Canyoneering Route Description

Bluejohn Canyon - East Fork - 3A(B) III
Robbers Roost, Utah. 

Quick Facts

03-25-12, 9 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 7.5 hours) - Down the East Fork then upclimb the Main Fork

Time Required
    Exit Option 1 - Exiting up the East Fork Exit - 5 to 7 hours
    Exit Option 2 - Exit by climbing up the Main Fork - 6 to 8 hours
Distance
    Exit Option 1 - Exiting up the East Fork Exit - 9.4 miles Total, 2.3 miles Technical
    Exit Option 2 - Exit by climbing up the Main Fork - 10.6 miles Total, 2.8 miles Technical
Rappels - 2 Rappels, Longest Rappel 40 feet.  (If bypassing rap 1 - longest rap is 25 feet)
Elevation Range - 5940 - 5230 Feet
Shuttle Required - No Miles Vehicle - High Clearance recommended, 4WD if bad road conditions Permit Required - No

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up to 40 feet and 30 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.

A wet suit is recommended in cool weather when the canyon has water in it.  Since almost all water in the canyon would be about waist deep a farmer john style wet suit would work well.  If exiting up the Main Fork of Bluejohn knee and elbow pads may be useful while up climbing.

General Comments

The East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon is a minimally technical route with some pretty scenic narrows.  Rap 1 is the largest rap at 40 feet and is easily bypassed leaving rap 2 of 25 feet the only major obstacle.  The route involves a few moderate downclimbs a little stemming / galumphing in narrow sections and a long section of narrow but easy to walk narrows with winding walls.  Very pretty.

Note:
PLEASE step back a few feet when pulling your ropes for rap 2.  standing close to the bottom of the drop causes the rope to drag on the sandstone creating major grooves.   The grooves can be easily avoided simply by stepping back about 10 feet when pulling the ropes down!  please be aware of your actions.

The East Fork of Bluejohn canyon is sometimes completely dry allowing for easy travel.  Other times the canyon fills with water and you can expect long sections of wading through waist deep water.  This is why the water rating is A (B) rating.

Navigation Warning:
The terrain here is very forgiving which means two things.  1. you can find lots of different ways and trails to get where you want to be.  2. You can very easily get lost if you do not pay attention to your navigation.

On the approach to the East Fork and the Squeeze Fork of Bluejohn Canyon you will encounter many use trails.  Some go where you want them to, others do not.  You may have been shown or found on your own a route you prefer.  The route described here seems to be one of the more direct and easy to travel routes.  Do not get careless with your navigation here which could easily lead to dropping into the wrong canyon.  Keep a close eye on your map and or GPS and be sure you are where you need / want to be.

Exit options 1 and 2.
If using Exit Option 1 and climbing up out of the East Fork of Bluejohn, note that there are not many easily identifiable landmark to get you to the correct location.  Good map reading skills and or GPS will be helpful locating the start of the route described here.  There are likely multiple spots to walk / scramble to the mesa top above so you can also wing it and find a slightly different way up to the mesa top to use this exit option.

If using Exit Option 2 and climbing up the Main Fork you will enjoy the Cathedral.  The Cathedral is a section of the corridor that is wide at the bottom but the walls close in at the top nearly touching. If you are there at just the right time of day you can see the sun creating a wall of light beaming into the canyon and watch slowly drifting sand float down in the light looking like rain.  Exit option 2 also has a series of about 6 drops to upclimb in the upper 700 feet of the slot in the Main Fork ranging from 6 to 25 feet.  Moderate to a little difficult upclimbing will get you up the drops.  Most of the upclimbing or downclimbing is stem style with back on one wall and feet on the other wall.  A rope is likely not needed but should be on hand incase someone needs assistance.

Driving Directions

To get to the Trailhead

From the junction of Highways 24 and 95 in Hanksville Utah, drive north on Highway 24 about 16.2 miles to a turn off for a dirt road on the right (east) side of the road (ExtRobRoost).  This turn off is just across the highway from the Little Gilson Butte.

Drive east on the un-named dirt road continuing past a small building with a water tank about 0.5 miles from the highway.  This small building and tank is close to what some maps label as Gilson Butte Well (wGilsonButeWel).  

About 2.0 miles from the highway will be an intersection with a major dirt road (extFlintTrail1).  Some maps have this road labeled as the Flint Trail and other have it labeled as the Lower San Rafael Road.  Turn right (south) on to this large dirt road.  

After turning onto the Lower San Rafael Road, drive 4.1 miles to where the road turns left (east) and passes by a large corral (wJefferyWell).  This turn in the road is next to what is labeled as Jeffery Well on some maps.

After passing Jeffery Well drive east about 2.8 miles and pass through a gate which is on the south side of the Little Flat Top (wLittleFltTpGt).  This gate is also at the top out of the road.

Continue beyond the gate following the road east then slowly turning toward the south and passing along the south side of The Big Flat Tops.  About 6.0 miles after the gate will be a turn off to a road on the right (extFlintTrail2).  Stay left and continue east on the Lower San Rafael Road.

Continuing east, stay on the very obvious main road ignoring small occasional un-signed side roads for about 9.4 miles to a major junction (extHansFlat).  At this junction are signs for Hans Flat to the right (south).  This is where you will leave the Lower San Rafael Road by turning right (south) onto the Hans Flat Road towards Hans Flat Ranger station.

Drive south on the Hans Flat Road for 7.1 miles to another large junction with signage at it (extBurrEkker).  This is a junction of 3 roads (Hans Flat Road continuing south, Burr Pass Road going west and Ekker Ranch Road going southwest).  Stay on the Hans Flat road by staying straight to continue south.

Drive the Hans Flat road another 2.6 miles to an unmarked side road (extGranarySpng) joining in from the left (east).  Turn left and follow this road east for about 0.2 miles to the Motel 6 area near Granary Spring (pkMotel6)

Note:
The roads appear to be well maintained and should be easily traveled by passenger cars all the way to Motel 6 / Granary Spring unless recent rains have messed stuff up.

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 zoomed in 1.
Map zoomed in 2.

Details

The Approach:
Note:
The terrain here is very forgiving for travel so there are a lot of social and animal trails all over.  The entry described here seems to be one of the most direct and easy to follow routes to the canyon.  Keep in mind there are many ways to get to the canyon in this area since travel is easy on this forgiving terrain you may have been shown or personally found a route you like better.

From the parking spot at Motel 6 / Granary Spring (pkMotel6) walk due east a little over 500 feet to drop down into the bottom of a large drainage.  The large drainage is the upper non-technical portion of Bluejohn Canyon Main Fork. 

Note:
Remember there are a lot of social trails around here and you will find a lot of them.  Down in the drainage are a couple man made items that make for good landmarks.  One of the land marks is a fenced off area on the RDC side of the drainage (wBJC-MF-RP01).  About 450 feet down canyon of the fenced in area is a spring that has been piped up to the surface into watering containers for cattle (wBJC-MF-Spring). 

As you walk due east from Motel 6 you may find various paths leading down into the drainage.  Depending on which path you followed you may drop in up canyon or down canyon of the fenced in landmark (wBJC-MF-RP01).

After dropping down into the large Bluejohn Canyon Main Fork drainage turn left to walk north downstream.  Walk down canyon passing a fenced in area on the RDC side (wBJC-MF-RP01).  Remember you may not see this fenced in spot if you dropped in down canyon of it.

Walk down canyon about 350 feet past the fenced in area to where there is a sandstone wall on the RDC side of the canyon near a spring piped up into water containers for cattle.  Look for a use trail starting (jBJC-EF-Jct) up the RDC (east) side of the drainage.  The trail travels up the a steep dirt slope on the up canyon side of the slick rock.  The use trail is about 140 feet up canyon of the spring and water containers (wBJC-MF-Spring) so you should be able to see these from the start of the use trail.

Follow east up the use trail about 450 feet to where is tops out (wBJC-EF-RP01). 

After topping out continue east for a little over 400 feet to drop down into a minor drainage (wBJC-EF-RP02). 

Walk down the minor drainage about 250 feet and look for the start of a use trail (wBJC-EF-RP03) that goes up the east side up out of the drainage. 

Note:
Remember there are use trails all over the place out here.  Keep a close eye on your map and or GPS so you know where you are.  It is easy to drop into the wrong canyon here if you become careless about your navigation.

Follow the use trail about 350 feet up to where it tops out (wBJC-EF-RP04) on a ridge that runs down to the north.  From this top out continue almost due east for about 0.22 miles over to the next ridge (wBJC-EF-RP05).  The route from one ridge to the other will drop about 50 feet then regain that 50 feet to get to the other ridge.

From the ridge (wBJC-EF-RP05) continue east about 900 feet to drop down the other side and down into the next drainage below (wBJC-EF-RP06).

Once in the drainage (wBJC-EF-RP06) turn left to walk north down the drainage for about 0.35 miles to where the ridge on both sides drops down very low and you have passed some sandstone outcroppings near the end of the RDC side ridge (jBJC-SQF-Jct).  This is where you decide to go to Squeeze Fork of Bluejohn Canyon or over to the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon.

Note:
If you were going to travel to the Squeeze Fork you would stay in this drainage and follow it north down to the technical head of the Squeeze Fork.

To go to the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon leave the drainage after passing the outcroppings at the end of the RDC ridge (jBJC-SQF-Jct).  Scramble up the low dirt bank on the RDC side then route find your way east across the desert for a bout 0.35 miles to get down to a very large drainage (wBJC-EF-RP07).  This drainage is the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon.

After dropping down into the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon walk about 550 feet down the wide wash to the start of a slot forming in the sandstone (yBJC-EF-Tp).

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
From the top of canyon (yBJC-EF-Tp) scramble down through the slot and finish off with a 3 foot downclimb at the bottom.

After the first slot / downclimb walk about 75 feet down a wide wash to rap 1 (dBJC-EF-R1). 

Rap 1 (dBJC-EF-R1) is anchored from a large log at the top of the drop and drops about 40 feet. The height of the drop is unconfirmed since I have never been down this drop. 40 feet does appear to be overestimating the rap just to be safe. On my visit to this canyon we bypassed this drop by rim walking along the RDC side.

To bypass this rap walk the rim on the RDC side about 500 feet to where you cross over (wBJC-EF-RP08) a small side drainage dropping in from the east.  After crossing the side drainage continue along the RDC rim for about 200 feet to a spot where you can scramble / walk down back down into the canyon (wBJC-EF-RP09).

Continuing down canyon is a mix of narrow canyon and open sections with the occasional small side drainage dropping in.  The narrow sections are about shoulder width requiring you to take you pack off in a couple places to get through.  Large or small you will be fine fitting through the narrows here.  This mix continues for about 0.94 miles.

About  600 feet the confluence with the Squeeze Fork of Bluejohn Canyon is the start ( wBJC-EF-RP10) of a section that gets deeper, has more undulating walls and has a few potholes.  Most of the potholes are about waist deep with a few that could be chest deep if full of water.  All potholes are easy to get into and out of.

A little over 400 feet into this deeper narrow section is rap 2.

Rap 2 (dBJC-EF-R2) is anchored LDC from a single bolted hanger and drops about 25 feet, if the anchor is not there or you just don't want to use it, a back pack drag anchor will work well here as well.  If you stay RDC while on rappel, the drop will have an overhang that may be awkward.  If you stay LDC while on rappel the slope is gentle and the rap is more of a handline than a rappel.  STAND BACK AWAY FROM THE RAPPEL WHEN PULLING THE ROPES. Standing directly under the rappel to pull the ropes is creating rope grooves. It takes very little effort to step back a few feet to pull the ropes and avoid the rope grooves!  If full of water the pool at bottom of rap 2 could be waist deep or possibly a swimmer if sand washes out.

About 150 feet down canyon of rap 2 is the confluence (yBJC-SQF-bt) of the Squeeze Fork and the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon.  There is a downclimb here of about 10 feet. All but the last person can rappel on a meat anchor. The last person can easily slide down and catch themselves on the opposing wall to complete the downclimb.  You may find a handline rigged here at times but the downclimb is easier than it looks and the hand line is generally not needed.

Take a look left up the very narrow Squeeze Fork of BlueJohn Canyon then continue walking down the East Fork.

Down canyon of the confluence the canyon is narrow enough that most people will need to turn sideways in a few spots to pass.  Don't worry even large people can get through pretty easily.  The narrow walls widen out a bit to allow easy walking about 400 feet down canyon after the confluence of the Squeeze and East Forks.

The next 0.9 miles is mostly narrow canyon of shoulder width or wider, sculpted walls and easy walking in sand if dry.  This is a very scenic and easily traveled section and has a few short sections that widen out briefly.  However if the canyon is full of water from rains or flooding there will be long sections of water to wade through about waist deep.

About 0.9 miles down from the confluence of the East and Squeeze Forks of Bluejohn Canyon the narrow section widens out (wBJC-EF-RP11) giving way to very wide open sandy wash to walk.

After the canyon widens out to an open wash it is about 1.75 miles down to the end of the East Fork where it dumps into the Main Fork of Bluejohn Canyon (yBJC-EF-Bt).  Settle in for the sand slog and enjoy the quiet desert.

Exit Note:
If you plan to use Exit Option 2 and upclimb the Main Fork of Bluejohn, walk the 1.75 miles to the confluence then go up the main fork to to complete the route as described below in exit option 2.

If you plan to use Exit Option 1 and scramble up out of the East Fork of Bluejohn, please note that the exit described in exit option 1 is about 1.1 miles down canyon of where the East Fork widens (wBJC-EF-RP11) and about 0.6 miles before reaching the confluence with the Main Fork.  There are no distinctive landmarks to use to let you know you have arrived at the exit described below (jBJC-EF-Exit1).   Good map reading skills or GPS will be helpful locating this spot.  If you miss the exit spot you can likely find a few ways up to the rim since the slopes up the rim have multiple places where you could scramble up to the flat mesa above. 

The Exit:
There are a few ways to exit this area.  The two options here take you back to the Motel 6 / Granary Spring area.  Option 1 is to totally exit the canyon and walk back to Motel 6 / Granary Spring.  Option 2 is to upclimb the Main Fork of Bluejohn Canyon then walk up the wash back to Motel 6 / Granary Spring.  Option two is more work but you get the added bonus of seeing the upper portion of the Main Fork of Bluejohn Canyon and have some fun climbing up it.

Exit Option 1:  - Completely exit the canyon and walk back to Motel 6 / Granary Spring
The start of this exit up out of the East Fork does not have easy to identify landmarks so GPS or good map reading skills should get you to the correct spot. 

Note:
If you find you have mistakenly passed the start of the exit described here, it is likely you can find one of many ways to scramble up to the mesa top above on the northwest side of the East Fork.  To walk back to the start of the exit described here, turn around and walk south back up the East Fork about 0.33 miles to where you see a side drainage / ravine dropping down from the northwest.  Next continue up the East Fork about 0.28 miles farther to where you see another side drainage on the northwest that is much smaller.  The exit starts up along the up canyon side of this drainage (jBJC-EF-Exit1).

I have not confirmed from experience, but it should also be relatively easy to start the exit up to the mesa from the confluence (yBJC-EF-Bt).  If you wish to try this out start from the confluence and walk / scramble southwest up between the East and Main Forks of Bluejohn.  About 0.3 miles up the slope you will be up on the wide open spaces of the mesa top where it will be a flat easy walk about 0.5 miles over to where the exit described below gets up onto the mesa top (wBJC-EF-EXRP02).

The start of the scramble up out of the East Fork (jBJC-EF-Exit1) is next to a small side drainage / ravine.  Start by route finding your way west up out of the East Fork along dirt and sandstone about 200 feet to the start of a slickrock ramp (wBJC-EF-ExRP01).

Continue route finding your way west up the slickrock for about 650 feet where the route tops out (wBJC-EF-ExRP02) on the mesa top above.

Once up on the mesa top veer left to start walking south along wide open desert between the East and Main forks of Bluejohn Canyon.  Look for one of the use trails in the area.  As you start walking south along the mesa top stay in the easy flat desert but keep slightly left (east) and roughly follow the rim of the East Fork of Bluejohn.

About 0.7 miles along the mesa you will pass by the head of a drainage (wBJC-EF-ExRP03) that drops down to the right (west) down toward the Main Fork of Bluejohn.  Pass by the drainage and continue south along the flat desert.

At this point you will no longer be trying to follow the rim of the East Fork but instead you will follow a pretty straight path southwest on a bearing of about 278 degrees toward the top of the Main Fork.  From this point forward a hillside begins to form on the left (east) side and the use trails follow in the flat-ish desert between the hillside on the left (east) and going around the heads of small drainages to the right (west). As you continue this route the use trails begin to get more defined and easier to follow.

About 900 feet farther the route passes by the top of another side drainage (wBJC-EF-ExRP04) dropping down to the right (west) down toward the Main Fork of Bluejohn.  Pass by the drainage and continue south along the flat desert.

About 1100 feet farther the route passes by the top of another side drainage (wBJC-EF-ExRP05) dropping down to the right (west) down toward the Main Fork of Bluejohn.  Pass by the drainage and continue south along the flat desert.

About 450 feet farther the route crosses over another drainage (wBJC-EF-ExRP06) but at this point the drainage is just a shallow dirt wash. Continue south on use trails.  Pass by the drainage and continue south along the flat desert.

About 600 feet farther the route passes by the top of another side drainage (wBJC-EF-ExRP07) dropping down to the right (west) down toward the Main Fork of Bluejohn.  Pass by the drainage and continue south along the flat desert.

About 550 feet farther the route passes by the top of another side drainage (wBJC-EF-ExRP08) dropping down to the right (west) down toward the Main Fork of Bluejohn.  Pass by the drainage and continue south along the flat desert.

Between this drainage and the next the route will pass by the right (west) side of a large rock outcropping that has been visible for a while now.

About 0.25 miles farther the route passes by the top of another side drainage (wBJC-EF-ExRP09) dropping down to the right (west) down toward the Main Fork of Bluejohn.  Pass by the drainage and continue south along the flat desert.

About 400 feet farther the route passes by the top of another side drainage (wBJC-EF-ExRP10) dropping down to the right (west) down toward the Main Fork of Bluejohn.  Pass by the drainage and continue south along the flat desert.

A little over 300 feet farther the use trail drops down into the Main Fork of Bluejohn Canyon just above the technical section (yBJC-MF-Tp)

About 100 feet up the wash is a short dry fall (wBJC-MF-RP17) with dirt slopes you can scramble up.  When you get to the top of the short fall continue walking south up the wide sandy wash.

Continue walking up the wide sandy wash ignoring little side washes here and there.  About 1.3 miles up the wash will be a wide fork (wBJC-MF-RP16) where you may wonder which is the main drainage to stay in.  Stay right at this fork to continue south.

Continue up the wash about 0.25 miles until you get to a spring piped up from the ground and into large water containers for local cattle (wBJC-MF-Spring).  From the spring you are about 800 feet from the Motel 6 / Granary Spring area.  Continue up the wash about 300 feet and look for any one of many social trails leaving up out of the wash to the right (west) and follow them up to the Motel 6 parking area (pkMotel6). 

Exit Option 2: - Up climb the Main Fork of Bluejohn Canyon then walk up the Main fork to Motel 6 / Granary Spring
When you reach the end of the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon at the confluence with the Main Fork (yBJC-EF-Bt), turn left and begin to walk west up the Main Fork of Bluejohn Canyon.

About 400 feet up the Main Fork is a the bottom of the West Fork of Bluejohn Canyon (yBJC-WF-BT) joining in from RUC (northwest).

Wash walk your way up the Main Fork for about 0.72 miles until you get to the down canyon end of a narrows section (wBJC-RP14).  This narrow section is shallow and only extends up canyon about 300 feet then the canyon widens out into wash walking again.

After getting to the up-canyon end of the short shallow narrows continue wash walking up canyon about 0.5 miles to a side drainage dropping in on the RUC (northwest) side (yBJC-LWF-Bt).  Stay left to continue up the Main Fork.  Just up canyon of here the Main Fork becomes more narrow creating a scenic narrows.

About 0.2 miles farther up the Main Fork the walls widen out briefly (wBJC-MF-RP12).

Continuing up the Main Fork from here is a deep semi wide and very tall walled corridor that continues up canyon about 1 mile. 

A section of the corridor known as the Cathedral is wide at the bottom but the walls close in at the top nearly touching. If you are there at just the right time of day you can see the sun creating a wall of light beaming into the canyon and watch slowly drifting sand float down in the light looking like rain.  Ok enough ramblings about a the Cathedral.

The upper 700 feet of the corridor has about 6 drops in it that need to be upclimbed.  The drops range from 6 feet to 25 feet. Moderate to a little difficult upclimbing skills will get you up the drops.  Most of the upclimbing or downclimbing is stem style with back on one wall and feet on the other wall.  A rope is likely not needed but should be on hand incase someone needs assistance.

At the top of the Upclimbs (wBJC-MF-RP10) continue up canyon in a shallow slot with a couple scrambles as it slowly widens out into a wider wash again.

About 0.25 miles up canyon is a dry fall of about 20 feet to bypass. Going up canyon bypass by going up the LUC (east) side then travers right to go up the second part bypassing up the RUC (west) side to get to the top of the dry fall (yBJC-MF-Tp).

You are now out of the technical part of the Main Fork so now its time to walk the drainage back to the cars at Motel 6.

About 100 feet up the wash is a short dry fall (wBJC-MF-RP08) with dirt slopes you can scramble up.  When you get to the top of the short fall continue walking south up the wide sandy wash.

Continue walking up the wide sandy wash ignoring little side washes here and there.  About 1.3 miles up the wash will be a wide fork (wBJC-MF-RP05) where you may wonder which is the main drainage to stay in.  Stay right at this fork to continue south.

Continue up the wash about 0.25 miles to a spring piped up from the ground and into large water containers for local cattle (wBJC-MF-Spring).  From the spring you are about 800 feet from the Motel 6 / Granary Spring area.  Continue up the wash about 300 feet and look for any one of many social trails leaving up out of the wash to the right (west) and follow them up to the Motel 6 parking area (pkMotel6). 

GPS Waypoint Information

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

Bluejohn East Fork (1) Drive to Trailhead

ExtRobRoost          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.58715   W -110.59263        Elev: 5,120 Feet Exit for an un-named road used to access the Robbers Roost area. wGilsonButeWel          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.58688   W -110.58377        Elev: NaN Feet Building and small water tank near what is labeled on some maps as Gilso Butte Well. extFlintTrail          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.58822   W -110.55632        Elev: NaN Feet Turn off from an un-named dirt road onto the Lower San Rafeal Road. wJefferyWell          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.53010   W -110.54118        Elev: 5,280 Feet Road turns left here on the drive into Robbers Roost. There are corrals along side the road here. wLittleFltTpGt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.53837   W -110.49108        Elev: 5,520 Feet A gate the road passes by on the south side of The Little Flat Top. extFlintTrail2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.49947   W -110.41446        Elev: NaN Feet This is where you can turn left (south) to leave the Flint Trail and drive in towards Chambers. Or continue straight (east) to continue farther east into the Roost area for other canyons. extHansFlat          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.47252   W -110.28042        Elev: 5,521 Feet Exit off the Lower San Rafeal Road to the Hans Flat Road. extBurrEkker          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.37664   W -110.30570        Elev: 5,840 Feet Junction where a few roads come together. A couple of the main roads are Burr Pass road going west from here, Ekker Ranch Road going south west from here and the Hans Flat Road continuing south from here. extGranarySpng          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34106   W -110.29500        Elev: 5,945 Feet Unmarked side road leaving Hans Flat road and traveling east over to the Motel 6 area by Granary Springs. pkMotel6          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34123   W -110.29271        Elev: 5,920 Feet Parking and camping here with lots of room. There is a building here that has been spraypainted with teh logo of Motel 6. This spot shows as Granary Srping on maps but is known as Motel 6 in some circles.

Bluejohn East Fork (2) Approach

pkMotel6          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34123   W -110.29271        Elev: 5,920 Feet Parking and camping here with lots of room. There is a building here that has been spraypainted with teh logo of Motel 6. This spot shows as Granary Srping on maps but is known as Motel 6 in some circles. wBJC-MF-RP01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34102   W -110.29087        Elev: 5,870 Feet Fenced in area on the RDC side of the draiange in the upper non-technical portion of Bluejohn Canyon Main Fork. jBJC-EF-Jct          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34173   W -110.29015        Elev: 5,860 Feet This is the start of a trail going up the south side of a slickrock section. The use trail travels east up out of Bluejohn Canyon Main fork up a dirt slope on the upcanyon side of a slickrock outcropping. Travel up this trail to leave the Main Fork and travel over to the East Fork or the Squeeze Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. wBJC-EF-RP01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34152   W -110.28866        Elev: 5,910 Feet Top out of the trial up out of the Bluejohn Canyon Main Fork on the way to the East and Squeeze Forks. wBJC-EF-RP02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34192   W -110.28728        Elev: NaN Feet Drop down into a minor drainage here. Then travel north downstream for about 250 feet to a use trail where you can walk up out of this draainge up to the east. wBJC-EF-RP03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34265   W -110.28732        Elev: 5,820 Feet A use trail traveling up out of this draiange to the east to go over toward the East and Squeeze forks of Bluejohn Canyon. Remeber there are use trails everywhere out here. wBJC-EF-RP04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34269   W -110.28615        Elev: 5,940 Feet Top out of the use trail up out of a minor drainage. Continue roughly due east from here to go to the East Fork or the Squeeze Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. Travel about 0.2 miles east dropping down about 50 feet then back up about 50 feet over to the next ridge. wBJC-EF-RP05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34328   W -110.28207        Elev: 5,940 Feet From this ridge continue east about 900 feet to drop down into the next draiange. wBJC-EF-RP06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34360   W -110.27895        Elev: 5,845 Feet Trun and walk north down this draange to continue toward East Fork and Squeeze Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. jBJC-SQF-Jct          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34834   W -110.27660        Elev: 5,775 Feet This is a spot in the draiange after you are downstream of some sandstone outcroppings on the RDC side and the ridges on both sides drop down low allowing travel in almost any direction. To go to the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon turn right (east) and travel up out of the wash and route find your way about 0.5 miles east to a large draiange that is the the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. To go to the Squeeze Fork of Blue John Canyon stay in this draiange and follow it down about 0.5 miles to the head of the Squeeze Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. wBJC-EF-RP07          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34671   W -110.26870        Elev: 5,740 Feet Down in the upper draiange of the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. yBJC-EF-Tp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34794   W -110.26766        Elev: 5,715 Feet Top of the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. here you scramble down a slot forming in the sandstone with a downclimb of about 3 ft at the end.

Bluejohn East Fork (3) The Canyon

yBJC-EF-Tp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34794   W -110.26766        Elev: 5,715 Feet Top of the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. here you scramble down a slot forming in the sandstone with a downclimb of about 3 ft at the end. dBJC-EF-R1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34855   W -110.26717        Elev: 5,765 Feet Rap 1 Bluejohn Canyon East Fork. Anchored from a large log at the top of the drop and drops about 40 feet. The height of the drop is unconfirmed since I have never been down this drop. 40 feet does appear to be overestimating the rap just to be safe. On my visit to this canyon we bypassed this drop by rim walking along the RDC side. wBJC-EF-RP08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34852   W -110.26559        Elev: NaN Feet Cross over a small side draiange while walking the rim on the RDC side to bypass rap 1. wBJC-EF-RP09          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34918   W -110.26526        Elev: 5,640 Feet Walk / scramble down the RDC side of the canyon here after bypassing rap 1. wBJC-EF-RP10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.36058   W -110.26694        Elev: NaN Feet Narrows begin to get deeper more undulating walls and some potholes emerge. This is about 600 feet before reaching the confluence of the East fork and the Squeeze Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. dBJC-EF-R2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.36124   W -110.26813        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 2 - Bluejohn Canyon East Fork. Anchored from a single bolt LDC and drops about 25 feet. Staying RDC on rappel provides an awkward overhang while staying LDC on rappel makes this more of a handline than a rappel. A pack drag anchor will work well if the bolt is not a desirable anchor. Also STAND BACK AWAY FROM THE RAPPEL WHEN PULLING THE ROPES. Standing directly under the rappel to pull the ropes is creating rope grooves. It takes very little effort to step back a few feet to pull the ropes and avoid the rope grooves! If full of water the pool at bottom of rap 2 could be waist deep or possibly a swimmer if sand washes out. yBJC-SQF-Bt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.36160   W -110.26830        Elev: NaN Feet This is the bottom of the Squeeze Fork of Bluejohn Canyon where it dumps into the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. If traveling down the Squeezefork you will downclimb to this confluence and walk down canyon. If traveling down the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon there is a downclimb here of about 10 feet. All but the last person can rappel on a meat anchor. The last person can easily slide down and catch themselves on the opposing wall to complete the downclimb. You may find a handline rigged here at times but the downclimb is easier than it looks and the hand line is generally not needed. wBJC-EF-RP11          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.37317   W -110.27013        Elev: 5,300 Feet The narrow feel of the East Fork of Bluejohn ends here where it widens out to a wide sandy wash walk. jBJC-EF-Exit1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.38700   W -110.26438        Elev: 5,250 Feet One of a few places to scramble up out of the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon to get up on the mesa on the LDC (northwest) side of the East Fork. No easily identifiable landmarks for this spot. This spot is up the upcanyon side of a small side draiange / ravine and begins by route finding up dirt and sand about xx feet to get up to slick rock. yBJC-EF-Bt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.39471   W -110.26068        Elev: 5,230 Feet Bottom of the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon where it dumps into the Main Fork of Blujohn Canyon. If traveling down the Main Fork this will be the first large sandy wash drainage that joins in from the RDC (east) side. With it being the only one to the right on the way down canyon it is easy to identify.

Bluejohn East Fork (4) The East Fork Exit

yBJC-EF-Bt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.39471   W -110.26068        Elev: 5,230 Feet Bottom of the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon where it dumps into the Main Fork of Blujohn Canyon. If traveling down the Main Fork this will be the first large sandy wash drainage that joins in from the RDC (east) side. With it being the only one to the right on the way down canyon it is easy to identify. jBJC-EF-Exit1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.38700   W -110.26438        Elev: 5,250 Feet One of a few places to scramble up out of the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon to get up on the mesa on the LDC (northwest) side of the East Fork. No easily identifiable landmarks for this spot. This spot is up the upcanyon side of a small side draiange / ravine and begins by route finding up dirt and sand about xx feet to get up to slick rock. wBJC-EF-ExRP01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.38722   W -110.26502        Elev: NaN Feet Start up a slickrock ramp here to continue west up out of the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. Continue route finding west up the slick rock for about 650 feet to the flat wide open mesa top. wBJC-EF-ExRP02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.38725   W -110.26701        Elev: 5,430 Feet Exit from the East Fork tops out on the mesa top here. Veer left and walk south alonog the mesa top roughly following teh rim of the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. wBJC-EF-ExRP03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.37823   W -110.27392        Elev: 5,560 Feet Route basses by the head of a drainage dropping down to the right (west) down toward the Main Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. Continue south on use trails. wBJC-EF-ExRP04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.37602   W -110.27499        Elev: 5,610 Feet Route basses by the head of a drainage dropping down to the right (west) down toward the Main Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. Continue south on use trails. wBJC-EF-ExRP05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.37337   W -110.27671        Elev: 5,630 Feet Route basses by the head of a drainage dropping down to the right (west) down toward the Main Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. Continue south on use trails. wBJC-EF-ExRP06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.37262   W -110.27784        Elev: NaN Feet Route crosses over another drainage but at this point the drainage is just a shallow dirt wash. Continue south on use trails. wBJC-EF-ExRP07          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.37140   W -110.27904        Elev: 5,630 Feet Route basses by the head of a drainage dropping down to the right (west) down toward the Main Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. Continue south on use trails. wBJC-EF-ExRP08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.37024   W -110.28016        Elev: 5,630 Feet Route basses by the head of a drainage dropping down to the right (west) down toward the Main Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. Continue south on use trails. wBJC-EF-ExRP09          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.36740   W -110.28118        Elev: 5,630 Feet Route basses by the head of a drainage dropping down to the right (west) down toward the Main Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. Continue south on use trails. wBJC-EF-ExRP10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.36646   W -110.28167        Elev: 5,630 Feet Route basses by the head of a drainage dropping down to the right (west) down toward the Main Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. Continue south on use trails. yBJC-MF-Tp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.36592   W -110.28239        Elev: 5,640 Feet Top entry for the Main Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. This is at top of a dry fall of about 20 feet to bypass. Going up canyon bypass by going up the LUC side then travers right to go up the second part up the RUC side. Going down canyon bypass by going around the top of the fall on the LDC side then downclimb to the mid point and traverse over to the RDC to scramble down to the wash below. wBJC-MF-RP08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.36297   W -110.28359        Elev: 5,680 Feet A short dryfall to get up or down by walking up or down a dirt slope. wBJC-MF-RP05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34547   W -110.28865        Elev: 5,830 Feet Fork in the wide wash that may be confusing on the way up to Motel 6. When traveling up canyon to Motel 6 stay right at this fork. On the way down you will likely not even notice this fork. wBJC-MF-Spring          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34212   W -110.29018        Elev: 5,855 Feet A spring in the upper non-technical portion of Bluejohn Main Fork that has been piped up into watering containers for cattle. wBJC-MF-RP01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34102   W -110.29087        Elev: 5,870 Feet Fenced in area on the RDC side of the draiange in the upper non-technical portion of Bluejohn Canyon Main Fork. pkMotel6          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34123   W -110.29271        Elev: 5,920 Feet Parking and camping here with lots of room. There is a building here that has been spraypainted with teh logo of Motel 6. This spot shows as Granary Srping on maps but is known as Motel 6 in some circles.

Bluejohn East Fork (5) Exit by Upclimbing Main Fork

yBJC-EF-Bt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.39471   W -110.26068        Elev: 5,230 Feet Bottom of the East Fork of Bluejohn Canyon where it dumps into the Main Fork of Blujohn Canyon. If traveling down the Main Fork this will be the first large sandy wash drainage that joins in from the RDC (east) side. With it being the only one to the right on the way down canyon it is easy to identify. yBJC-WF-BT          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.39465   W -110.26170        Elev: 5,235 Feet Bottom of the West Fork of Bluejohn Canyon where it dumps into the Main Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. wBJC-MF-RP14          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.39119   W -110.27106        Elev: 5,275 Feet This is the down canyon end of a narrows in the Main Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. This narrows is shallow and is only about 300 feet long. yBJC-LWF-Bt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.38528   W -110.27690        Elev: 5,340 Feet Bottom of The Little West Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. Some refer to this fork as Little Bluejohn Canyon. Down canyon of this spot is wash walking in kind of wide canyon. Up canyon in the Main Fork of this spot the walls become more narrow creating a scenic narrows.. wBJC-MF-RP12          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.38267   W -110.27713        Elev: NaN Feet Walls of the Main Fork widen out briefly. wBJC-MF-RP10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.36956   W -110.28157        Elev: 5,572 Feet Up canyon end of a series of upclimbs or downclimbs (depending on which direction you travel). The downclimb section is a series of about 6 drops ranging from 6 feet to 25 feet. Moderate downclimbing skills will get you down the drops with no need for webbing or rope. Moderate to a little difficult upclimbing skills will get you up the drops. Down canyon of the down climbs is the long narrow corridor (aka the Cathedral). Up canyon of the down climbs there is a shallow slot which slowly turns to wider wash up canyon. yBJC-MF-Tp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.36592   W -110.28239        Elev: 5,640 Feet Top entry for the Main Fork of Bluejohn Canyon. This is at top of a dry fall of about 20 feet to bypass. Going up canyon bypass by going up the LUC side then travers right to go up the second part up the RUC side. Going down canyon bypass by going around the top of the fall on the LDC side then downclimb to the mid point and traverse over to the RDC to scramble down to the wash below. wBJC-MF-RP08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.36297   W -110.28359        Elev: 5,680 Feet A short dryfall to get up or down by walking up or down a dirt slope. wBJC-MF-RP05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34547   W -110.28865        Elev: 5,830 Feet Fork in the wide wash that may be confusing on the way up to Motel 6. When traveling up canyon to Motel 6 stay right at this fork. On the way down you will likely not even notice this fork. wBJC-MF-Spring          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34212   W -110.29018        Elev: 5,855 Feet A spring in the upper non-technical portion of Bluejohn Main Fork that has been piped up into watering containers for cattle. wBJC-MF-RP01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34102   W -110.29087        Elev: 5,870 Feet Fenced in area on the RDC side of the draiange in the upper non-technical portion of Bluejohn Canyon Main Fork. pkMotel6          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.34123   W -110.29271        Elev: 5,920 Feet Parking and camping here with lots of room. There is a building here that has been spraypainted with teh logo of Motel 6. This spot shows as Granary Srping on maps but is known as Motel 6 in some circles.