Canyoneering Route Description

Inferno Canyon - 3A(B) III (possible R)
Ticaboo Mesa, Utah.

Quick Facts

03-04-12, 3 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 8 hours)
02-17-18, 7 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 6.4 hours)

Time Required - 6 to 9 Hours
Distance - 2.5 miles Total, 0.6 miles Technical
Rappels - 5 Rappels, Longest Rappel 60 feet.
Elevation Range - 4965 - 4115 Feet
Shuttle Required -No Vehicle - High Clearance (possibly 4WD if road conditions are bad) Permit Required - No

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up to 75 feet and 50 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.  While the longest rap is 60 feet, it is recommended to have about 75 feet along to allow better rope pull arrangements.

Wet suits may be needed on cool days when the canyon has water.

General Comments

The Dantes are a collection of Canyons offering short and challenging routes in the Ticaboo Mesa area.  More than one of the Dante Canyons can be done in a day if a longer day is desired.  The canyons in the Dante system go by the names Purgatory (aka Dave's Not Dead), Inferno, Limbo and Paradiso.

Natural anchors are used in the Dante's.  While enjoying the Dante Canyons, please pay close attention to how you set up anchors and try to minimize or eliminate creating more rope grooves.  Over the years only minor rope grooves have been inflicted on the canyon walls.  Please try to follow in the foot steps of those before you and keep rope grooves to a minimum.

Note / Navigation Warning:
The exit route up out of the Dante Canyons is difficult to explain (written or verbal).  Be aware you may have some route finding to do on your way up out of the system.  A GPS may be helpful if you plan to use the GPS coordinates on from this route description.

Another fun note is the large wash that Purgatory dumps into is sometimes referred to as Bright's Wash, named after William Bright.

Inferno Canyon has several pools that will be waist deep or so if full and a few that could be swimmers for a few feet if full.

Note on Rope Grooves / Request of awareness:
Rap 1 is a two stage rappel.  At the bottom is a long sloped down climb that looks like it is a third stage of the rappel.  It is a down climb with the last 10 feet being a little steep but is an easy partner assist.  Try to remember this as you start into the canyon and be ready to at least look it over and try the down climb.  Rappelling all the way over the three stages will create rope grooves as you pull the rope around the corner.  Doing this as a down climb will avoid rope grooves.  As of March 2012 (just about the time the Dantes went public) the rope grooves below the second stage of rap 1 were getting well worn in.

Inferno Canyon also have a few sections of skinnies where you will need to stem between the walls about 20 feet above the deck so be prepared for it.  Small packs rule in places like that.  In some of the skinnies you will be able to be low down on the floor but will be in tight confined spaces.  If you're claustrophobic you might want to think twice on this one.  This section is could arguably give the Inferno an R rating.

Inferno has plenty of down climbs where partner assists will be beneficial.  If you want an opportunity to practice partner assists this is a good canyon for that.  Going in with that mind set will open the mind a bit and let you experiment.

Driving Directions

To get to the Trailhead

Note:
There is a maze of roads on Ticaboo Mesa making it a good idea to study the map ahead of time and keep a close eye on the map as you drive.

From Hanksville, UT., drive south on highway 95 for 26 miles to the junction of highways 95 and 276.

From the junction, drive south on HWY-276 for 25.6 miles then turn left (east) onto BLM dirt-road 13400 between mile markers 25 and 26 (extTicaboo1).

About 1.5 miles from the highway is a junction (TicabooDP-01) of BLM roads, 13400 continues east and 13410 branches off to the south.  Continue east on BLM road 13400.  Note: If you were headed to the Smith Fork area you would turn south onto BLM road 13410.

About 2 miles farther is another junction (TicabooDP-02) of BLM roads, 13400 continues east and 13420 branches off to the south. Continue east on BLM road 13400.  Note: BLM road 13420 to the south goes out to Cane Spring Well about 1.25 miles south.

About 0.2 miles farther is short side road (TicabooDP-03) on the left (north) that goes to a camp area.
Stay right to continue on BLM road 13400.  Beyond this point the roads will have intermittent rough sections. 
About 0.37 miles past here is a fork in the road where the two roads rejoin a short distance later.  The low road is typically the smoothest.

About 1.7 miles farther is another junction (TicabooDP-04) of BLM roads (13400 continues north-ish and 13430 branches off to the south).
Continue north on BLM road 13400. 
Note: If you were going to the roads between Warm Springs Creek and Sevenmile Creek, you would turn south onto BLM road 13430.

About 0.3 miles farther is another junction (TicabooDP-05) of BLM roads (13400 continues northeast and 13440 branches off to the north).
Continue straight northeast on BLM road 13400.
Note: BLM road 13440 to the south goes out to Colt Spring Well about 0.4 miles north.

About 0.5 miles farther is a junction (TicabooDP-06) of BLM roads (13400 continues northeast and 13450 branches off to the north).
Continue straight northeast on BLM road 13400.

About 0.9 miles farther is a junction (TicabooDP-07) of BLM roads (13400 continues northeast and 13430 branches off to the south).
Turn south onto BLM road 13430.
Note: If you were going to Tough, SF Ticaboo or Sleepytime Trio Canyons you would continue northeast on BLM road 13400.

About 700 feet farther is a fork in the road (extWarmSpring).  At this fork stay left to continue toward the East Branch of Seven Mile Creek.

About 0.4 miles farther is another fork in the road (ext7MileCkEB).  Veer left (east) to continue toward the Dante's.

About 1.1 miles farther is a junction where a side road joins in from the southwest (TicabooDP-08).  Veer left (east) to continue toward the Dante's.

About 0.4 miles farther is a junction where a side road joins in from the southwest (extTicabooMesa).  Stay left and follow the road as it turns and begins to head north.

About 1 mile farther is a major road junction (extDantes).  Turn right (southeast) to continue toward the Dante's. 

About 1 mile farther is a junction where a road joins in from the left (extTicabooCamp).  Continue straight (southeast) toward the Dante's.

About 0.2 miles farther the road dead ends (tDanteCanyons1).  Park here to start the Dante Canyon routes.

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 overview.
Map of the Drive segment 1 Zoomed in.
Map of the Drive segment 2 Zoomed in.
Map of the Canyons overview.
Map of the Canyons section 1 Zoomed in.
Map of the Canyons section 2 Zoomed in.

Details

The Approach:
From the trailhead (tDanteCanyons1) walk south west into the desert.  A social trail has started to develop and it is a good idea to continue to use the trail to minimize the impact on the area.  About 250 feet from the parking area the social trail will drop down into a small shallow drainage (wDanteEntRP-01).

Follow south east down the small drainage about 100 feet to where the drainage meets a steep drop down a sandstone wall (wDanteEntRP-02).  This is a steep drop of about 20 feet to another section of dirt desert floor.  

After dropping down the sandstone slope follow a worn path east along the dirt for a little over 200 feet to get over to the next section of wide open slick rock (wDanteEntRP-03).  Staying on the path already carved out along the dirt floor will help keep foot traffic off of the crypto biotic soil in the area.

Once on the wide open slick rock wDanteEntRP-03) turn left to walk (northeast) and follow the shelf you are on.  About 500 feet along the shelf contour around the top of a minor side drainage dropping down into Purgatory Canyon which is now on your left (southeast).

After contouring around the minor drainage, contour along the shelf as you wrap around to the right and begin to travel east then south east.  In about 300 feet you will contour around the top of a larger drainage which is the top of Purgatory Canyon (yPurgatoryTp).  Purgatory is also known as Dave’s Not Dead).  If you were dropping into Purgatory you would find your way into this slot.

To continue toward Inferno stay on the shelf and travel about 1000 feet south east contouring around a point.  The drainage you cross (jInferno) about 1000 feet after passing Purgatory is the top of Inferno Canyon.  At this point Inferno has not yet formed into a menacing slot yet so it may not appear to be much of a drainage at first glance.

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
From where the approach route crosses the Inferno drainage (jInferno) head south down into Inferno.

Note:
There are a couple drops in the drainage up canyon of where you drop in but they are very short and don't add much to the experience.  Feel free to run up and look em over or just ignore them and head down canyon.

About 70 feet down canyon is the start of the first slot (yInfernoTp).  This first slot is optional and can be bypassed up and around the LDC side if you choose.  Going up and around LDC then dropping back down into the drainage about 150 feet down canyon will bypass this section.  A down climb near the start of this optional slot may be a bit sketchy for some but offers a fun challenge if you're up for it.  After the down climb is a series of small potholes to galumph over.

After the optional section is a short wide open area about 100 feet long to the start of the next slot (wInfernoRP-02).  The start of this next slot is a V shaped channel that begins to get deeper as you continue down canyon.  This section involves easy galumphing and a sliding stem down climb of about 8 feet.  After about 250 feet this slot opens up to a wide open area again.

The open area is a little over 200 feet long.  At the other end is the start down into another narrow section (wInfernoRP-03).

About 75 feet farther down canyon into this narrow section is a down climb of about 25 feet.  This is an easy down climb that drops down to a large pool.  The pool could be up to waist deep if full and possibly deeper some day if the sand washes out of it one day.

Shortly after is a down climb of about 6 feet then around a corner to drop of about 8 feet down to a pool down in a narrow slot.  This pool can be bridged or galumphed over by taller people.  Shorter people may need to slide down and into the pool then wade across.

After crossing (through or over) the pool down in the narrow slot, is another down climb of about 6 feet where some people may want a partner assist for.  After the down climb is a section of a hundred feet or so whit easy galumph travel between V shaped walls.  In the middle of this galumph section is one spot of about 30 feet long that will be too narrow to stay low and you will have to stem up and over it a little.

Next is a down climb of about 8 feet in a crack to slither down.  The bottom of this crack can be a little awkward and a partner assist can be helpful.

Just after is a pool to cross that could be about waist deep if full of water.

Just around the corner is a sloped down climb of about 15 feet down into a pot hole about 6 feet deep.  If the pot hole is dry an easy partner assist gets you up out of it pretty easy.  If full enough to swim in the ledge offers a good shape to allow an easy climb out.

After the pothole is a short section of working your way through winding narrow walls before getting to the top of rap 1.

Rap 1 (dInfernoR1) is anchored from a choke stone at the top of the drop and drops about 35 feet over two stages.  The first stage of rap 1 is about 10 feet and overhung over a small hanging garden like spot.  There are pools at the bottom of both stages of rap 1 waist deep or less.

Note:
Rope groves after the second stage of rap 1 suggest people have continued to rap past the second stage and combine the drop below as part of rap 1.  This creates rope grooves.  Please consider only doing rap 1 as only two stages and treating the drop after as a separate puzzle.

The drop below rap 1 that apparently has been treated as a third stage by some is an easy sloped down climb for all but the last 10 feet.  The slide for that last 10 feet is pretty mellow and is a very easy partner assist at the bottom.  Send people down on a hand line and partner assist the last person.  Looks can be deceiving.  The drop looks like it needs to be rapped but is a down climb.  The pool at the bottom is about waist deep when full.

Shortly after rap 1 is a skinny section where you will need to stem up about 15 feet and stem down canyon between the walls for about 80 feet down canyon.  Be careful here as the walls are slick.

After the skinny section is a corkscrew like section to slide down followed by an easy down climb of about 6 feet.

Just after the corkscrew and down climb is the start of a long corridor like area with a sandy bottom and easy walking for a couple hundred feet.  This sandy corridor and some of the open slick rock near the end of it is sometimes referred to as "The Plaza".

As the sandy area in the corridor ends (wInfernoRP-04) there is a pool in the slick rock that you can drop into then out the other side or very carefully traverse the ledge on the RDC side to bypass it.  After the pool the floor becomes slick rock and shaped so travel is a mix of galumphing and walking.

A little over 100 feet down canyon is a section of skinny narrows where you start to stem between the walls and climb down into the narrows as you work your way down canyon (wInfernoRP-05).

Shortly down canyon is a down climb of about 8 feet where shorter people may want a partner assist, then around a corner and into more skinny section of canyon.  This section of skinnies has spots where you will stem above the canyon floor about 20 or 30 feet and some spots where you will be on the floor but in very confined spaces.  Very worth while section of canyon!  Be prepared to stem up then back down in a few spots to what looks like the best travel for your skill set.  Dropping down to the bottom of a silo like feature to cross then back up may be safer than staying high, but both work.

The narrow section continues for a little over 300 feet then widens out just before you get to a ledge over looking a wide sandy area below.  This drop is rap 2.

Rap 2 (dInfernoR2) is anchored from a dead man about 10 feet back from the drop and drops about 20 feet over a small hanging garden like area.  Please extend the anchor webbing a little over the lip of rap 2 to minimize rope grooves when pulled.  This rap will also work well with a sand trap if you happen to have one along.

At the bottom of rap 2 is a huge wide open area worth taking a break in if you are looking for a break.

About 175 feet down canyon of rap 2 the wide area starts to narrow up again (wInfernoRP-06).  As it does there is large pool that can be a swimmer if full with an easy sandy walk out the other side.  If you are careful this pool is not too hard to bypass by traversing the featured rock on the LDC side.

about 75 feet down canyon is a pothole to cross over with an easy slide down climb to it then you need to bridge between the walls to cross over the pothole.  If you go into this pot hole and it is full, it will be a swimmer and will likely be a keeper.

About 100 feet farther down canyon is a the start of a series of potholes starting out small then gradually getting larger (wInfernoRP-07).  This pothole section has one rappel over a huge pothole, Rap 3 (dInfernoR3).  Optionally Rap 3 in this section can be bypassed.

Note:
On our trip through in May 2012 we opted to bypass this section so no intimate details for this yet.

The info for rappelling into and crossing this pothole is a mix of personal observation while bypassing it and second hand inf.  Rap 3 (dInfernoR3) is the rappel over the 5th pothole.  The anchor for the rappel is down in the fourth pothole of the series and is rock debris in the sand (might be a rock fin but could not tell).  If the anchor pothole is full of water, it will be about waist deep and the anchor may be difficult to check, rig or inspect. 

The rappel itself drops about 25 feet down to the high water level line of the 5th pothole which is huge.  The pothole will be a swimmer for a short distance and can be escaped with a partner assist.  So if you have two people in there it is not a keeper but will require a little teamwork.  There is a ledge to stand on just LDC of the water outlet of the pothole.  Or you could toss a pot shot over it before rappelling down to give yourself a hand line out.

Also of note the features on the LDC side of this pothole allowed someone on the first decent to traverse above the water line, which may be difficult to repeat.  I have been told the traverse just above water line goes at about a 5.9 and is pretty safe if the pot hole is full of water.

Rap 3 can be set up as a guided rappel if you want to keep everyone dry but this will use a lot more rope and requires extra set up time etc.  If everyone is ok with getting wet, dropping into and crossing the pothole is the simplest approach.

To bypass rap 3 and the pothole, scramble up onto the ledge / shelf high up on the RDC side.  Then about 60 feet down canyon find a convenient spot to drop back down into the canyon below rap 3.  Dropping down the side back into the canyon is very steep and is a good idea to set up as a rap / hand line to keep things safe (down climbing with no rope is a bad idea here).  There are very few things to anchor to for the drop back down to the canyon floor.  Choose wisely and remember to keep as much friction on the rock as possible to reduce forces on what ever anchor you set up.

When you drop back down to the canyon floor you will be just below the larger keeper below rap 3 and can walk over to take a look at it.

Down canyon of rap 3 is a series of about 7 potholes.  Dropping down into some of these potholes are down climbs of about 6 feet where some people may desire a hand line.  Some of these potholes could be up to waist deep if full.

Warning:
Jumping is never a good idea but is a VERY BAD idea in the potholes between raps 3 and 4.  The potholes have a lot of chunky rock debris in them.  Jumping here could easily lead to a broken ankle.

Rap 4 (dInfernoR4) is about 150 feet down canyon of rap 3and is anchored from rock debris in the pothole at the top of the drop.  Rap 4 drops about 60 feet over two stages.  The first stage is about 15 feet to a pool in a hanging pothole in a chamber like room.  If full this chamber pool will need to be swam over to the lip.  The second stage is about 40 feet down a mostly vertical wall to a pool below.  The pool at the bottom can be avoided by traversing RDC while on the last part of the rappel.  It is a good idea to have about 75 feet of rope for this rap so you can walk LDC to get a cleaner rope pull line.

Rap 5 is about 60 feet down canyon of rap 4.  As you get to the top of rap 5 there is a very interesting pothole about 15 feet deep and about 5 feet in diameter.  When dry it is an interesting experience to drop in and look it over.

To get to the top of rap 5 you need to carefully traverse along the RDC side.  It is steep and feels like you might slip and fall in if you are not careful.

Rap 5 (dInfernoR5) can be anchored from a rock pile at the top of the drop or from rocks down in the pothole at the top, depending on what the previous party decided to change it to.  Please make an effort to extend the webbing way out for this rap to minimize rope grooving.

Rap 5 drops about 50 feet down a vertical wall to a pool below which can be avoided.  About 75 feet of pull cord is a good idea on this rap to get the pull line to the other side of the pool for a cleaner rope pull line.

About 250 feet down canyon of rap 5 the canyon walls drop down and you are in a wide open wash (yInfernoBt).

The Exit:
After the walls drop down (yInfernoBt) it is about 300 feet down farther you tee into a large drainage (wDanteExtRP-02).  When you get to this spot you could turn left to go north upstream into Limbo Canyon or turn right to travel south down stream about 150 feet to a junction with a major wash.  Instead continue east straight across the wash and begin to route find your way up the opposite bank to the base of the cliff band and scramble up a drainage looking indent in the cliff band. 

After scrambling to the top of the indent (wDanteExtRP-03) you will be topped out on a large ledge.

Once on the large ledge turn right (south) and traverse along the ledge for about 200 feet around the tip of a point along the ledge to the start of a bowl shaped indent (wDanteExtRP-04).

Walk up the bowl shaped indent and climb up the ledges to get to the top of the bowl and traverse north a little over 100 feet up onto the ridge (wDanteExtRP-05).  This ridge is running between Limbo Canyon which is on the left (north west) and Paradiso which is on the right (south east).  

Once up on the ridge (wDanteExtRP-05) walk north east on the sandstone ridge.  Continue north east up the ridge for about 650 feet to a small knob to go up over or around (wDanteExtRP-06).  

From the knob continue north east about 350 feet to the start of steep section of the sandstone ridge to scramble up (wDanteExtRP-07).  On the climb up, there is a good view to the right (east) down into Paradiso.  The top out of the climb is about 75 or 100 feet from the bottom of the climb / scramble.  From the top out continue up the slope to about 200 feet then drop down into a drainage running across the ridge (wDanteExtRP-08).  

The drainage crossing the ridge (wDanteExtRP-08) has a sharp drop off on the right (east) dropping down toward Paradiso Canyon.  Walk over very close to this drop off and find a way to scramble up the other side (north) to continue along the ridge.  This spot will be more of a climb than a scramble but an easy climb.

After getting up out of the drainage crossing the ridge, continue north up the ridge about 200 feet to the stat of a steep section of slick rock to climb (wDanteExtRP-09).  The scramble up the slick rock here is not difficult but hands will be needed.  The scramble goes for about 400 feet to the top out then continues another 100 feet or so and drops down into another drainage running across the ridge (wDanteExtRP-10).  At the top out of the climb you can see the cars parked at the trailhead about 0.6 miles to the northwest if you look close.

The drainage crossing the ridge (wDanteExtRP-10) pours off to the right (east) down into Paradiso and to the left (west) down into Limbo.  Cross over the drainage and scramble up a sandstone nose to continue up the ridge.  

About 200 feet after getting up out of the last drainage the climb will top out and start to curve left to the northwest.  Continue about another 400 feet and find a way to drop down into the next drainage crossing the ridge (wDanteExtRP-11) that is kind of deep and narrow with a sandy floor as you continue northwest.  After dropping down into this drainage follow it northwest about 250 or 300 feet to where it opens up in a very large flat sandy ledge or landing (wDanteExtRP-12).  

Continue across the sandy landing and continue along the narrow drainage.  A little over 500 feet after crossing the large sandy landing area the route will cross over another drainage (jLimbo).  This is the drainage leading down to Limbo.  

After crossing the drainage that leads down to Limbo (jLimbo), continue northwest across the sandstone.  About 700 feet after crossing the drainage to Limbo, the route will cross over yet another drainage that leads south down to Inferno Canyon (jInferno).  

After crossing over the drainage down to Inferno, will be a large wide open ledge or shelf.  Walk along the ledge as it curves southwest then to the right to the north.  Walking along this shelf or ledge will skirt around a prominent point on a cliff band and over to the head of Purgatory Canyon (yPurgatoryTp).  The head of Purgatory is about 1000 feet after crossing the drainage leading down to Inferno.

Note:
If you are exiting after completing Purgatory, please take a moment to walk down to rap 1 and retrieve your anchor webbing and rapid.  If you are completing another canyon and feel like taking the time you can walk over and see if any is left there you can clean up.

Continue northwest from the top of Purgatory across the sandstone.  Traverse along the sandstone on whatever feels like a natural route staying high but well below the cliff band on the right (north).  About 450 feet after crossing the top of Purgatory Canyon you will cross over a small drainage which is a minor fork of the top of Purgatory (wDanteExtRP-13).

After crossing the small drainage leading down toward Purgatory, walk west about 150 feet to the base of the cliff band where you can find a spot to climb out (wDanteExtRP-14).  This spot to climb out may be difficult when wearing a heavy pack.  This spot is steep and has only a few hand holds for about 15 feet up the slick rock band.  

After climbing up the steep 15 foot section of the sandstone cliff band, traverse up the dirt slope traveling south to get to the top of the climb near the trailhead. Then walk a few hundred feet across the flat desert to the trailhead (tDanteCanyons1).

GPS Waypoint Information

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

Inferno (1) - Drive to Trailhead

extTicaboo1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69720   W -110.67138        Elev: 4,520 Feet Exit off of highway 276 to get to the Ticaboo Mesa area. Turn east and leave the highway on a dirt road. Near Mile post 25. TicabooDP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68607   W -110.65188        Elev: NaN Feet Continue straight for the main area of Ticaboo Mesa. Or Turn right (south) here for an alternate route over toward the Smith Fork Canyons. TicabooDP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.67981   W -110.62886        Elev: NaN Feet Road junction with faint road running to the south. Continue straight (east). TicabooDP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68038   W -110.62628        Elev: 4,565 Feet Exit to a spot to camp if the roads ahead are too rough. TicabooDP-04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.67963   W -110.60429        Elev: NaN Feet Junction for a road going south. Continue straiaght (north east) to continue toward Ticaboo Measa. This road junction is near Wild Horse Springs. TicabooDP-05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68389   W -110.60153        Elev: NaN Feet Junction for a side road on the left going north. Continue north east toward Ticaboo Mesa. TicabooDP-06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68667   W -110.59547        Elev: NaN Feet Junction for a side road going north. TicabooDP-07          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69529   W -110.58385        Elev: NaN Feet Turn off for a side road on the right. Turn right onto the side road and drive southwest. extWarmSpring          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69362   W -110.58484        Elev: NaN Feet Stay right to go toward the main drainage of Seven Mile Creek and Warm Springs Canyon. Or Stay left to go toward the East Branch of Seven Mile Creek and Ticaboo Mesa. ext7MileCkEB          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69147   W -110.58014        Elev: NaN Feet Turn right (more south) to continue toward the East Branch of Seven Mile Creek. Or veer left to continue toward Ticaboo Mesa. TicabooDP-08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68412   W -110.56389        Elev: NaN Feet Junction where a rod joins in from southwest. Veer left and continue east toward the Dantes. extTicabooMesa          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68397   W -110.55581        Elev: NaN Feet Juntion where a road joins in from the south. Stay left and follow the road north to continue out toward the Dante Canyons. Or Turn Right and follow the road South to continue out toward Fiddlestix Canyon. The road to the south eventually loops around to meet the road by Seven Mile Creek. extDantes          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69594   W -110.55323        Elev: 4,995 Feet Major junction. Trun right (southeast) to go toward the Dante's. tDanteCanyons1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68666   W -110.53627        Elev: 4,965 Feet Trailhead for the Dante Canyons.

Inferno (2) - Approach

tDanteCanyons1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68666   W -110.53627        Elev: 4,965 Feet Trailhead for the Dante Canyons. wDanteEntRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68607   W -110.53681        Elev: 4,960 Feet Drop into a small drainage here then follow down it to the south east. wDanteEntRP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68590   W -110.53665        Elev: NaN Feet Drop of about 20 feet down a steep section of a sandstone wall to more dirt desert floor. wDanteEntRP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68575   W -110.53588        Elev: 4,845 Feet Path through the dirt meets wide open slick rock here. yPurgatoryTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68697   W -110.53362        Elev: 4,835 Feet Top entry for Purgatory Canyon. jInferno          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68642   W -110.53151        Elev: 4,785 Feet Route crosses a drainage here which is the drainage leading to the top of Inferno Canyon. If exiting one of the Dante's, continue west across the sandstone. If descending Inferno, go south down the drainage toward the top of Inferno Canyon. yInfernoTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68623   W -110.53155        Elev: 4,695 Feet Top of the first slot at the top of Inferno Canyon. This first short slot is bypassable on the LDC side if you choose.

Inferno (3) - The Canyon,

yInfernoTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68623   W -110.53155        Elev: 4,695 Feet Top of the first slot at the top of Inferno Canyon. This first short slot is bypassable on the LDC side if you choose. wInfernoRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68608   W -110.53143        Elev: 4,670 Feet Down climb of about 10 feet in the first optional slot of Inferno. You have to commit and slide into this drop to staqrt the down climb. wInfernoRP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68554   W -110.53148        Elev: 4,606 Feet Start of a V shapped channel which drops down canyon and gets deeper as you travel down canyon. wInfernoRP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68437   W -110.53140        Elev: 4,600 Feet Start of anothe narrow section after a wide open area. dInfernoR1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68311   W -110.53117        Elev: 4,412 Feet Rap 1 - Inferno Canyon. Anchored from choke stones and drops about 35 feet over two stages. The first stage is about 10 feet over a hanging garden. The drop below rap 1 looks like it is a thrid stage but is actually a down clinmb with a partner assist the last 10 feet. Down climbing rathr than rapping all the way through alliviates rope grooves beow the second stage. wInfernoRP-04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68227   W -110.53114        Elev: NaN Feet Long sandy bottom corridor ends and it is time to start galumphing again. There is a pool here that can be carefuly bypassed on a ledge RDC. wInfernoRP-05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68196   W -110.53116        Elev: NaN Feet A down climb followed by the start of a long section of skinny canyon where you will need to stem up high between the walls and at times drop down into very narrow stuff to squeeze along the bottom. dInfernoR2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68097   W -110.53111        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 2 - Inferno Canyon. Anchored from a deadman anchor about 10 feet back and drops about 20 feet over a small hangin garden area. wInfernoRP-06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68052   W -110.53093        Elev: 4,340 Feet End of a wide area down canyon of rap 2 where the canyon begins to narrow up a little and has a pool to carefully traverse around on the LDC side. wInfernoRP-07          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68005   W -110.53076        Elev: 4,337 Feet Start of a series of potholes that start small and get larger as they go. Rap 3 is down from the 4th pothole to the 5th pothole. To pypass the potholes with rap 3 scramble up onto the ledge / shelf on the RDC side then drop back down to the canyon shortly after. dInfernoR3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.67997   W -110.53074        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 3 - Inferno Canyon. Anchored in the 4th of a series of potholes from rock debris in the sand in the pothole and drops about 25 feet down to the high water line of the huge pothole below that is a keeper. Rap 3 can be bypassed by using the large shelf above on the RDC side. dInfernoR4          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.67974   W -110.53039        Elev: 4,207 Feet Rap 4 - Inferno Canyon. Anchored from rock debris in a shallow pothole above the drop. Rap 4 drops about 60 feet over two stages with the first being down into a chamber like pothole with a swim. The pool below rap 4 can be avoided by traversing RDC while on the last part of the rap. dInfernoR5          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.67958   W -110.53033        Elev: 4,240 Feet Rap 5 - Inferno Canyon. Anchored from either a rock pile or from rocks down in a pothole depending on what the previous party decided to do. Drops about 50 feet but is a good idea to have about 75 feet of pull line to give a better pull line from the other side of the pool at the bottom. yInfernoBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.67889   W -110.53009        Elev: NaN Feet Bottom exit of Inferno Canyon where the walls drop down and you are in a wide open wash.

Inferno (4) - Exit

yInfernoBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.67889   W -110.53009        Elev: NaN Feet Bottom exit of Inferno Canyon where the walls drop down and you are in a wide open wash. wDanteExtRP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.67844   W -110.52927        Elev: NaN Feet Start up out of theDante 3 drainage here to walk up the dirt slope to the cliff band to the east. wDanteExtRP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.67855   W -110.52855        Elev: NaN Feet Climb up from the bottom of the cliff band tops out on a large ledge here. To continue on the exit traverse south along the ledge. wDanteExtRP-04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.67822   W -110.52817        Elev: 4,230 Feet Start of a bowl shaped indent after passing the point on the traverse around the ledge. Climb up the bowl to the north to continue the exit. wDanteExtRP-05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.67852   W -110.52826        Elev: NaN Feet Up on the ridge after climbing up out of the bowl. Continue up the ridge to the north east. wDanteExtRP-06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.67993   W -110.52696        Elev: NaN Feet A knob along the ridge to go up and over or around on the way up the ridge. wDanteExtRP-07          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68062   W -110.52620        Elev: NaN Feet Start of a steep section of the sandstone ridge to scramble up. wDanteExtRP-08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68121   W -110.52635        Elev: 4,420 Feet Drainage crossing the ridge. Walk over to the east end of this drainage where it sharply drops off into Dante 5. From there find a way to climb / scramble up the other side to continue north up the ridge. wDanteExtRP-09          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68176   W -110.52642        Elev: NaN Feet Start of a steep section of slick rock to climb up. wDanteExtRP-10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68299   W -110.52689        Elev: 4,545 Feet In a drainage the crosses the ridge shortly after the top out of a steep section to scramble up the ridge. wDanteExtRP-11          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68438   W -110.52707        Elev: NaN Feet Drop down into another drainage approximately here that is narrow and semi deep with a sandy floor as you continue northwest. wDanteExtRP-12          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68473   W -110.52777        Elev: NaN Feet Drainage crossing the ridge opens up into a very large flat sandy ledge or landing area. jLimbo          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68569   W -110.52951        Elev: 4,670 Feet Route crosses a drainage here which is the drainage leading to the top of Limbo Canyon. If exiting one of the Dante's, continue west across the sandstone. If descending Limbo, go south down the drainage toward the top of Limbo Canyon. jInferno          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68642   W -110.53151        Elev: 4,785 Feet Route crosses a drainage here which is the drainage leading to the top of Inferno Canyon. If exiting one of the Dante's, continue west across the sandstone. If descending Inferno, go south down the drainage toward the top of Inferno Canyon. yPurgatoryTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68697   W -110.53362        Elev: 4,835 Feet Top entry for Purgatory Canyon. wDanteExtRP-13          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68761   W -110.53510        Elev: NaN Feet Route crosses a small drainage which is a minor fork of the top of Purgatory Canyon. wDanteExtRP-14          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68739   W -110.53560        Elev: 4,890 Feet If exiting the Dante's this will be the start of a climb out to get to up to the top of the shelf where the trailhead is. If droping down to some of the Dante's this will be the bottom of a steep down climb. tDanteCanyons1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68666   W -110.53627        Elev: 4,965 Feet Trailhead for the Dante Canyons.