and or Watertrap and the added difficulty of the climb-out exit from the canyon.  the A(B) rating for water is due to the canyon being mostly dry but does have sections of wading or swimming where a wet suit is a good idea to have on hand.

Good map reading and or GPS skills required for this route. Navigating up to and across the top of Silver Falls Bench to the drop in for the canyon and navigating the exit route requires attention to navigate the convoluted terrain.  The approach route up to and through the sandstone loaves to the mesa top can be a little convoluted but not too hard to find.  It is highly recommended that you pay careful attention to a few key points as you navigate this, since you will be reversing that portion of the approach as the final portion of your exit.  Paying attention to the navigation through the loaves and the trails down to the cars will help save some navigation effort on the way out.

Getting up to and down off the Silver Falls Bench we found a route up through the small canyon at the far northeast end of the mesa that is fun scrambling up and navigating through the sandstone loaves.   There are a few moderately challenging spots on the way up through the slickrock maze.  On our re-visit we were shown another route off the mesa using another small canyon down the south side of the mesa about 1.5 miles west of our approach canyon.  All I have to say about that other route is "it goes, but good luck navigating that!  The far north canyon described here is best for both the approach and exit.

Steve Allen's book Canyoneering 3 gave basic directions to the exit route we used. The exit route has you scramble up along the top of an arch to a large ledge system which is then followed to a climb-out to the rim using a set of moqui (moki) steps then follows up a weakness to the next higher rim. The first person up the moki steps can go up pack-free trailing the end of a rope to then belay those who follow. The first 12 feet uses the moqui steps and is difficult for those who do not climb. The rest of the route is pretty easy scrambling up a weakness to a short 4 foot upclimb / mantle to the rim above. The mantle at the top is not relatively easy but is exposed to a 60 foot-ish foot drop.  The first person up can tie off the rope to a nearby arch for those who follow using ascenders to self belay as they climb.  The first person's back pack (tied to the end of the rope) is then hauled to the rim. The exit is not for the faint of heart as it is exposed and has a difficult start. The first person up should be a skilled upclimber and at least a little climbing history may be a good idea. I did not measure the exact amount of rope needed for the exit climb but 100 feet or rope will be more than enough.

May 2020 John and I went to scout a way up onto Silver Falls Bench and see if we could find a way up to and an exit from a canyon we wanted to explore. After trying several options up through maze-like sandstone loaves, we found a route up to the mesa then rim walked over 2 miles of canyon looking over the edge where possible to gauge the canyon. John had notes along about an exit from the canyon mentioned in Steve Allen's Book, Canyoneering 3. Even standing right over the exit we almost did not find it but with a bit of poking around finally did.  Looked a little airy but doable.  On the long hike back to the cars we agreed the canyon looked fun and worth a visit to descend with friends. Fast-forward a few weeks and Tracy kept telling me she wanted to do a route a friend was calling Pork Chop. Each time she suggested we add Pork Chop to the mix of a particular weekend trip, I would tell her I can not plan that since I do not know where it is.  Fast-forward a few more weeks to when John and I got the interest of a few friends to go back with us to our Silver Falls Bench Canyon. While planning our return trip, a friend sent us a track for the Pork Chop route Tracy kept talking about. What a crazy surprise to find out we were talking about the same place!

Driving Directions

To get to the Trailhead

From the town of Boulder Utah turn off of highway 12 onto the Burr Trail Road.  Follow the Burr Trail Road east for about 18.4 miles to an exit to a dirt road on the right (south) which is the first turn off to the Wolverine Loop Road (extWolverine1).  Do not turn off onto this dirt road.

Continue on the paved Burr Trail another 10.5 miles to the second turn off for the Wolverine Loop Road (exWolverine2). Turn right onto the Wolverine Loop Road and drive the dirt road for 8.1 miles to the turn off onto the Moody Road (exMoodyCyn).

Turn left (south) onto the Moody Road and drive 2.7 miles to a road junction on the right (west) for the Silver Falls Road (exSilverFalls).

Continue past the Silver Falls road junction and continue south on the Moody Canyon Road for 1.8 miles to a small almost un-noticed pull out (pkPorkchop) on the left (east).  Park here to start the Pork Chop route.

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.

Click the links for maps of the route. Map of the drive into the route.
Map of the entire route.
Map of the approach.
Map - zoom in of canyon 1.
Map - zoom in of canyon 2.

Details

The Approach:
From the small clearing on the east side of the road for parking (pkPorkchop), walk west across the road walking rolling dessert where the occasional cairn may be found. Follow the cairned route leading to then up along the south side of a large gully.

About 0.25 miles from the parking spot the cairned route meets an old road (Porkchop01). Turn right (north) and walk about 90 feet down the road to the apex of a turn crossing a small gully.

At the apex of this turn in the road (Porkchop02), turn left and walk southwest away from the road up a small shallow gully which soon turns to a large shale stairway like path. Do not go northwest up the continuation of the larger gully.

As the shallow gully fades away and the slope gets little more gentle (Porkchop03), continue up the slope to the west for another 250 feet to the top out of the hill.

When the hill tops out (Porkchop04), do not drop down the other side but instead turn right and contour north on mostly level terrain for about 225 feet to the crest of a wide ridge going up to the west.

From the crest of a ridge (Porkchop05) going up to the west toward the base of the cliffs. Follow west up the ridge where you will soon find cairns and a faint path leading up the wide ridge toward the base of the cliffs above. The cairns marking the trail are intermittent and the trail is not yet well formed (May 2020) but taking your time to look will help keep you on an easy route up. Losing the trail here is rewarded with more effort in loose rock and dirt.

About 1000 feet up the ridge the cairned route tops out and meets the base of the cliff wall (Porkchop06), turn left and follow well traveled use trails south along the base of the walls then slowly wrapping around west then northwest continuing along the base of the cliff wall.

as the trail around the base of the cliff briefly fades (Porkchop07) continue northwest following the base of the wall. Each time you think you may have lost the trail, scramble up to the base of the cliff wall to find the trail again. Do not stray too far from the base of the wall or you will lose the trail.

A few hundred feet farther the trail goes behind a large arch (Porkchop08).

Almost 400 feet farther the trail dumps into a large drainage (Porkchop09), continue north up the drainage about 300 feet to a large fork.

Stay right at the large fork (Porkchop10) walking northeast for about 100 feet to a second fork.

At the second fork (Porkchop11Crx1) where the main drainage hooks left and travels up to the north, look north up the main fork to the left then note a smaller crack on the left (west). Begin scrambling up the slickrock nose running up between the smaller crack and the main drainage. Shortly up the slickrock nose work your way into then begin climbing up the smaller crack fighting through a couple bushes as you go up. As the crack tops out follow a rolling ledge system for about 150 feet to a level vegetated spot.

From the brief level vegetated spot (Porkchop12), continue north up the drainage about 100 feet to another level vegetated spot with three cracks / chutes at the north end.

At the north end of this small open vegetated area (Porkchop13Crx2), note 3 cracks / chutes running up to the north. Scramble up chute farthest to the right (east). Part way up the chute is a stem style upclimb of about 10 feet with moderate difficulty then becoming less steep and easy to travel again.

About 200 feet farther north is a small open vegetated area (Porkchop14Crx3) where the drainage hooks left (west) and a deep crack continuing up to the north. Scramble about 20 feet up to a set of bushes going up an almost vertical shallow seam just left of the crack. The scramble up is moderately difficult but the features are there.

Note: If using this route as a return down off the mesa, it will be easier to downclimb the crack to come down.

About 150 feet farther continue north through another small vegetated valley (Porkchop15) and up a rolling slickrock ledge system.

Near the top of the ledge system turn left and scramble west up a steep slickrock ramp (Porkchop16Crx4) for about 80 feet to the top of the ramp. This ramp is smooth with few features and will require hands a feet for a short distance to get enough friction to go up. If you look close you may even see some scrape marks from sheep hooves as we did.

At the top of the steep ramp (Porkchop17) the route meets rolling desert at the mesa top. Route find southwest along the mesa.

A little over 1000 feet southwest the route passes by a minor high point (Porkchop18). Continue southwest staying up on the wide crest of the mesa for about 800 feet to a wide almost un-noticed saddle.

Wide almost un-noticed saddle on the mesa (Porkchop19). Continue southwest and begin veering right to contour more west over toward the rim of the wide open upper portions of Pork Chop.

About 0.25 miles farther scramble and route find down (Porkchop20) west from the mesa top into the open rolling portions of Upper Pork Chop.

About 400 feet farther is the top of Pork Chop Canyon (yPorkchopTp) where several shallow drainages begin to merge.

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
From the top of Pork Chop Canyon (yPorkchopTp) walk southwest down canyon about 250 feet to the first rap.

Rap 1 (dPorkchopR1) anchored form a tree and drops about 35 feet.

About 400 feet down canyon is a short tight crack (Porkchop21) to stem through then downclimb about 20 feet in a tight crack.

About 100 feet farther is another tight crack (Porkchop22) to stem through to a downclimb of about 15 feet to the top of a partner assistable downclimb of about 12 feet. Immediately after is more skinny slot to stem where you will cross over a deep pothole then downclimb into a small shallow pothole at the top of the next rap.

Rap 2 (dPorkchopR2) anchored using a Sandtrap in a small pothole and uses about 30 feet of rope with a vertical drop of about 20 feet. There is little sand at the rappel itself so we farmed sand from up canyon.

About 300 feet farther the canyon makes a sharp left where you scramble down through an arch (Porkchop23Arch) then scramble down sloped shallow potholes then a steep crack to more walking. This arch is a cool surprise you come around the corner to.

About 250 feet farther is a downclimb (Porkchop24) of about 15 feet down a vertical tight crack.

About 600 feet farther is a brief open spot where forks join (Porkchop25).

About 0.5 miles farther is a short narrow crack (Porkchop26) to downclimb to then stem over water. Optionally you can bypass this slot up and over on the RDC side then walk back down to the canyon floor about 150 feet down canyon.

About 500 feet farther is the start of (Porkchop27Slot) a 0.3 mile long slot section of narrow canyon with sculpted walls forcing a mix of walking and repeated up and down to sections of galumphing. Several spots we had waist deep water but recent rains would create multiple spots to swim. Most of the stemming and galumphing will be about 10 to 15 feet off the deck and there are a few downclimbs of about 10 feet.

As the narrow slot opens (Porkchop28Open) continue wash walking.

About 900 feet farther is a short section (Porkchop29) to scramble down through with a log at the end to downclimb over or under.

A little more than 700 feet farther is a spot where you can scramble in and out of the canyon (Porkchop30EE) on the LDC (southeast) side.

About 150 feet farther is a short downclimb (Porkchop31) then a short walk to a set of long potholes to easily bridge over.

About 200 feet farther is one large and one small horizontal arches (Porkchop32Arch) to climb down through or bypass on the LDC side. Shortly down canyon is a short narrow section with a couple short downclimbs.

About 350 feet farther is the start of (Porkchop33Deep) a deep section of canyon with alcoves along a large ledge system on the LDC (south) side. You can either partner assist a drop of about 8 feet then walk down canyon about 200 feet to deep slot or you can scramble over to the large ledge system on the LDC side and check out the alcoves as you walk the ledge down canyon to the next rap.

Rap 3 (dPorkchopR3) anchored using a pack drag and drops about 12 feet to a chamber with a skinny slot exit. We had tall people along and were able to partner assist this drop.

The skinny crack after the rappel is tight and forces you to stem up about 5 feet then downclimb the other side of the skinny crack where you will drop a few feet down to a pool. The pool was about waist deep for us and had a sloped but short exit lip. If sand scours out a partner assist or easy pack toss may be needed to get out. Just after the pool is a narrow slot about 80 feet long to stem over or squeeze down low before opening up to more walking.

About 250 feet farther down canyon is a downclimb of about 8 feet by trees (Porkchop34).

About 200 feet farther is a short narrow section of canyon (Porkchop35) with a couple of 5 foot downclimbs to waist deep pools that could be swimmers if full.

About 200 feet farther is a stem style downclimb (Porkchop36) of about 20 feet stemming over a silo / pothole on the way down. The downclimb can be done back to feet most of the way down with the last 4 feet a short drop to a pool that can be a swim if full but was waist to chest deep for us. At the other end of the pool is the biggest rappel in the canyon.

Rap 4 (dPorkchopR4) anchored from a knot chock about head high on the LDC side and uses about 70 feet of rope with mostly free hanging rappel on the way down. Optionally a Watertrap could be used. Another option would use another 50 feet of rope to scramble up to and anchor from some trees about 50 feet up. Continuing down canyon is easy walking with a couple small drops to scramble down or bypass on small ledges.

About 700 feet farther the canyon makes a sharp left at a cross joint (Porkchop37) and starts into a deep, narrow and beautiful section with a few galumphs over a couple skinny spots.

About 300 feet farther is a partner assisted downclimb (Porkchop38) of about 10 feet followed by a winding downclimb of about 15 feet down a fluted slot that winds down and clockwise. The downward winding fluted slot is a very fun downclimb where you need to stem out of the flute to avoid a pothole at the bottom.  A little over 500 feet farther is the next rap.

Rap 5 (dPorkchopR5) anchored from a log and drops about 50 feet down a very awkward skinny slot. After rapping down this rappel you are in deep wide canyon with a couple of large arches down canyon. Walk down canyon under the first arch (Porkchop39Arch) then when you reach the second arch (Porkchop40Arch) scramble up on the RDC side to get on top of the arch then scramble up the arch to get to a large ledge system. Going up that arch is the start of the exit from the canyon.

Note:
Optionally it is easier to avoid the awkward rappel altogether and from the top of the rappel scramble up to the large ledge system on the LDC ((southeast) side. Once on the ledge system walk about 450 feet down canyon to the the top of the second arch. Leave your pack on the large ledge and scramble down the arch into the canyon and walk up canyon to see the other arch and the bottom of the bypassed rappel. 

 The Exit:
From the second large bridge (Porkchop40Arch), scramble up the top of the arch to a large ledge system to begin the exit from the canyon. To scramble up out of the canyon, scramble up the RDC side to get onto the arch them scramble up the arch to get to the ledge system above on the LDC side. Or if you were on the ledge system above you could scramble down into the canyon from above. Under / down canyon of the arch is a drop of about 10 feet.

Once on the large ledge system (Porkchop41), walk southwest down canyon passing a few alcoves along the way.

About 0.25 miles farther, still on the ledge system, scramble over a short section of rock debris (Porkchop42) then continue along the wide ledge system.

About 900 feet farther along the ledge system is the bottom of the moqui climb-out (Porkchop43Clmb) near the down canyon end of the ledge system. The first person up can drag a rope up to then belay those who follow by tying the rope to a nearby arch. At the bottom is a set of moki steps to climb up about 12 feet to a bush in a weakness with bushes in it. Once up into the weakness, the rest of the scramble is straight forward and easy. At the top of the climb-out is a 4 foot upclimb / mantle move that is easy but eerie as it has about 60 foot of exposure. The first person up will need to do this unprotected as they drag the rope up to then belay those who follow.

From the top out of the moki climb-out go east up the winding drainage.

About 200 feet up the drainage contour around and into this large sandy depression (Porkchop45) then scramble up the east side and route find a short distance up to a wide esplanade like area.

Once up on the esplanade area (Porkchop46), veer left and travel up to the north along very easy walking on wide open slickrock then continue northeast following a wide easy sidewalk like area.

About 0.8 miles farther is a small pinch (Porkchop47) where you are forced around a point with little walking room. As you approach this spot it appears it will not work but it is easy and leads to wide spaces on the other side. Continue northeast following the wide sidewalk like area and around the head of a small side canyon about 500 feet away.

About 0.4 miles farther contour around another small drainage (Porkchop48) and follow easy flat slickrock west for about 250 feet to where the slickrock starts to become more rough and not as easy to walk.

As the slickrock side walk ends and the terrain gets more rough (Porkchop49), turn right and walk northeast up to the next higher level to continue northeast with easy travel but now in dirt and rock terrain and not open slickrock.

About 0.23 miles farther scramble up a few short ledges to the next higher level (Porkchop50) then continue northeast and contour up to another section of slickrock sidewalk continuing north.

About 900 feet farther as the slickrock sidewalk ends (Porkchop51), contour up onto the mesa top. Continue northeast along the top of the wide dirt mesa for about 1.5 miles back to the wide almost un-noticed saddle you crossed on the approach to the canyon.

Once back at the wide almost un-noticed saddle (Porkchop19) follow the crest of the mesa reversing your approach route.  About 600 feet north you will pass over the same minor high point as you did on the approach.

From that minor high point (Porkchop18) follow northeast along the mesa back to the top of (Porkchop17) the same steep ramp leading back down to the same sandstone loaves use for the approach route up.

Reverse your route back down through the loaves, then follow the trail wrapping around the base of the cliff wall then down the semi cairned route and continue reversing your approach route back to the cars (pkPorkchop).

GPS Waypoint Information

Click to show / expand the list of waypoints below........

Pork Chop (1) - Drive to Trailhead

exWolverine2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.86551   W -111.10404        Elev: NaN Feet There are 2 exits for the Wolverine Loop Road off of the Burr Trail Road. This is the farthest southeast and is labeled on some maps as the Escalante Grand Staircase road 110 going south from here. exMoodyCyn          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.77177   W -111.09247        Elev: 6,251 Feet Exit off of the Wolverine Loop Road (road 110) to the Moody Canyon Road (road 116) goes off to the south. exSilverFalls          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.73698   W -111.09086        Elev: NaN Feet Exit off of Moody Canyon Road (road 116) where Silver Falls Road (road 117) goes off to the west. pkPorkchop          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71595   W -111.08618        Elev: 5,570 Feet Small clearing on the east side of the road for a couple cars. To follow the Porkchop Canyon route, walk west across the road walking rolling dessert where the occasional cairn may be found. Follow the cairned route leading to then up along the south side of a large gully.

Pork Chop (2) - Approach

pkPorkchop          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71595   W -111.08618        Elev: 5,570 Feet Small clearing on the east side of the road for a couple cars. To follow the Porkchop Canyon route, walk west across the road walking rolling dessert where the occasional cairn may be found. Follow the cairned route leading to then up along the south side of a large gully. Porkchop01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71483   W -111.09028        Elev: NaN Feet Cairned route meets an old road. Turn right (north) and walk about 90 feet down the road to the apex of a turn crossing a small gully. Porkchop02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71494   W -111.09053        Elev: NaN Feet At the apex of this turn in the road, turn left and walk southwest away from the road up a small shallow gully which soon turns to a large shale stairway like path. Do not go northwest up the continuation of the larger gully. Porkchop03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71473   W -111.09097        Elev: NaN Feet As the shallow gully fades away and the slope gets little more gentle, continue up the slope to the west for another 250 feet to the top out of the hill. Porkchop04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71451   W -111.09175        Elev: NaN Feet When the hill tops out here, do not drop down the other side but instead turn right and contour north on mostly level terrain for about 225 feet to the crest of a wide ridge going up to the west. Porkchop05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71505   W -111.09207        Elev: NaN Feet Crest of a ridge going up to the west toward the base of the cliffs. Follow west up the ridge where you will soon find cairns and a faint path leading up the wide ridge toward the base of the cliffs above. The cairns marking the trail are intermittent and the trail is not yet well formed (May 2020) but taking your time to look will help keep you on an easy route up. Losing the trail here is rewarded with more effort in loose rock and dirt. Porkchop06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71542   W -111.09584        Elev: 6,340 Feet When the cairned route tops out and meets the base of the cliff wall here, turn left and follow well traveled use trails south along the base of the walls then slowly wrapping around west then northwest continuing along the base of the cliff wall. Note: There are a lot of crack / splitter climbs with bolted belay stations at the top along this wall. A crack climber could spend many hours or days enjoying these. Porkchop07          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71547   W -111.09674        Elev: NaN Feet As the trail around the base of the cliff briefly fades here continue northwest following the base of the wall. Each time you think you may have lost the trail, scramble up to the base of the cliff wall to find the trail again. Do not stray too far from the base of the wall or you will lose the trail. Porkchop08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71611   W -111.09715        Elev: NaN Feet Trail goes behind a large arch. Porkchop09          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71679   W -111.09811        Elev: NaN Feet As the trail along the base of the cliff dumps into a large drainage here, continue north up the drainage about 300 feet to a large fork. Porkchop10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71756   W -111.09769        Elev: NaN Feet Stay right at this large fork walking northeast for about 100 feet to a second fork. Porkchop11Crx1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71767   W -111.09738        Elev: NaN Feet At this second fork where the main drainage hooks left and travels up to the north, look north up the main fork to the left then note a smaller crack on the left (west). Begin scrambling up the slickrock nose running up between the smaller crack and the main drainage. Shortly up the slickrock nose work your way into then begin climbing up the smaller crack fighting through a couple bushes as you go up. As the crack tops out follow a rolling ledge system for about 150 feet to a level vegetated spot. Porkchop12          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71831   W -111.09729        Elev: NaN Feet From this brief level vegetated spot, continue north up the drainage about 100 feet to another level vegetated spot with three cracks / chutes at the north end. Porkchop13Crx2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71861   W -111.09733        Elev: NaN Feet At the north end of this small open vegetated area, note 3 cracks / chutes running up to the north. Scramble up chute farthest to the right (east). Part way up the chute is a stem style upclimb of about 10 feet with moderate difficulty then becoming less steep and easy to travel again. Porkchop14Crx3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71918   W -111.09737        Elev: NaN Feet Small open vegetated area where the drainage hooks left (west) and a deep crack continuing up to the north. Scramble about 20 feet up to a set of bushes going up an almost vertical shallow seam just left of the crack.. The scramble up is moderately difficult but the features are there. Continue north about 150 feet to a small vegetated valley. Note: If using this route as a return down off the mesa, it will be easier to downclimb the crack to come down. Porkchop15          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71970   W -111.09726        Elev: NaN Feet Continue north through this small vegetated valley and up a rolling slickrock ledge system. Porkchop16Crx4          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.72050   W -111.09720        Elev: NaN Feet Near the top of the ledge system turn left and scramble west up a steep slickrock ramp for about 80 feet to the top of the ramp. This ramp is smooth with few features and will require hands a feet for a short distance to get enough friction to go up. If you look close you may even see some scrape marks from sheep hooves as we did. Porkchop17          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.72044   W -111.09749        Elev: 6,565 Feet Top of steep slickrock ramp the route meets rolling desert at the mesa top. Route find southwest along the mesa. Porkchop18          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71864   W -111.10070        Elev: 6,590 Feet Route passes by a minor high point. Continue southwest staying up on the wide crest of the mesa for about 800 feet to a wide almost un-noticed saddle. Porkchop19          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71693   W -111.10174        Elev: NaN Feet Wide almost un-noticed saddle on the mesa. To go to the top of Pork Chop, continue southwest and begin veering right to contour more west over toward the rim of the wide open upper portions of Pork Chop. When exiting from Pork Chop, follow the crest of the mesa reversing your route over to then down through the slickrock loaves. Porkchop20          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71571   W -111.10608        Elev: NaN Feet Scramble and route find down west from the mesa top into the open rolling portions of Upper Pork Chop. yPorkchopTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71581   W -111.10764        Elev: 6,360 Feet Top of Pork Chop Canyon where several shallow drainages begin to merge. Walk southwest down Pork Chop.

Pork Chop (3) - The Canyon

yPorkchopTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71581   W -111.10764        Elev: 6,360 Feet Top of Pork Chop Canyon where several shallow drainages begin to merge. Walk southwest down Pork Chop. dPorkchopR1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71530   W -111.10824        Elev: NaN Feet Rap1 - Pork Chop. Anchored form a tree and drops about 35 feet. Porkchop21          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71478   W -111.10945        Elev: NaN Feet Short tight crack to stem through then downclimb about 20 feet in a tight crack. Porkchop22          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71461   W -111.10976        Elev: NaN Feet Another tight crack to stem through to a downclimb of about 15 feet to the top of a partner assistable downclimb of about 12 feet. Immediately after is more skinny slot to stem where you will cross over a deep pothole then downclimb into a small shallow pothole at the top of the next rap. dPorkchopR2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71454   W -111.10991        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 2 - Pork Chop. Anchored using a sandtrap in a small pothole and uses about 30 feet of rope with a vertical drop of about 20 feet. There is little sand at the rappel itself so we farmed sand from up canyon. Porkchop23Arch          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71421   W -111.11076        Elev: NaN Feet Canyon makes a sharp left where you scramble down through an arch then scramble down sloped shallow potholes then a steep crack to more walking. This arch is a cool surprise you come around the corner to. Porkchop24          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71361   W -111.11124        Elev: NaN Feet Downclimb of about 15 feet down a vertical tight crack. Porkchop25          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71372   W -111.11311        Elev: NaN Feet Brief open spot where forks join. Porkchop26          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70919   W -111.11875        Elev: NaN Feet Short narrow crack to downclimb to then stem over water. Optionally you can bypass this slot up and over on the RDC side then walk back down to the canyon floor about 150 feet down canyon. Porkchop27Slot          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70830   W -111.12046        Elev: 6,035 Feet Start of a 0.3 mile long slot section of narrow canyon with sculpted walls forcing a mix of walking and repeated going up a few feet to galumph. Several spots we had waist deep water but recent rains would create multiple spots to swim. Most of the stemming and galumphing will be about 10 to 15 feet off the deck and there are a few downclimbs of about 10 feet. Porkchop28Open          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70591   W -111.12421        Elev: NaN Feet Narrow slot ends with open wash walking. Porkchop29          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70434   W -111.12648        Elev: NaN Feet Short section to scramble down through with a log at the end to downclimb over or under. Porkchop30EE          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70293   W -111.12842        Elev: NaN Feet Can scramble in and out of the canyon on the LDC (southeast) side. Porkchop31          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70255   W -111.12868        Elev: NaN Feet Short downclimb then a short walk to a set of long potholes to easily bridge over. Porkchop32Arch          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70216   W -111.12912        Elev: NaN Feet One large and one small horizontal arches to climb down through or bypass on the LDC side. Shortly down canyon is a short narrow section with a couple short downclimbs. Porkchop33Deep          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70134   W -111.12995        Elev: NaN Feet Start of a deep section of canyon with alcoves along a large ledge system on the LDC (south) side. You can either partner assist a drop of about 8 feet then walk down canyon about 200 feet to deep slot or you can scramble over to the large ledge system on the LDC side and check out the alcoves as you walk the ledge down canyon. dPorkchopR3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70106   W -111.13039        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 3 - Pork Chop. Anchored using a pack drag and drops about 12 feet to a chamber with a skinny slot exit. We had tall people along and were able to partner assist this drop. The skinny crack after the rappel is tight and forces you to stem up about 5 feet then downclimb the other side of the skinny crack where you will drop a few feet down to a pool. The pool was about waist deep for us and had a sloped but short exit lip. If sand scours out a partner assist or easy pack toss may be needed to get out. Just after the pool is a narrow slot about 80 feet long to stem over or squeeze down low before opening up to more walking. Porkchop34          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70036   W -111.13131        Elev: NaN Feet Downclimb of about 8 feet by trees. Porkchop35          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69978   W -111.13160        Elev: NaN Feet Short narrow section of canyon with a couple of 5 foot downclimbs to waist deep pools that could be swimmers if full. Porkchop36          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69947   W -111.13217        Elev: NaN Feet Stem style downclimb of about 20 feet stemming over a silo / pothole on the way down. The downclimb can be done back to feet most of the way down with the last 4 feet a short drop to a pool that can be a swim if full but was waist to chest deep for us. At the other end of the pool is the biggest rappel in the canyon. dPorkchopR4          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69948   W -111.13238        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 4 - Pork Chop. Anchored from a knot chock about head high on the LDC side and uses about 70 feet of rope with mostly free hanging rappel on the way down. Optionally a Watertrap could be used. Another option would use another 50 feet of rope to scramble up to and anchor from some trees about 50 feet up. Continuing down canyon is easy walking with a couple small drops to scramble down or bypass on small ledges. Porkchop37          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69833   W -111.13434        Elev: NaN Feet Canyon makes a sharp left at a cross joint and starts into a deep, narrow and beautiful section with a few galumphs over a couple skinny spots. Porkchop38          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69753   W -111.13459        Elev: NaN Feet Partner assisted downclimb of about 10 feet followed by a winding downclimb of about 15 feet down a fluted slot that winds down and clockwise. The downward winding fluted slot is a very fun downclimb where you need to stem out of the flute to avoid a pothole at the bottom. dPorkchopR5          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69729   W -111.13489        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 5 - Porkchop. Anchored from a log and drops about 50 feet down a very awkward skinny slot. After rapping down this rappel you are in deep wide canyon with a couple of large arches down canyon. Walk down canyon under the first arch then when you reach the second arch scramble up on the RDC side to get on top of the arch then scramble up the arch to get to a large ledge system. Going up that arch is the start of the exit from the canyon. Optionally it is easier to avoid the awkward rappel altogether and from the top of the rappel scramble up to the large ledge system on the LDC ((southeast) side. Once on the ledge system walk about 450 feet down canyon to the the top of the second arch. Leave your pack on the large ledge and scramble down the arch into the canyon and walk up canyon to see the other arch and the bottom of the bypassed rappel. Porkchop39Arch          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69643   W -111.13530        Elev: NaN Feet Large bridge / arch to walk under on the canyon floor. Porkchop40Arch          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69622   W -111.13540        Elev: 5,660 Feet Second large bridge that you can scramble up the top of the arch to a large ledge system to begin the exit from the canyon. To scramble up out of the canyon, scramble up the RDC side to get onto the arch them scramble up the arch to get to the ledge system above on the LDC side. Or if you were on the ledge system above you could scramble down into the canyon from above. Under / down canyon of the arch is a drop of about 10 feet.

Pork Chop (4) - Exit

Porkchop40Arch          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69622   W -111.13540        Elev: 5,660 Feet Second large bridge that you can scramble up the top of the arch to a large ledge system to begin the exit from the canyon. To scramble up out of the canyon, scramble up the RDC side to get onto the arch them scramble up the arch to get to the ledge system above on the LDC side. Or if you were on the ledge system above you could scramble down into the canyon from above. Under / down canyon of the arch is a drop of about 10 feet. Porkchop41          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69610   W -111.13508        Elev: NaN Feet Once on this LDC ledge system, walk southwest down canyon passing a few alcoves along the way. Porkchop42          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69338   W -111.13849        Elev: NaN Feet Scramble over a short section of rock debris then continue along the wide ledge system. Porkchop43Clmb          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69137   W -111.14009        Elev: NaN Feet Bottom of the moqui climb-out near the down canyon end of the ledge system. The first person up can drag a rope up to then belay those who follow by tying the rope to a nearby arch. At the bottom is a set of moki steps to climb up about 12 feet to a bush in a weakness with bushes in it. Once up into the weakness, the rest of the scramble is straight forward and easy. At the top of the climb-out is a 4 foot upclimb / mantle move that is easy but eerie as it has about 60 foot of exposure. The first person up will need to do this unprotected as they drag the rope up to then belay those who follow. Porkchop44          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69126   W -111.13991        Elev: NaN Feet Top out of the moki climb-out where the first person up can set the belay rope from a nearby arch to assist those who follow up. Once at the top go east up the winding drainage. Porkchop45          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69113   W -111.13935        Elev: NaN Feet Contour around and into this large sandy depression then scramble up the east side and route find a short distance up to a wide esplanade like area. Porkchop46          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69109   W -111.13894        Elev: NaN Feet Once up on the esplanade area, veer left and travel up to the north along very easy walking on wide open slickrock then continue northeast following a wide easy sidewalk like area. Porkchop48          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70254   W -111.12581        Elev: NaN Feet Contour around another small drainage and follow easy flat slickrock west for about 250 feet to where the slickrock starts to become more rough and not as easy to walk. Porkchop49          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70291   W -111.12658        Elev: NaN Feet Slickrock side walk ends and the terrain gets more rough. Turn right and walk northeast up to the next higher level to continue northeast with easy travel but now in dirt and rock terrain and not open slickrock. Porkchop50          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70501   W -111.12334        Elev: NaN Feet Scramble up a few short ledges to the next higher level then continue northeast and contour up to another section of slickrock sidewalk continuing north. Porkchop51          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70617   W -111.12025        Elev: 6,200 Feet As the slickrock sidewalk ends, contour up onto the mesa top here. Continue northeast along the top of the wide dirt mesa for about 1.5 miles back to the wide almost un-noticed saddle you crossed on the approach to the canyon. Porkchop19          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71693   W -111.10174        Elev: NaN Feet Wide almost un-noticed saddle on the mesa. To go to the top of Pork Chop, continue southwest and begin veering right to contour more west over toward the rim of the wide open upper portions of Pork Chop. When exiting from Pork Chop, follow the crest of the mesa reversing your route over to then down through the slickrock loaves. Porkchop18          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71864   W -111.10070        Elev: 6,590 Feet Route passes by a minor high point. Continue southwest staying up on the wide crest of the mesa for about 800 feet to a wide almost un-noticed saddle. Porkchop17          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.72044   W -111.09749        Elev: 6,565 Feet Top of steep slickrock ramp the route meets rolling desert at the mesa top. Route find southwest along the mesa. Porkchop16Crx4          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.72050   W -111.09720        Elev: NaN Feet Near the top of the ledge system turn left and scramble west up a steep slickrock ramp for about 80 feet to the top of the ramp. This ramp is smooth with few features and will require hands a feet for a short distance to get enough friction to go up. If you look close you may even see some scrape marks from sheep hooves as we did. Porkchop15          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71970   W -111.09726        Elev: NaN Feet Continue north through this small vegetated valley and up a rolling slickrock ledge system. Porkchop14Crx3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71918   W -111.09737        Elev: NaN Feet Small open vegetated area where the drainage hooks left (west) and a deep crack continuing up to the north. Scramble about 20 feet up to a set of bushes going up an almost vertical shallow seam just left of the crack.. The scramble up is moderately difficult but the features are there. Continue north about 150 feet to a small vegetated valley. Note: If using this route as a return down off the mesa, it will be easier to downclimb the crack to come down. Porkchop13Crx2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71861   W -111.09733        Elev: NaN Feet At the north end of this small open vegetated area, note 3 cracks / chutes running up to the north. Scramble up chute farthest to the right (east). Part way up the chute is a stem style upclimb of about 10 feet with moderate difficulty then becoming less steep and easy to travel again. Porkchop12          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71831   W -111.09729        Elev: NaN Feet From this brief level vegetated spot, continue north up the drainage about 100 feet to another level vegetated spot with three cracks / chutes at the north end. Porkchop11Crx1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71767   W -111.09738        Elev: NaN Feet At this second fork where the main drainage hooks left and travels up to the north, look north up the main fork to the left then note a smaller crack on the left (west). Begin scrambling up the slickrock nose running up between the smaller crack and the main drainage. Shortly up the slickrock nose work your way into then begin climbing up the smaller crack fighting through a couple bushes as you go up. As the crack tops out follow a rolling ledge system for about 150 feet to a level vegetated spot. Porkchop10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71756   W -111.09769        Elev: NaN Feet Stay right at this large fork walking northeast for about 100 feet to a second fork. Porkchop09          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71679   W -111.09811        Elev: NaN Feet As the trail along the base of the cliff dumps into a large drainage here, continue north up the drainage about 300 feet to a large fork. Porkchop08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71611   W -111.09715        Elev: NaN Feet Trail goes behind a large arch. Porkchop07          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71547   W -111.09674        Elev: NaN Feet As the trail around the base of the cliff briefly fades here continue northwest following the base of the wall. Each time you think you may have lost the trail, scramble up to the base of the cliff wall to find the trail again. Do not stray too far from the base of the wall or you will lose the trail. Porkchop06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71542   W -111.09584        Elev: 6,340 Feet When the cairned route tops out and meets the base of the cliff wall here, turn left and follow well traveled use trails south along the base of the walls then slowly wrapping around west then northwest continuing along the base of the cliff wall. Note: There are a lot of crack / splitter climbs with bolted belay stations at the top along this wall. A crack climber could spend many hours or days enjoying these. Porkchop05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71505   W -111.09207        Elev: NaN Feet Crest of a ridge going up to the west toward the base of the cliffs. Follow west up the ridge where you will soon find cairns and a faint path leading up the wide ridge toward the base of the cliffs above. The cairns marking the trail are intermittent and the trail is not yet well formed (May 2020) but taking your time to look will help keep you on an easy route up. Losing the trail here is rewarded with more effort in loose rock and dirt. Porkchop04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71451   W -111.09175        Elev: NaN Feet When the hill tops out here, do not drop down the other side but instead turn right and contour north on mostly level terrain for about 225 feet to the crest of a wide ridge going up to the west. Porkchop03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71473   W -111.09097        Elev: NaN Feet As the shallow gully fades away and the slope gets little more gentle, continue up the slope to the west for another 250 feet to the top out of the hill. Porkchop02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71494   W -111.09053        Elev: NaN Feet At the apex of this turn in the road, turn left and walk southwest away from the road up a small shallow gully which soon turns to a large shale stairway like path. Do not go northwest up the continuation of the larger gully. Porkchop01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71483   W -111.09028        Elev: NaN Feet Cairned route meets an old road. Turn right (north) and walk about 90 feet down the road to the apex of a turn crossing a small gully. pkPorkchop          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.71595   W -111.08618        Elev: 5,570 Feet Small clearing on the east side of the road for a couple cars. To follow the Porkchop Canyon route, walk west across the road walking rolling dessert where the occasional cairn may be found. Follow the cairned route leading to then up along the south side of a large gully.