Canyoneering Route Description

Monkey Business Canyon - 3A II(III)
North Wash, Utah.

Quick Facts

03-29-15, 7 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 5 hours)

Time Required - 4 to 6 hours
Distance - 3.4 miles Total, 1 mile Technical
Rappels - 3 Rappels, Longest Rappel 90 feet.
Elevation Range - 5370 - 4520 Feet
Shuttle Required - Yes 1.1 Miles Vehicle - Passenger Permit Required - No

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up to 90 feet and 40 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.

General Comments

Monkey Business makes for a fun half day route offering a little challenge and some pretty canyon. The technical business is in the lower 3rd of the canyon offering 3 raps, fund down climbs and a few easy potholes play through. The v-sloted crack at the top of rap 1 can have rope pull issues, so pay attention here and do a rope pull test before sending everyone down. The potholes between raps 2 and 3 are shallow but might need a partner assist to get out of.

Expect a couple spots in the lower canyon to have thigh or waist deep water but not enough to make a wet suit needed.

Note:
You can start Monkey Business from the same spot as Shenanigans and Foolin Around but it will involve an un-needed long walk down a wide wash. Leaving the road as described here will shorten the route.

Driving Directions

To get to the Trailhead

From the junction of highway 95 and highway 276 (about 25.5 miles south of Hanksville), drive north on highway 95 about 0.7 miles to a dirt road turn off (extCedarPntRd).  The dirt road is called Cedar Point Road on some maps and is known by some as Turkey Knob Road.  Cedar Point road is graded making it passable for passenger cars although heavy rains might change that from time to time.  Turn right (east) onto Cedar Point Road.  

Drive east on the main Cedar Point Road passing a few small less traveled side roads.  About 3.9 miles from highway 95 is a junction known to some as “The Four Way” (extTheFourWay).

From “The Four Way”, continue north east on Cedar Point Road about 1.1 miles to a small pull out on the right (southeast) side of the road (pkMonkeyB) and park there.

To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod

From the "The Four Way” mentioned in the drive to trailhead section (extTheFourWay), turn right (south) onto another dirt road (not as well maintained) and drive about 0.3 miles to a flat spot to park (pkNoKidding1).  If your vehicle is not able to get down this short road to get to the parking spot you can optionally park back at “The Four Way”.   If you have a high clearance vehicle, you can drive another 700 feet to another parking spot (pkNoKidding2).

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.

Details

The Approach:
From the parking spot (pkMonkeyB) leave the road and hike east down rolling desert about 0.25 miles into the upper wash of Monkey Business.  When you get into the main wash (MonkeyB01) turn right and walk south down the wash a short distance to the head of Monkey Business.

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
At the head of Monkey Business (yMonkeyBTp) is a 30 foot drop in the wash. Bypass the drop LDC and scramble down into the canyon below. Continue down canyon with a few short easy scrambles down.

Shortly down canyon is a stem style downclimb (MonkeyB02) of about 15 feet into narrow slot to walk. The next 0.35 miles of canyon has a few easy downclimbs of up to 8 feet.

After the long easy section is some large boulders (MonkeyB03) wedged between the walls to downclimb over then about 10 feet down the other side. Continuing past these boulders the slot gets more narrow and deeper where galumphing and easy stemming about 10 feet up is needed.

About 400 feet farther is a 30 foot stem style downclimb (MonkeyB04) with smooth walls. For those who like elevator style downclimbs, this one is smooth and fun. Continue down canyon for about 500 feet in deep shoulder width slot with scenic undulating walls and a few short easy downclimbs.

Next is a stem style downclimb (MonkeyB05) of about 15 feet to more narrow slot. Shortly down canyon the walls V out for about 900 feet allowing a walk in deep V-slot with a couple short spots to galumph over.

Then a stem style downclimb (MonkeyB06) into more narrow slot.  Rap 1 is about 200 feet farther down canyon.

Rap 1 (dMonkeyB-R1) anchored from a dead man and drops about 80 feet passing a large then a small pothole on the way down. While rappelling bypass the first large pothole by traversing RDC then drop down to a smaller pothole then down the last 20 feet to the canyon floor. Optionally this can be broken up into 2 rappels by setting a second anchor in the second (smaller) pothole part way down the rappel.

Note:
The top of this rap starts down v-slot that can be an issue for rope pull so pay close attention when rigging and consider the pull. If you are unsure, a test pull from those below may help determine if the rope will pull well. Remember you still have a 90 foot rappel down canyon to finish the route. Sticking your only long rope here could be a problem.

Just after rap 1 is a downclimb (MonkeyB07) of about 6 feet into a pothole, followed by a fun corkscrew shaped downclimb with a 6 foot partner assist downclimb into another pothole followed by a sloped narrow downclimb to a larger shallower pothole. All of the potholes had water lines indicating waist deep water would be common and all are easy to get out of even if they scoured out deeper later.

Rap 2 (dMonkeyB-R2) anchored from a rock protrusion on the LDC side and drops about 30 feet into a pothole that might need partner assist up about 12 feet.

After rap 2 is a series of potholes you can play through with a few partner assists or easily bypass by scrambling up to a wide ledge system on the RDC side.

Rap 3 (dMonkeyB-R3) anchored RDC from a rock protrusion and drops about 90 feet to open wash. Walk about 300 feet to the end of the canyon (yShnanyMonkyBt).

The Exit:
From the Confluence of Shenanigans and Monkey Business (yShnanyMonkyBt) continue about another 0.6 miles down to where the Foolin Around route joins in from the left / east (yFoolinBt). 

About 0.3 miles farther is another smaller side canyon joining in from the right (west) and is the Kelsey Exit out of Butler Canyon after doing the Monkey Business, Shenanigans or Foolin Around routes (jKlsyExtShnany).  To exit out of Butler Canyon, turn right (west) and walk northwest up this side canyon. 

About 400 feet up the canyon another canyon drops in from the right (north east) and is the bottom of the No Kidding route (yNoKiddingBt).  Pass by the bottom of No Kidding and continue up westi-sh up the wash.  

About 450 feet farther the climb gets significantly steeper (wShnanyKelRP-1).  Continue up the steep section above by going up the wider ravine to the right and do not go up the this slot on the left.  Continuing up is a mix of scrambling up rock sections and trudging up steep loose dirt.

About 300 feet farther is a soft sandy section (KelsyButlr2) running along the left (south) side of the ravine and the ravine above looks like it begins to get a lot more difficult.  From the top of the sandy area, turn right (north) and cross over to a chute that provides a much easier climb up.  Scramble up the chute about 100 feet to find an easy traverse to the right (north) side of the ravine (KelsyButlr3).

At the easy traverse (KelsyButlr3), traverse right (north) and route find to a wide open slick rock area running north east along the base of a cliff face.  Walk north east about 275 feet on slick rock to a series of small potholes, cross over those small potholes and walk another 175 feet to a deeper drainage with deeper potholes which is the drainage for No Kidding.

Once on the rim of the No Kidding drainage (KelsyButlr4), turn left and scramble west up fairly steep for about 300 feet to a top out.

From the top out (KelsyButlr5) where the climb levels out, veer slight right (north west) and follow up the gently sloped ridge to dirt then walk an open dirt area about 400 feet to another short slick rock slope then scramble north up the slope.

From the top of the slickrock slope (KelsyButlr6) the exit vehicles can be seen across the open desert about 0.5 miles to the northwest.

Route find rolling desert northwest toward the exit vehicles parked on the dirt road (pkNoKidding).  There will be a few ups and downs in shallow gullies along the way.

GPS Waypoint Information

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

Monkey Business (1) - Drive to Trailhead

extCedarPntRd          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.03375   W -110.57510        Elev: 4,690 Feet Exit for Cedar Point Road. Some refer to it as Turkey Knob Road since it is not singed and is near Turkey Knob. wCdrPntDP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.04365   W -110.54989        Elev: NaN Feet Small road spur leaves Cedar Point Road to the south. wCdrPntDP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.04506   W -110.54855        Elev: 5,020 Feet Dirt road leaves Cedar Point road to the north. wCdrPntDP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.05152   W -110.53746        Elev: NaN Feet Dirt road leaves Cedar Point road to the south. extTheFourWay          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.04852   W -110.51810        Elev: 5,272 Feet A spot where roads cross Cedar Point Road. This spot is known to some as "The Four Way" pkMonkeyB          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.05920   W -110.50397        Elev: 5,370 Feet Small parking spot on the right (east) side of the road to start Monkey Business. To go to Monkey Business, leave the road and hike east down rolling desert about 0.25 miles into the upper wash of Monkey Business.

Monkey Business (2) - Set Exit Vehicle

extCedarPntRd          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.03375   W -110.57510        Elev: 4,690 Feet Exit for Cedar Point Road. Some refer to it as Turkey Knob Road since it is not singed and is near Turkey Knob. wCdrPntDP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.04365   W -110.54989        Elev: NaN Feet Small road spur leaves Cedar Point Road to the south. wCdrPntDP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.04506   W -110.54855        Elev: 5,020 Feet Dirt road leaves Cedar Point road to the north. wCdrPntDP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.05152   W -110.53746        Elev: NaN Feet Dirt road leaves Cedar Point road to the south. extTheFourWay          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.04852   W -110.51810        Elev: 5,272 Feet A spot where roads cross Cedar Point Road. This spot is known to some as "The Four Way" pkNoKidding1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.04433   W -110.51793        Elev: 5,225 Feet A wide area to the left side of the dirt road that can be used as parking when doing canyons in the area. This is where you would start and end for the No Kidding Route. It is also where you park if using the Kelsey exit for any of the Butler Canyons like Shenanigans. pkNoKidding2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.04245   W -110.51800        Elev: 5,180 Feet Alternate parking 700 feet further down the road for No Kidding if you have ho clearance.

Monkey Business (3) - Approach and Canyon

pkMonkeyB          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.05920   W -110.50397        Elev: 5,370 Feet Small parking spot on the right (east) side of the road to start Monkey Business. To go to Monkey Business, leave the road and hike east down rolling desert about 0.25 miles into the upper wash of Monkey Business. MonkeyB01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.05763   W -110.49934        Elev: NaN Feet Route from the road drops into the upper wash of Monkey Business. Turn right and walk south down the wash a short distance to the head of Monkey Business. yMonkeyBTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.05670   W -110.49989        Elev: 5,220 Feet Top of Monkey Business where there is a 30 foot drop in the wash. Bypass the drop LDC and scramble down into the canyon below. Continue down canyon with a few short easy scrambles down. MonkeyB02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.05608   W -110.50007        Elev: NaN Feet Stem style downclimb of about 15 feet into narrow slot to walk. The next 0.35 miles of canyon has a few easy downclimbs of up to 8 feet. MonkeyB03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.05162   W -110.50210        Elev: NaN Feet Large boulders wedged between the walls to downclimb over then about 10 feet down the other side. Continuing past these boulders the slot gets more narrow and deeper where galumphing and easy stemming about 10 feet up is needed. MonkeyB04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.05068   W -110.50276        Elev: NaN Feet 30 foot stem style downclimb with smooth walls. For those who like elevator style downclimbs, this one is smooth and fun. Continue down canyon for about 500 feet in deep shoulder width slot with scenic undulating walls and a few short easy downclimbs. MonkeyB05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.04944   W -110.50360        Elev: NaN Feet Stem style downclimb of about 15 feet to more narrow slot. Shortly down canyon the walls V out for about 900 feet allowing a walk in deep V-slot with a couple short spots to galumph over. MonkeyB06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.04673   W -110.50394        Elev: NaN Feet Stem style downclimb into more narrow slot. dMonkeyB-R1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.04618   W -110.50363        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 1 - Monkey Business. Anchored from a dead man and drops about 80 feet passing a large then a small pothole on the way down. While rappelling bypass the first large pothole by traversing RDC then drop down to a smaller pothole then down the last 20 feet to the canyon floor. Optionally this can be broken up into 2 rappels by setting a second anchor in the second (smaller) pothole part way down the rappel. Note: The top of this rap starts down v-slot that can be an issue for rope pull so pay close attention when rigging and consider the pull. If you are unsure, a test pull from those below may help determine if the rope will pull well. Remember you still have a 90 foot rappel down canyon to finish the route. Sticking your only long rope here could be a problem. MonkeyB07          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.04604   W -110.50348        Elev: NaN Feet Just after rap 1 is a downclimb of about 6 feet into a pothole, followed by a fun corkscrew shaped downclimb with a 6 foot partner assist downclimb into another pothole followed by a sloped narrow downclimb to a larger shallower pothole. All of the potholes had water lines indicating waist deep water would be common and all are easy to get out of even if they scoured out deeper later. dMonkeyB-R2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.04569   W -110.50340        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 2 - Monkey Business. Anchored from a rock protrusion on the LDC side and drops about 30 feet into a pothole that might need partner assist up about 12 feet. After rap 2 is a series of potholes you can play through with a few partner assists or easily bypass by scrambling up to a wide ledge system on the RDC side. dMonkeyB-R3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.04515   W -110.50347        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 3 - Monkey Business. Anchored RDC from a rock protrusion and drops about 90 feet to open wash. Walk about 300 feet to the end of the canyon. yShnanyMonkyBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.04433   W -110.50318        Elev: 4,740 Feet Bottom exit of both the Shenanigans and Monkey Business routes. Both routes meet here. Walk wide wash about 0.6 miles to where the Foolin Around drainage joins.

Monkey Business (4) - Exit

yShnanyMonkyBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.04433   W -110.50318        Elev: 4,740 Feet Bottom exit of both the Shenanigans and Monkey Business routes. Both routes meet here. Walk wide wash about 0.6 miles to where the Foolin Around drainage joins. yFoolinArndBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.03728   W -110.50475        Elev: NaN Feet Bottom exit of Foollin Around where it joins the exit routes of Shenanigans and Monkey Business. Continue down canyon about 0.25 miles to a side canyon on the RDC (northwest) side. jKelsyButlrExt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.03473   W -110.50794        Elev: 4,520 Feet Junction of a small side canyon on the RDC side which is used for the Kelsey exit out of Butler Canyon after doing the Monkey Business, Shenanigans or Foolin Around routes. To exit out of Butler Canyon, turn right (west) and walk northwest up this side canyon. yNoKiddingBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.03515   W -110.50922        Elev: NaN Feet Bottom exit of No Kidding. To exit, turn left and walk up the wash to the west-ish. KelsyButlr1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.03528   W -110.51070        Elev: NaN Feet The exit route gets significantly steeper. Continue up the steep section above by going up the wider ravine to the right and do not go up the this slot on the left.   Continuing up is a mix of scrambling up rock sections and trudging up steep loose dirt. KelsyButlr2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.03547   W -110.51186        Elev: NaN Feet Soft sandy section running along the left (south) side of the ravine and the ravine above looks like it begins to get a lot more difficult. From the top of the sandy area, turn right (north) and cross over to a chute that provides a much easier climb up. KelsyButlr3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.03568   W -110.51213        Elev: NaN Feet At the easy traverse (KelsyButlr3 ), traverse right (north) and route find to a wide open slick rock area running north east along the base of a cliff face. Walk north east about 275 feet on slick rock to a series of small potholes, cross over those small potholes and walk another 175 feet to a deeper drainage with deeper potholes which is the drainage for No Kidding. KelsyButlr4          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.03645   W -110.51125        Elev: NaN Feet Once on the rim of the No Kidding drainage, turn left and scramble west up fairly steep for about 300 feet to a top out. KelsyButlr5          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.03671   W -110.51228        Elev: NaN Feet Top out to more level terrain, veer slight right (north west) and follow up the gently sloped ridge to dirt then walk an open dirt area about 400 feet to another short slick rock slope then scramble north up the slope. KelsyButlr6          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.03762   W -110.51350        Elev: 5,110 Feet Top of another slick rock slope. Route find rolling desert northwest toward the exit vehicles parked on the dirt road.  There will be a few ups and downs in shallow gullies along the way. pkNoKidding2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.04245   W -110.51800        Elev: 5,180 Feet Alternate parking 700 feet further down the road for No Kidding if you have ho clearance.