Canyoneering Route Description

Smiling Cricket Canyon - 4B IV or V R
The Kingdom portion of
Halls Creek area, Utah.

Quick Facts

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.
09-08-12, 5 people, 1 Day (travel time in route 15.15 hours) Low Water Conditions.
09-21-13, 7 people, 1 Day (travel time in route 10.25 hours)   Close to Full Water in most of the canyon.
10-13-18, 6 people, 1 Day (travel time in route 7.75 hours) camped near bottom of Cricket and COMPLETELY full water but spent about an hour at the pit practicing the toss even though it was a swim over being full to the brim.

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 - 10 to 20 hours (DEPENDS heavily on conditions and group skills)
Distance - 4.3 miles Total, 1 mile Technical
Rappels - 16 Rappels, Longest Rappel 135 feet.
Elevation Range -- 3830 - 4785 Feet
Shuttle Required - No Vehicle - Passenger for short cut route. Permit Required - No

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up to 135 feet and 100 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.  You will also need potshots and ropes to cross potholes where you need to toss the potshots up to 45 or 50 feet.  A sandtrap is also useful in a couple pots.  Wet suits mandatory with a 3mm full being minimum depending on current temps.  Also a retrievable anchor of some kind is recommended (Smooth Operator, webbing retrievable, Fiddle Stick, Slick, etc.)

General Comments

Note on Naming:
Before Smiling Cricket came into public awareness the canyon also went by the name of Poe Canyon.  Both names; Poe Canyon and Smiling Cricket Canyon are commonly used to refer to the same place.  I prefer the name Smiling Cricket just because it blends well with the common names for the near by canyons of Happy Dog and Baboon Laughs.  However the name Poe was coined for this canyon years prior to the Smiling Cricket name.  With in this route description the names Smiling Cricket and Poe are used interchangeably.

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.

Smiling Cricket (aka Poe Canyon) is in The Kingdom area of Halls Creek.  Accessing Smiling Cricket 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.

Smiling Cricket (aka Poe Canyon) is a remote canyon requiring a long approach.  The time rating of IV or V reflects the remoteness of the place.  To do Smiling Cricket 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, Poe Canyon has a time rating of IV 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.

Portions of the Smiling Cricket approach ridge can be convoluted and difficult to give verbal or written.  Bring a map and or GPS and be competent in navigating with them.

If you are looking at maps or areal imagery for the area and trying to get familiar with the approach route and canyon, it may be useful to know the approach does not drop into the actual head of the Smiling Cricket Canyon drainage.  The drop in point is about 1.2 miles down from the head of the drainage.  Up canyon of the drop in is a long section of wide open canyon and wash.  WAY up canyon is said to have a little more technical fun which is not part of the standard route described here.

Warning:
Before deciding to drop into Smiling Cricket be sure to gather a strong team who each have strengths you can lean on to get you through.  No one person will win the day in here.  It will take the team to get out.  Rescue from Smiling Cricket would be difficult since the canyon is remote and challenging.

Warning:
Seriously have a strong team both technically and mentally strong.

Caution:
Some of the rappels use bolts and some of them are VERY loose and suspect to failure over time.  While it may be possible for some teams to use all natural anchors for this canyon most people will need some of the bolts.  It would be wise to bring a bolt kit with you as a last ditch safety net, in case some of these bolts do fail.  As usual though please try not to use the bolt kit unless it is absolutely needed.

Caution:
Smiling Cricket / Poe can be very different with varying water levels.  If you happen to go through with high water and find you had a blast and enjoyed the romp, be glad you got to enjoy the amusement park variety.  I saw Poe for the first time with low water (the Pit of Despair was actually dry) then later saw the canyon mostly full.  I found it amusing to note that some of the pools we swam over and hopped out of were 15 feet deep potholes we had to cross the time before.

One of the major and publicized obstacles in Smiling Cricket / Poe is the Pit of Despair.  The pit is a pot hole about 25 feet deep and about 20 feet across.  Tossing potshots over the pit is what makes this pothole more menacing than most.  On the opposite side of the pit is a long flat patio with no where for the potshot to grab after it is thrown.  To get a good toss canyoneers will need to toss the potshots about 45 feet to get beyond the flat patio and hang over a drop.  To make things worse the potshots must be thrown from an awkward stemming stance 8 to 10 feet off the deck.

While the pit seems to be the main obstacle you hear about in Smiling Cricket it is certainly NOT the only daunting obstacle.  This is not a nice easy canyon with one big pit in the middle of it.  Smiling Cricket has a handful of very challenging spots that will challenge.

Note / Warning:
This route description is based on conditions on my first visit where the canyon had a lot of dry sections including the Pit of Despair and some of the other monster potholes.  Almost all of the potholes, including the Pit of Despair, had sand bottoms indicating that they could get scoured out making them deeper and the canyon more challenging.  Be aware MOTHER NATURE CAN CHANGE THINGS so be prepared.

Warning:
Are you tired of the warnings yet?

Driving Directions

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.

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 1 of the Short Cut Route.
Map 2 of the Short Cut Route.
Map of approach up from Halls Creek
Map of the technical section.

Details

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.

To continue toward Baboon Laughs and Smiling Cricket cross over Halls Creek (wHalsHappyCrs) and go up the steep bank on the other (east) side following the trail high up on the bank on the east side of Halls Creek.

Note:
If you were going to do Happy Dog you would not cross Halls Creek here but instead walk west up the slope on the north side of the Happy Dog drainage.

About 0.2 miles farther the trail drops down into then crosses over Halls Creek again (jBaboonLaughs) back to the west side.  This is between the Happy Dog and Baboon Laughs drainages.  Cross Halls Creek here and scramble up onto the west bank. 

Note:
If you were going to do Baboon Laughs you would leave the trail here and walk west about 600 feet up toward the sandstone slopes on the north side of Baboon Laughs Canyon.

To continue toward Smiling Cricket  follow the trail south a little over 400 feet to where the trail crosses a side drainage (wKingdomRP60).  This side drainage is spring fed so it has water and a lot of thick vegetation.  The crossing I have marked on the map is a spot where you can cross and might be able to keep your feet dry by stepping in the right place.  But the dense vegetation makes it difficult to see where to put your feet so you will likely end up with wet feet here.  There is also poison ivy here to avoid.

About 400 feet farther south is another side drainage to cross (wKingdomRP61).  The point marked on the map is a spot where it is easy to cross and avoid thick vegetation and water.

About 0.3 miles south the trail crosses over the lower portion of the Baboon Laughs drainage (wBaboonLwrCrs).  Crossing here is over a wide sloped slickrock section with water trickling over it.  The crossing is easy walking but there are slick spots to be very careful of.

Just after crossing over the lower portion of the Baboon Laughs drainage, begin veering right and start traveling southwest up toward the slick rock slopes on the way up to Smiling Cricket.  As you start to veer southwest look for a small dirt and rock peak about 450 feet away (it had a cairn on the peak on our first visit which will likely always be there).  Work your way up to the the peak and follow up the slope to the right (west) side of it.

From where you walk by the small peak (wSmCriketRP01) look southwest to see a ridge line about 950 feet away that goes west running up parallel to Smiling Cricket.  Continue southwest about 950 feet over to that ridge (wSmCriketRP02).

When you get onto the ridge (wSmCriketRP02) travel west route finding your way along the ridge.  The drainage on the left (south) as you go up the ridge is not Smiling Cricket or Jiminy Cricket.  It is just a minor drainage running along the sandstone slopes here.  Also of note this ridge does not have a well defined crest and you will need to route find your way through slightly convoluted terrain.

About 2.8 miles up the ridge is what feel like a top out just past an area with vegetation (wSmCriketRP03).  As you get to this point you see it is a false top out.

Continue west up the ridge about 0.24 miles to where the route dips down into a large recessed area with some junipers (wSmCriketRP04).  As you get into this recessed area continue west for about 200 feet then begin to veer left and travel more south in this large recess and work your way up to a semi obvious saddle (wSmCriketRP05) about 200 feet away.

From the saddle go south about 300 feet dropping into a large drainage (yJiminyCriktTp) which is Jiminy Cricket Canyon.

Note:
If you were going to do Jiminy Cricket Canyon you would turn left and travel east down Jiminy Cricket.

To continue to Smiling Cricket scramble up the other (south) side of Jiminy Cricket and continue south.  After you get up out of Jiminy Cricket Canyon and are traveling south look for a small shallow dirt area going south and follow its gentle slope about 700 feet to its top out (wSmCriketRP06).

Continue about 200 feet south down the gentle slope to an edge (wSmCriketRP07) where you can have a view into Smiling Cricket.  When you get to this edge looking down into Smiling Cricket / Poe Canyon you have two options for entry.  One entry is a short rappel off of a small tree / bush and the other option is to traverse a ledge system and downclimb into the canyon.

Option 1 - Rappel Entry:
From this edge scramble down the slope going left (east) down canyon for about 200 feet over to a few small bushes.  The small bushes are used to anchor rap 1 which will get you down into the canyon.  On the way down the slope toward rap 1 is a spot to downclimb about 10 feet that a partner assist is helpful for.

Rap 1 (dSmCriketR1) is anchored from some small trees and allows a rappel down to the canyon floor of about 60 feet that starts down a sloped wall then goes vertical near the end. Rap 1 is the entry for option on.

Option 2 - Ledge Traverse Entry:
From this edge scramble down the slope going right (west) up canyon for about 350 feet to a spot where you can downclimb in.  Most of this ledge traverse is pretty easy scrambling / walking.  One spot however is narrow and made more difficult with some bushes.  There is a crack running along that part where you can stick your fingers in to help hold on.  A fall here would be very bad so be sure to at least throw your helmet on.

After walking / scrambling the 350 feet along the ledge will be a spot you can downclimb into the canyon which is where the Mid Entry point for the canyon is marked (ySmCricketMd).  The downclimb is about 10 feet and is wide enough that a partner assist will be desired by most.

About 400 feet up canyon of here the canyon becomes wide open wash for a long long way which is why this mid point entry is the standard route.  The rap in entry option drops in the canyon about 500 feet down canyon of this point.

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:

If you dropped in using option 2 (the ledge traverse entry) you have about 500 feet of canyon to travel to get to the bottom of the rap in entry using rap 1.    The first part of that section has a couple downclimbs of about 8 feet and a few potholes that are swimmers when full.  I have not seen these potholes dry so I am not sure what challenges they might hold when dry.  Then the canyon opens up to a wash walk down to the bottom of rap 1 which is the side entry rap.

From the bottom of rap 1 (dSmCriketR1) that was used to complete the approach and drop into the canyon, walk down canyon in a flat sandy area with some vegetation for about 400 feet to a pile of boulders where rap 2 is.

Rap 2 (dSmCriketR2) is anchored from pinch point between rocks and drops about 30 feet to a pool that would be about waist deep if full.

Rap 3 (dSmCriketR3) is about 50 feet down canyon of rap 2, is anchored LDC from a pinch point and drops about 15 feet over a boulder to a pool that will be a swimmer if full.  The pool has a sloped exit that may be slick to get out of.  Be careful of rope placement on rap 3 to avoid sticking the rope in pinch points.  Rap 3 can be downclimbed as well.

Between raps 3 and 4 there are multiple downclimbs of 6 to 8 feet into potholes that are waist to chest deep and sections of wading through narrow canyon with beautiful undulating walls.  One of the drops will be the exception and is about 15 feet where the last 5 will likely need a partner assist.

Rap 4 is about 500 feet down canyon of rap 3.  Just before rap 4 is a slide down into a pothole that will be a little more difficult to get out of than those before.  The exit is about chest high but is awkward and smooth.  The sand was also sloped in such a way it appeared it could easily be scoured out in the future.  This pot hole may require a potshot toss to get out of.  On the other side of the pothole is the top of rap 4.

Rap 4 (dSmCriketR4) is anchored from a single bolt in the water course and drops about 40 feet to a pool that is about waist deep.  Rap 4 can also be anchored by placing a choke stone in the water course if the bolt becomes compromised or undesirable.  There are a lot of rocks up canyon of here to gather if needed but water may make them harder to find.

After exiting the pothole below rap 4 is a right leaning narrow slot that leads to another pothole about 80 feet down canyon.  The narrow crack you are in leads into the side of the pothole where you can make a very awkward leap of a few feet over to the other side but this will be difficult for most people.  If you get one person over to the other side it is easy to assist others to swing around the corner over the pothole.  Most people will need to downclimb into the pothole and partner assist up the 8 to 10 foot exit.  After exiting the pothole is the top of rap 5.

Rap 5(dSmCriketR5) is anchored RDC from a single bolted hanger and drops about 30 feet down a sloped ledge that undercuts and goes free hanging before getting down to the water of a major pit below rap 5.  The bolted anchor for rap 5 has the rock under it very worn away making the bolt a little sketchy.  A chokestone anchor can be used by farming rock but will take some work to find a good placement.  Also if the pothole behind rap 5 is dry a sand trap can be used.

The pit below rap 5 is the Major Pit 1 in Smiling Cricket.  It will be a swimmer with any significant water.  On our first visit we were lucky enough to find it waist deep at the bottom of rap 5 but it quickly got deep and we had to swim the length of the pool.  The pit below rap 5 is 30 or 40 feet long and will be difficult to exit if not completely full.  The exit is up a sloped crack about 12 feet that is made difficult to climb by the slick mud and algae growing on the walls.  A partner assist is very helpful to get the first person out.  If you are able to toss a potshot far enough up there are good features for it to catch on.  On the next visit we had almost full water here and swam over the monster pit then a few easy feet up the crack to get out.

Down canyon of Major Pit 1 is a pothole with an 8 foot partner assist exit, then another pothole with an 8 foot downclimb and an easy exit out then a short walk to the top of rap 6 which drops into the Major Pit 2 in Smiling Cricket.

Rap 6 (dSmCriketR6-8) drops about 25 feet down into the Major Pit 2 which will be swimmer and has a huge arch in it. Rap 6 can be anchored with a sandtrap, potshots or pack anchor.  If you have someone willing to carefully shimmy down a steep slope and jump the last 8 feet into the water you can save the effort of setting up an anchor.  After dropping into the water swim under the arch to get to the other end of the pool / pit. The arch is surprisingly large and a very interesting feature.  On the other side of the pool is rap 7.

Rap 7 is on the other side of the pool at the bottom of rap 6 and drops about 60 feet down to a chest deep pool. Both times I have been here we have provided a meat anchor for everyone then have the last person downclimb the rap with a very aggressive partner assist for the last 10 to 12 feet using multiple people stacked up. 

Note:
If you do not want to downclimb rap 7 you may need to get creative with a pack anchor a sandtrap or some other creation.  It would be possible to use the arch as the anchor using a retrievable anchor (webbing retrievable anchor, Smooth Operator, FiddleStick, slick etc).  However there are pinch points that might make the arch anchor problematic.  If you do use the arch as an anchor do not just pull the entire rappel rope around the arch, use a retrievable anchor.

Rap 8 is on the other side of the pool below rap 7.  Rap 8 is anchored from your choice of a sandtrap or pack anchor and drops about 30 feet to a chest deep pool.  If you have someone with mad skills they can run / traverse the RDC side over to a ledge where they can then jump to the water from a reduced height, but this is a sketchy move and not the one suggested.

Just after rap 8 is an easy downclimb of about 12 feet to a waist deep pool with an easy exit followed by a long section of walking and light galumphing.  About 350 feet down canyon of rap 8 is a section where the canyon gets wide for a couple hundred feet.

In the wide open section (wSmCriketRP08) are a few large keeper potholes that can be bypassed by climbing up to a ledge LDC and walking around them. Then climb up is about 15 feet and steep slab so send up the best climber to toss a rope down.  Or you can opt to play in the keepers if you like.

Note:
This is just up canyon of where Jiminy Cricket Canyon drops into Smiling Cricket.

As the wide open area comes to an end there are a couple minor potholes to cross over where you are back in narrow canyon.  About 150 feet into the narrower section is rap 9 which drops about 30 feet into a Major Pit 3.

Rap 9 (dSmCriketR9-10) drops about 30 feet down into a large pothole (Major Pit 3) with a vertical 20 foot wall to exit on the down canyon side.  A potshot will need to be tossed to set an exit rope.  Just on the other side of rap 9 is rap 10.

Rap 10 is anchored on the LDC side using rocks piled in a small pothole a few feet in diameter and travels about 90 feet over two stages.  The first stage drops about 15 feet down into very large pothole with a partner assist exit of about 8 feet.  On the other side of the partner assist is a drop of about 45 feet.  

Note:
There is an old bolt in VERY BAD shape that is in the watercourse on the lip between the stages of rap 10.  Also Jiminy Cricket Canyon joins Smiling Cricket Canyon here.  Jiminy drops into Smiling at the mid way point of rap 10.

Next is a boulder debris field with awkward downclimb into a crack.   Shortly after is a skinny narrows with a chimney style downclimb of about 15 feet.  Next is a short walk in a tight, pretty narrows for a short distance to another large deep pothole.

This large deep pothole you can downclimb into but have an almost vertical exit of about 15 feet on the down canyon side.  A good climber type can exit the pothole with a partner assist.  If you need to throw a potshot you can do so from a patio like spot on the LDC side.

On the output side of the large pothole is another pothole that makes you feel like a mouse in a bucket when you are in it.  The pothole is about 10 feet deep on both sides and about 10 feet across.  A potshot will need to be thrown to set an exit rope here and the toss is very easy.  A good climber type can also bypass this mouse in a bucket pothole by traversing the LDC side but this is a very sketchy move.

On the other side of the of the mouse in a bucket pothole is a smaller pothole with a drop of about 6 feet with a sloped exit that is a little difficult.  Next is a very small pothole that would be keeper but can jut around the RDC side.

Next is a short narrow section with a couple small potholes to cross before getting to Major Pit 4, The Pit of Despair.  Rap 11 is about 650 feet down canyon of rap 10 and drops down into the Pit of Despair.

Rap 11 (dSmCriketR11) is anchored from a pile of rocks in the V shaped slot leading down into the Pit of Despair and drops about 25 feet into the pit.  If the rocks are washed out from flooding a sandtrap or potshot anchor can be used here.  You will need to toss potshots to set an escape line for the othere3 side.

The Pit of Despair is about 20 feet across with a flat patio area on the other side which is too flat and slick to have the potshots do you any good.  To make the potshots of value they have to be thrown about 45 feet over the pit and beyond the patio.  Mother nature bumps the level of difficulty up by giving you no good place to stand when tossing the potshots.  You will need to stem up in a V slot about 6 feet to get a good throwing angle making for a very awkward stance.  Mother nature bumps up the difficulty level once again by giving you a very narrow window to aim at by placing the canyons walls in the way.  This is a difficult toss and worth preparing for with lots of practice!  This toss is as difficult as stories make it sound.

The pit was about 25 feet deep when we were there in Sept. 2012 and was sand filled so it can be deeper.  Late Aug. 2013 it was reported to be about 16 feet deep so the levels here can change a lot.  Our visit in 2013 had high water levels so it was water filled and only about 6 feet down from the lip.  The depth of the pit at the time you visit and if it is dry or has water can greatly change your perception of the danger and difficulty to cross.

Note - Bolted Traverse over the Pit of Despair:
There are also old bolt holes high up on the RDC side that can be used to traverse over the Pit of Despair but this places you an additional 10 to 15 feet up and would have bad consequences if you fell.  We did not explore this option so I have no details to give. 

I have heard some people say the bolthole traverse was scary and others say it is not too bad.  I tend to believe the water level in the pit has a HUGE impact on your assessment of the traverse.  With an empty pit you have the potential to fall about 40 feet to solid sand below, which would likely not end well.  With a mostly full pit your fall would be 15 to 20 feet into water which doesn't sound too bad.

After getting up out of the Pit of Despair, cross the patio on the other side then down a sloped S curve to a pothole with a downclimb of about 12 feet into it and n upclimb of about 8 feet out of it (both can be partner assisted).  Rap 12 is right on the other side of the climb out form the pothole.

Rap 12 (dSmCriketR12) is anchored using a sandtrap or potshots and drops into a pothole about 30 feet deep where a potshot will need to be tossed to set an exit line.  Rap 12 drops about 20 feet into the pothole where you can carefully walk a sloped ledge in the pothole on the LDC side then use the exit rope to ascend about 15 feet out the other side.

Down canyon of rap 12 is a short riparian section then a pothole that would be a swimmer if full but an easy downclimb in and an easy exit.  Next up is a long pothole / pool to swim of about 50 feet that may need a partner assist to get out of if not full.  On the other side of the long swim is a deep pothole that can be bypassed on the LDC side by carefully traversing the slopped LDC side wall.  After bypassing the pothole LDC you get to rap 13.

Rap 13 (dSmCriketR13) is anchored from two bolts (one with a hanger and the other with a cable) and drops about 70 feet down two stages to a very large pothole about 20 feet across with an escape climb out of about 15 feet if the pothole is dry. 

The exit from the pothole below rap 13 is an aggressive partner assist if dry and would be a keeper with significant water.  It is a good idea to toss a pothshot for an exit rope if there is water in the pothole and you should leave a couple people at the top of rap 13 until at least one person has escaped the pothole.  From the top of the rappel it would be very difficult to toss the potshot to where it needs to be.  Tossing a potshot can be done by locking off mid rappel while on the ledge between stages and tossing the potshot while on rope.  Sand will need to be farmed from up canyon and a partner to help with rope management on the ledge is a good idea.

Note:
If you scramble up on the LDC ledge from the top of rap 13 you can see down toward Halls Creek and if you look close you can see the Wart on the LDC wall a ways down canyon.

After climbing up out of the pothole below rap 13 is a short slot over to a pool about 40 feet long then to a V shaped slot leading to a deep menacing looking pothole.  The pothole at the end of the V slot is the Wart Pothole.

The Wart is an outcropping feature up on the LDC wall about 40 feet that sits just over a menacing pothole to cross.  The pothole below would be very difficult to toss a potshot over and cross easily.  The pothole is also a deep tube shape with some overhang to the edges.  To bypass the pothole in the V slot, climb up to The Wart and rappel down off of The Wart to the down canyon side of pothole.

Rap 14 (dSmCriketR1415) is anchored from The Wart to bypass the pothole below and drops about 25 feet to the down canyon side of the pothole then another 25 feet over another small pothole for a total rap of about 50 feet..  You have to climb up to The Wart which is an easy climb / scramble but it is exposed and a little scary.

Rap 15 is just after The Wart and anchored from a single bolted anchor RDC and drops about 30 feet.  Rap 16 is about about 50 feet down canyon of rap 15 down sloped sandstone.

Rap 16 (dSmCriketR16) is the final drop in the canyon and is anchored from two bolts (one with a hanger and one with just the bolt sticking up) and drops about 135 feet to the canyon floor.  The last 30 feet of the rap can easily be downclimbed in a crack so you could get away with about 105 feet for rap rope but will need a longer pull line.

Note:
Raps 15 and 16 can be combined if desired.  From the top of rap 15 to the bolts for Rap 16 is about 75 feet of travel.  If you combine raps 15 and 16 plan on using about xx feet of rope from the top of rap 15 down to the bottom of rap 16 to complete the drop.

After rap 16 it is about 0.3 miles down to where the slickrock sides begin to end (ySmilCrktBT) and you can scramble up to the left (north) to get up onto open desert.  The vegetation in this 0.3 mile section is dense and difficult travel. 

Both times I have been here we tried different way up out of this lower section and have not found the best way yet.  If you go all the way to where the LDC side drops down low you can find easy exit up to the open desert above (ySmilCrktBT).

The Exit:
From where you climb up out of the canyon (ySmilCrktBT) travel north roughly following the base of the slickrock and start looking for a use trail.  After a couple hundred feet the trail should become easy to find shortly before crossing a small vegetated draining (wSmCriketRP09).

Follow the trail north about 0.25 miles to where you cross the bottom of Baboon Laughs (wBaboonLwrCrs) and rejoin your approach route from your journey in.  The 600 feet or so before reaching Baboon Laughs the trail runs through a bunch of small drainages and is a little hard to find in place.  Just keep going almost due north to Baboon Laughs drainage.

After crossing the drainage below Baboon Laughs Canyon (wBaboonLwrCrs) follow the trail and retrace the approach route back to Millers Creek where you can return to basecamp or plan to hike all the way out to the cars.

GPS Waypoint Information

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

Smiling Cricket (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.

Smiling Cricket (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.

Smiling Cricket (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. jBaboonLaughs          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.57179   W -110.87075        Elev: NaN Feet Trail crosses Halls Creek here between Happy Dog and Baboon Laughs canyons. Cross over to the west side of Halls Creek and scramble up onto the west bank. To continue toward Smiling Cricket follow the trail south. To go up to Baboon Laughs leave the trail here and start walking west up toward the slick rock slopes on the north side of Baboon Laughs Canyon. wKingdomRP60          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.57075   W -110.87082        Elev: 3,820 Feet A spot where you can cross a minor draiange with water and a lot of thick vegetation. You will likely get your feet wet here. There is also poison ivy to avoid. wKingdomRP61          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56975   W -110.87124        Elev: 3,840 Feet Side drainage to cross. Crossing here avoid water and thick vegetation. wBaboonLwrCrs          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56603   W -110.87076        Elev: 3,835 Feet A spot where you can cross the Baboon Drainage on a slick rock section to avoid the think vegetation and water in this area of the drainage. wSmCriketRP01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56501   W -110.87198        Elev: 3,940 Feet A small dirt and rock peak about 450 feet southwest up the slopes after crossing the lower portion of the Baboon Laughs drainage. To continue to Smiling Cricket continue southwest for about 950 feet to get onto a ridge that goes up to the west parallel to Smiling Cricket. wSmCriketRP02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56292   W -110.87391        Elev: NaN Feet Start up the ridge going west from here. wSmCriketRP03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56291   W -110.87889        Elev: 4,500 Feet False topout along the ridge. wSmCriketRP04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56173   W -110.88288        Elev: NaN Feet Route dips down into a recessed area with junipers. As you get into this area continue west about 200 feet then begin to veer left and travel south in the recessed area then work your way up to a semi obvious sadle about 200 feet south. wSmCriketRP05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56046   W -110.88371        Elev: 4,685 Feet A saddle to go up to after crossing the large recessed area. From here continue south down into the the next drainage which is Jiminy Cricket. yJiminyCriktTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.55962   W -110.88375        Elev: 4,650 Feet Top of Jiminy Cricket Canyon. To go into Jiminy Cricket turn left and travel east down Jiminy Cricket Canyon. To continue to Smiling Cricket Canyon scramble up out of the south side of Jiminy and continue south. wSmCriketRP06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.55768   W -110.88393        Elev: 4,785 Feet Top out of a wide shallow dirt area leading south toward the edge of Smiling Cricket. ySmCricketMd          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.55648   W -110.88477        Elev: 4,760 Feet Mid entry for Smiling Cricket. This is the top of the standard route where the ledge traverse entry drops into the canyon with a 10 foot downclimb. This is about 500 feet up canyon of rap 1 which is the side canyon rap in entry option.

Smiling Cricket (4) - The Canyon and Exit to Halls Creek

ySmCricketMd          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.55648   W -110.88477        Elev: 4,760 Feet Mid entry for Smiling Cricket. This is the top of the standard route where the ledge traverse entry drops into the canyon with a 10 foot downclimb. This is about 500 feet up canyon of rap 1 which is the side canyon rap in entry option. dSmCriketR1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.55708   W -110.88313        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 1 - Smiling Cricket Canyon. Anchored from some small trees on the LDC wall and allows a rappel down to the canyon floor of about 60 feet down a sloped wall that goes vertical near the bottom. This is the entry rap. dSmCriketR2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.55746   W -110.88185        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 2 - Smiling Cricket Canyon. Anchored from a pinch point between boulders and drops about 30 feet over boulders to a pool that would be waist deep if full. dSmCriketR3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.55754   W -110.88169        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 3 - Smiling Cricket Canyon. Anchored LDC from a pinch point and drops about 15 feet over a boulder to a pool that would be a swimmer if full and has a sloped exit that may be a little slick getting out of. Careful on rope placement on rappel to avoid catching rope in pinch point. This is about 50 feet down canyon of rap 2. dSmCriketR4          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.55831   W -110.88052        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 4 - Smiling Cricket Canyon. Anchored from a single bolt in the water course and drops about 40 feet to a pool that is about waist deep. Rap 4 can also be anchored by placing a choke stone in the water course if the bolt becomes compromised or undesirable. There are a lot of rocks up canyon of here to gather if needed but water may make them harder to find. dSmCriketR5          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.55855   W -110.88033        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 5 - Smiling Cricket Canyon. Just after crossing a semi difficult pothole. Anchored RDC from a single bolted hanger and drops about 30 feet down a sloped ledge that undercuts and goes free hanging before getting down to the water of a major pit below rap 5. The bolted anchor for rap 5 has the rock under it very worn away making the bolt a little sketchy. A chokestone anchor can be used by farming rock but will take some work to find a good placement. Also if the pothole behind rap 5 is dry a sand trap can be used. dSmCriketR6-8          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.55855   W -110.87971        Elev: NaN Feet Raps 6, 7 and 8 - Smilling Cricket Canyon. Rap 6 is anchored from a sandtrap, potshot or pack anchor and drops about 25 feet into a huge water filled pit with a big arch in it. The pool has an easy walk out exit. Anchor set up can be avoided if you have someone who is willing to shimmy down a slope and jump the last 8 feet to the water. Rap 7 is on the other side of the pool and drops about xx feet. The big arch in the pit behind you is used as the anchor with a retrievable anchor. DO NOT PULL YOUR ROPES AROUND THE ARCH! Use a retrievable anchor (webbing retrievable anchor, Smooth Operator, FiddleStick, slick etc). Rap 7 can be downclimbed with a very aggressive partner assist the last 10 to 12 feet using multiple people, but this is not recommended. On the other side of the pothole below rap 7 is rap 8. Rap 8 anchored using a deadman, potshot, sandtrap or pack anchor and drops about 30 feet to a chest deep pool. If you have someone with mad skills they can run / traverse the RDC side over to a ledge where they can then jump to the water from a reduced height, but this is a sketchy move and not the one suggested. wSmCriketRP08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.55929   W -110.87857        Elev: 4,360 Feet A wide open section in the canyon a couple hundred feet long. In this section are a few large keeper potholes that can be bypassed by climbing up to a ledge LDC and walking around them. Then climb up is about 15 feet and steep slab so send up the best climber to toss a rope down. This is also just up canyon of where Jiminy Cricket drops into Smiling Cricket. dSmCriketR9-10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56016   W -110.87782        Elev: NaN Feet Raps 9 and 10 - Smiling Cricket Canyon. Rap 9 anchored using a sandtrap, potshot or pack anchor and drops about 30 feet into a pothole that has a vertical wall of about 20 feet to exit. A potshot will need to be tossed to set an escape line out the other side of the pothole. Rap 10 anchored LDC using rocks piled in a small pothole a few feet in diameter and travels about 90 feet over two stages. The first stage drops about 15 feet down into very large pothole with a partner assist exit of about 8 feet. On the other side of the partner assist is a drop of about 45 feet. Note there is an old bolt in bad shape that is in the watercourse on the lip between the stages of rap 10. Also Jiminy Cricket Canyon joins Smiling Cricket Canyon here. Jiminy drops into Smiling at the mid way point of rap 10. dSmCriketR11          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.55993   W -110.87587        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 11- Smiling Cricket Canyon, Anchored from a pile of rocks in the V shaped slot leading down into the Pit of Despair and drops about 25 feet into the pit.  If the rocks are washed out from flooding a sandtrap or potshot anchor can be used here. You will need to toss potshots to set an escape line for the othere3 side. The Pit of Despair is about 20 feet across with a flat patio area on the other side which is too flat and slick to have the potshots do you any good. To make the potshots of value they have to be thrown about 45 feet over the pit and beyond the patio. Mother nature bumps the level of difficulty up by giving you no good place to stand when tossing the potshots. You will need to stem up in a V slot about 6 feet to get a good throwing angle making for a very awkward stance. Mother nature bumps up the difficulty level once again by giving you a very narrow window to aim at by placing the canyons walls in the way. This is a difficult toss and worth preparing for with lots of practice! This toss is as difficult as stories make it sound. dSmCriketR12          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56007   W -110.87544        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 12 - Smiling Cricket Canyon. Anchored using a sandtrap or potshots and drops into a pothole about 30 feet deep where a potshot will need to be tossed to set an exit line. Rap 12 drops about 20 feet into the pothole where you can carefully walk a sloped ledge in the pothole on the LDC side then use the exit rope to ascend about 15 feet out the other side. dSmCriketR13          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56051   W -110.87477        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 13 - Smiling Cricket Canyon. Anchored from two bolts LDC (one with a hanger and one with just a cable). Rap 13 drops about 70 feet over two stages to a huge pothole below. Exit from the pothole is a 15 foot difficult partner assist if dry. If wet a potshot of sand can be tossed from the ledge part way down the rap while locked off. dSmCriketR1415          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56042   W -110.87452        Elev: NaN Feet Raps 14 and 15 - Smiling Cricket Canyon. Rap 14 (dSmCriketR1415) is anchored from The Wart to bypass the pothole below and drops about 25 feet to the down canyon side of the pothole then another 25 feet over another small pothole for a total rap of about 50 feet..  You have to climb up to The Wart which is an easy climb / scramble but it is exposed and a little scary. Rap 15 is just after The Wart and anchored from a single bolted anchor RDC and drops about 30 feet.  Note: You can rap from The Wart combining raps 14 and 15 into one singe rappel using about 100 feet of rope. Note: Raps 15 and 16 can be combined if desired.  From the top of rap 15 to the bolts for Rap 16 is about 75 feet of travel.  If you combine raps 15 and 16 plan on using about xx feet of rope from the top of rap 15 down to the bottom of rap 16 to complete the drop. dSmCriketR16          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56037   W -110.87433        Elev: 4,020 Feet Rap 16 - Smiling Cricket Canyon. Is the final drop in the canyon and is anchored from two bolts (one with a hanger and one with just the bolt sticking up) and drops about 135 feet to the canyon floor. The last 30 feet of the rap can easily be downclimbed in a crack so you could get away with about 105 feet for rap rope but will need a longer pull line. Note: Raps 15 and 16 can be combined if desired.  From the top of rap 15 to the bolts for Rap 16 is about 75 feet of travel.  If you combine raps 15 and 16 plan on using about xx feet of rope from the top of rap 15 down to the bottom of rap 16 to complete the drop. ySmilCrktBT          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.55991   W -110.86933        Elev: 3,830 Feet Bottom of Smiling Cricket. This is where the sanstone sides begin to drop allowing access to the open desert. From here scramble out of the canyon on the LDC (north) side. Walk north roughly following along the base of the slickrock looking for a use trail. wSmCriketRP09          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56274   W -110.86999        Elev: 3,860 Feet Shortly after finding the trial it will cross over a small vegetated drainage here. wBaboonLwrCrs          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56603   W -110.87076        Elev: 3,835 Feet A spot where you can cross the Baboon Drainage on a slick rock section to avoid the think vegetation and water in this area of the drainage.