Canyoneering Route Description

Downward Spiral Canyon - 3A III
Ticaboo Mesa, Utah. 

Quick Facts

04-21-12, 2 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 4.75 hours)

Time Required - 4 to 6.5 hours depending on which exit option is used.
Distance - 4.9 miles Total, 0.6 miles Technical    -  Add 0.6 miles if using Exit option 1.
Rappels - 1 Rappels, Longest Rappel 20 feet.  Bring rope for 30 foot drop to allow for anchor placement.
Elevation Range - 4130 - 3720 Feet
Shuttle Required - No Vehicle - High Clearance (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 30 feet and a retrievable anchor system for the rappel.  A Sandtrap can be used as well.  The rappel in the upper canyon can use an arch as an anchor.  If you use the arch DO NOT PULL YOUR ROPE ALL THE WAY AROUND THE ARCH AND DAMGE IT!  Use a retrievable anchor to reduce rope grove damage.  If there have been recent rains there may be a couple spots where you will need to wade through a pool but it will be very short and unlikely needed so no wet suits needed.

General Comments

The route through Downward Spiral has sections of light stemming and some downclimbs where a handline and partner assist is helpful.  There is also one pothole / silo to cross in the upper section that is relatively easy to cross but would be a keeper if you feel in.  Be sure to have someone along so you can help one another if needed. 

The only rappel in the canyon can be anchored from an arch.  Use a retrievable anchor.  DO NOT WRAP YOUR ROPE ON THE ARCH AND PULL AROUND IT!  Please try not to create rope grooves or damage the rock.

The upper narrows has one silo that is a little tricky to cross and has a deep pothole at the bottom that would be a keeper if you fell in.  Having a handline and a partner along is a good idea just incase you fall in.

Note - Lake Level and Exit Options
The level of Lake Powell can effect how far down Smith Fork you can get on dry land. 
Knowing the water level of Lake Powell can be helpful when considering exit options.

Check the level of Lake Powel before your trip if you can. 
If the lake is significantly above 3640 feet you will need to use Exit option 1 described below. 
If the lake is below 3640 feet you can use Exit option 2 to shorten the route and see more of the lower part of Smith Fork.
If the lake is below 3600 feet the exit down into Smith Fork is easier.

Check here for Lake Powell Water Data.  The highest the lake has been was 3708.34 feet on 07-14-83.

We were able to get down to near the bottom of Downward Spiral on 01-28-12 when the level of Lake Powel was at an elevation of 3637.11 feet.  Getting into the bottom of Downward Spiral from Smith Fork would have involved about 50 feet of swimming from a bank or traversing a short section of sloped slick rock with careful footing. 

We used the Smith Fork exit option for our visit to Downward Spiral on 04-21-12.  We were able to make a short but semi precarious traverse along a ledge to stay dry.  As the Lake level rises this will be more difficult or not feasible.  If the lake is significantly of 3640 feet the other exit option will be needed or you can swim the short distance over to Smith Fork.

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 down the dirt road is a junction (TicabooDP-01) to a side road on the right going south.  Turn right at this junction and drive south on a dirt road.

About 1 miles down the road will be a side road (TicabooDP-50) that leaves the main road on the left (east) then loops back to rejoin the main road about 350 feet farther.  Continue south on the main road.

About 1.2 miles farther is a side road (TicabooDP-51) that joins in from the left (east).  Continue south.

About 2.4 farther the road turns sharp left (TicabooDP-52) and goes from traveling south to now traveling southeast then east.

About 1.2 miles farther will be a side road (TicabooDP-53) joining from the right (south).  This is just before reaching Danish Knoll.  Continue east toward Danish Knoll to get to the Smith Fork area.

About 0.5 miles farther is a fork in the road (TicabooDP-54).  To get to the lower section of Smith Fork veer right and continue south east.

Note:
If you were going for canyons in the upper portion of Smith Fork you would veer left at this fork and travel east.

About 0.8 miles farther is a fork in the road (TicabooDP-55). On the way into the lower portion Smith Fork staying right is said to be a smoother drive.  Either fork can be taken as they rejoin about half a mile ahead.

About 0.5 miles farther is where the forked roads rejoin (TicabooDP-56).  Continue past this junction.

About 0.6 miles farther is another fork (TicabooDP-57).  Either fork can be taken since the road rejoins about 0.2 miles farther (TicabooDP-58)

About 0.2 miles the road drops down to cross a low point (pkSmithForkLwr).  There is a wide shallow wash crossing the road here running down to the north east.  Park here where there is plenty of level space to park off to the side of the road. 

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. Overview Map of the drive into the route.
Zoomed Map 1 of the drive in.
Zoomed Map 2 of the drive in.
Map of the entire route.

Details

The Approach:
From the parking spot (pkSmithForkLwr), leave the dirt road and walk north east down the wide shallow drainage.

About 0.4 miles from the parking spot will be a drop in the wash of about 40 feet (wSmithLwrRP-01).  From the top of this drop walk up onto the rim to the left (north) to get to a ridge running north east.

About 0.25 miles north east is the end of the ridge you have been following out on a point (wSmithLwrRP-02).  While in this area take a moment to walk over to the north side of the ridge for a good view over a large bend in Smith Fork below.

From the point route find your way down the ledges on the right (south east) side of the point.  You may find a faint path running over to a good place to start down.  To get down off the point find your way down a couple of down climbs descending the ledges down to the slick rock below.

After getting down off the point walk south east down the slick rock toward a pot hole filled drainage about 450 feet away.  Cross over the drainage (wSmithLwrRP-03)

After crossing the pot hole filled drainage, route find your way down the slick rock and into Smith Fork near the bottom of the drainage (jSmithFkLwr1).  When you get down into Smith Fork turn right and walk south down stream in Smith Fork.

About 0.25 miles down Smith Fork is where the bottom of the Psycho D and Pothoez drainage (yPsychD-Bt) meets Smith Fork.

Side Trip:
Before continuing the climb up out of Smith Fork to continue the approach you can take a moment to go see the bottom of the Psycho D route.  This side trip is worth a look if you have never been in the area.

To go up to the bottom of both Pothoez and Psycho D use a short use trail on the RUC (south) side of the Psycho D / Pothoez Drainage to start up into the canyon.  About 300 feet from Smith Fork will be a drainage dropping in from the left (north) and is the bottom of Pothoez Canyon (jPsychoPothoez).

To get to the bottom of Psycho D continue east about 350 feet up the long sandy wash up to the bottom drop of Psycho D to have a look at a beautiful spot.

Ok so now back to the junction in Smith Fork.
To exit up out of Smith Fork and continue the approach to Psycho D, Pothoez and other slots in the area, look for the point / ridge that drops down to Smith Fork just north of the bottom of the Psycho D / Pothoeze drainage.  This is the ridge that divides Smith Fork from the Pothoez drainage.

Route find your way up onto the ledge running along the Smith Fork (west) side of this ridge and follow it north for about 200 feet to find the bottom of a slope leading up to a rocky saddle on the ridge.

scramble up the dirt and rock slope up to the saddle on the ridge (wPsychoD-RP-01).  This saddle is about 200 feet north of the Psycho D / Pothoez Drainage.  From the saddle / notch on the ridge scramble north up the steep slick rock ridge.  The first 50 or 60 feet of this are very steep and you will need hands and feet for traction.  After the first steep part the route levels off a bit to allow easy travel on rolling slick rock.

As you top out on the slick rock, veer right and route find your way north east roughly following the rim of Pothoez which is now on your right (south east).

About 400 feet along the rim you will find a spot where you can drop into Pothoez (jPothoezPosEx1) if you would enjoy looking at a small section of it.

Continue walking northeast roughly following Pothoez for about 1200 feet to a wide sandy spot in the Pothoez drainage (yPothoez-Md).  This sandy spot is where you could drop down into lower Pothoez if you only wanted to do the lower section.

To continue over to Downward Spiral cross the Pothoez drainage here and continue south up the slick rock to for about 500 feet to a top out (wPsychoD-RP-02).  The drainage just south of this top out is the lower portion of Psycho D.  From this top out is where you choose to go south toward Downward Spiral or east to continue up to the top of Psycho D.

Note:
If you were traveling to the top of Psycho D you would turn left and travel east and follow the side of Psycho D.

To continue over to Downward Spiral continue south and drop down the large cross joint going down into Psycho D.   A little over 500 feet will be the bottom of the cross joint where you will be down in Lower Psycho D (jPsychoPosExt).  Once down in lower Psycho D scramble up the cross joint on the other side to continue south.

As you scramble up the cross joint the terrain gets more forgiving and travel is easy.  Continue south about .35 miles and descend down the slick rock slope down into a wide open sandstone wash area in Downward Spiral (jDwnSprlMid).

After dropping into the wide open wash of Downward Spiral (jDwnSprlMid) turn left and travel east up the wash.  As the wash begins to slot up route find your way along the left (north) rim along rolling sandstone.  About 0.25 miles east you will get to a confluence in Downward Spiral (jDwnSprlConf).

Side Trip:
The left fork of Downward Spiral is short and offers nothing technical.  The right fork is a little longer but offers little as well but is interesting to look over.  If you have extra time it can be a nice scenic trip to walk up the right fork from the confluence and look the area over.  The slot like portion of the right fork of Downward Spiral is about 0.36 miles long to where it tops out in another wide open wash area (yDwnSprl-Tp).  Along that section are minor potholes and multiple spots where you can scramble in and out of the canyon.

When you get to the confluence drop down into it crossing over the left fork and over to the rim of the right fork.  Rim walk the the right fork for a little over 200 feet to where you can easily drop down in at the top of a series of potholes leading down to the confluence (wDwnSprl-RP-01).

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
Once down in the Right fork at the top of the series of potholes before the confluence (wDwnSprl-RP-01) travel down over the potholes to the confluence.  Some of the potholes are very deep but small enough that they are easy to step over.  This is a pretty entertaining section.  When you get back to the confluence, this time in the drainage of the right fork there is a drop of about 20 feet which is rap 1.

Rap 1 (dDwnSprlR1) is anchored from an arch about 5 feet back and drops about 20 feet down a vertical wall with a slight overhang at the top.   DO NOT WRAP YOUR ROPES AROUND THE ARCH AND PULL THEM FROM THE BOTTOM.  Pulling your ropes around arches like this will damage the rock very quickly.  Use a retrievable anchor on the arch if you use it or use a sand trap at this drop.

After rap 1 continue down canyon from the confluence where occasional stemming and galumphing will be needed between undulating walls.

About 350 feet into the upper narrows is a silo that is a little tricky to cross and has a very deep pothole at the bottom (wDwnSprl-RP-02).  The pothole at the bottom of this silo will be a keeper if you fall in so having someone around with a handline is a good idea.  Shortly after this silo is one more to cross that is not as hard to cross and would be easier to escape if you fell in.

About 500 feet farther down canyon the stemming and galumphing ends where the slot opens up to the wide open wash (wDwnSprl-RP-03).  Continue west down the wash for about 1000 feet to where the lower slot begins (yDwnSprl-Md).

From the top of the lower slot of Downward Spiral (yDwnSprl-Md) walk / galumph down from the start of the lower slot in twisted undulating walls for about 500 feet to a drop of about 12 feet.  This drop is the start of the section that give the canyon name meaning.  Over the next couple hundred feet the canyon has a series of drops that feels like it is spiraling downward.

The start of the 12 foot drop (wDwnSprl-RP-04) has an awkward start but not too difficult once over the edge.  A hand line is a good idea here and the last person can be assisted by those already down. 

Immediately after is another down climb of close to 20 feet that is more of a slide on featureless walls.  If you are very careful you can control the slide and drop down relatively safe to the bottom.  A hand line and partner assist is a good idea on this second down climb as well.

Immediately after the second downclimb is an easy sloped and featured drop down to a section to walk / galumph along for about 30 feet over to the top of another drop with a choke stone overhead.  This drop is the final drop and is gently sloped making the 30 foot down climb easy.  At the bottom of this downclimb the canyon opens up to a pool and wide open wash.  The pool is in the sand wash and easily bypassable by traversing along the RDC side.

About 80 feet down canyon of the last downclimb a large cross joint joins in from the RDC (north) side (wDwnSprl-RP-05).  When you get to this cross joint it is time to consider exit options.

The Exit:
One option is to climb out the RDC side and then circle around back up to the wash above the lower slot of Downward Spiral then reverse your approach route back over the slick rock and re-cross Psycho D then back to the cars.  The other option is to continue down canyon about 600 feet to the lower end of Smith Fork and walk up canyon in Smith Fork to join your approach route there.

Exit Option 1 - Looping back up around to reverse original approach.
If the lake is about 3640 feet or you don't want to traverse the ledge to get over to Smith Fork you can climb out the RDC (north) side back up to the rolling slickrock above then reverse the approach route you used crossing over Psycho D again.

To do this walk about 200 feet down canyon of the large cross joint joining in from the RDC (north) side to get to a smaller cross joint on the RDC side.  Look for the look for the steep slick rock slope on the up canyon side of the smaller cross joint (wDwnSprl-RP-06).  The steep slope is the start of this exit option.

Note:
A smaller cross joint just down canyon of here may be a more gentle and allow an easier exit but this has not been confirmed.  All the way down by the end of the canyon the slickrock slopes are even more gentle and look like they will go much easier but this also has not been confirmed.  Worth a look if you don't like the steep slope here.

The first 100 feet of the climb out are very steep and will be challenging to get up.  After the first 100 feet the slope becomes more gentle and the rest of the exit route is overall easy travel.  Continue north up the slickrock for about 0.2 miles to where you can easily cross over (wDwnSprl-RP-07) the larger cross joint and begin to veer slight right to travel more northeast.

After crossing over the large cross joint travel northeast about 0.3 miles across rolling slickrock to where you crossed the Psycho D drainage on your approach route.

Cross Psycho D and reverse the approach route 0.8 miles back down into Smith Fork at the bottom of Psych D.

After getting back to Smith Fork at the bottom of PsychoD (yPsychD-Bt) turn right and walk north up Smith Fork about 0.2 miles to a drainage on the left (west) side.  This is the where you dropped down into Smith Fork on the approach.  Reverse the approach route from here to get back to the cars (pkSmithForkLwr) about a mile away.

Exit Option 2 - Traversing a short precarious ledge over to Smith Fork then up Smith Fork.
If the lake is below 3640 feet and you want a shorter route that also allows you to see more of the lower parts of Smith Fork you can use lower Smith Fork as your exit.

To do this continue down canyon about 350 feet to the end of the canyon where it dumps into Lake Powell and the lake just below Smith Fork (yDownWrdSprlBt).  As you get closer to the lake you will need to navigate over and around a few spots of slickrock features and some water and vegetation.

When you get to the end of the drainage and see Smith Fork look for a sloped ledge on the RDC (north) side.  Traversing this ledge will get you over to a bank on the side of Smith Fork which you can walk along to go up into Smith Fork on dry land.  Only a few feet of the ledge is sloped and can have a fluffy loose surface so be careful.  If you slip from the ledge you will take a short plunge into the Lake and will need to swim a few hundred feet up into Smith Fork to walk up out of the water.

Note:
If the lake is below 3600 feet in elevation you will be able to easily scramble down the LDC side to dry land in Smith Fork.

Continue north up Smith Fork 0.7 miles to the bottom of the Psycho D and Pothoez Drainage.

After getting back to the bottom of PsychoD (yPsychD-Bt) continue north up Smith Fork about 0.2 miles to a drainage on the left (west) side.  This is the where you dropped down into Smith Fork on the approach.  Reverse the approach route from here to get back to the cars (pkSmithForkLwr) about a mile away.

GPS Waypoint Information

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

Downward Spiral (1) - Drive in 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-50          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.67376   W -110.65978        Elev: NaN Feet A road that makes a small loop off of the main road and rejoins about 350 feet farther. Continue south. TicabooDP-51          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.65940   W -110.66933        Elev: NaN Feet Side road joins in from the left (east). Continue south to continue to the Smith Fork area. TicabooDP-52          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.63310   W -110.69364        Elev: NaN Feet Road into Smith Fork area turns sharp left from south to east. TicabooDP-53          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62164   W -110.68041        Elev: NaN Feet Side road joins in from the right (south). Continue east to get to the Smith Fork Area. Turning right (south) will take you down toward Hansen Creek on a road marked as 13410. TicabooDP-54          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62069   W -110.67088        Elev: 4,212 Feet Fork in the road. On the drive in veer left and drive east toward the upper portion of Smith Fork or veer right and drive southeast toward the lower poriton of Smith Fork. TicabooDP-55          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.61251   W -110.66280        Elev: NaN Feet Fork in the road. Eitehr works but staying right at the fork is smoother travel toward Psycho D. TicabooDP-56          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60612   W -110.66243        Elev: NaN Feet Junction where the roads that forked on the way in - rejoin. TicabooDP-57          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60168   W -110.65488        Elev: 4,178 Feet Fork in the road where the road splits for a short distance then rejoins shortly after. TicabooDP-58          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60169   W -110.65166        Elev: 4,118 Feet Road rejoins here after the previous fork on the drive in. pkSmithForkLwr          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59944   W -110.64949        Elev: 4,130 Feet Park here to start down into the lower portion of Smith Fork.

Downward Spiral (2) - Approach

pkSmithForkLwr          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59944   W -110.64949        Elev: 4,130 Feet Park here to start down into the lower portion of Smith Fork. wSmithLwrRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60073   W -110.64329        Elev: 4,030 Feet Drop in the wash about 40 feet. Leave the wash here and walk up onto the LDC (north) side to follow a ridge going northeast, wSmithLwrRP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60223   W -110.64059        Elev: 4,025 Feet End of the ridge out on a point. wSmithLwrRP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60148   W -110.63932        Elev: NaN Feet Cross over the drainage here to continue on the south east side and drop down toward Smith Fork. jSmithFkLwr1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60231   W -110.63674        Elev: 3,720 Feet This is where the route down into the lower portion of Smith Fork meets Smith Fork. yPsychD-Bt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59959   W -110.63709        Elev: 3,710 Feet Bottom of Psycho D and Pothoez drainages where they drop into Smith Fork. wPsychoD-RP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60031   W -110.63647        Elev: NaN Feet Saddle on the ridge that devides Pothoeze and Psycho D. jPothoezPosEx11          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60142   W -110.63528        Elev: NaN Feet A spot where Pothoez Canyon can be entered or exited from on the RDC (north) side. yPothoez-Md          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60393   W -110.63251        Elev: 3,850 Feet Entry to Pothoez if you only wish to do the lower portion of the route. This is in a sandy spot just before the lower part of Pothoez slots up. wPsychoD-RP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60306   W -110.63142        Elev: NaN Feet Top out on the route between Pothoez and Psycho D. jPsychoPosExt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60142   W -110.63144        Elev: 3,777 Feet A cross joint crosses Psycho D here allowing entry or exit from the canyon on either side. Corssing Psycho D is also easy here and used to cross over Psycho D to go south toward Downward Spiral. jDwnSprlMid          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59577   W -110.63012        Elev: 3,790 Feet A spot where it is easy to drop into a very wide open area of Downward Spiral down from the north side. jDwnSprlConf          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59664   W -110.62608        Elev: 3,900 Feet This is the confluence of the right and left forks of Downward Spiral where there are a lot of potholes. The left (north) fork has nothing to offer technically. The pot holes here will offer unique anchor challenges.

Downward Spiral (3) - The Canyon

jDwnSprlConf          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59664   W -110.62608        Elev: 3,900 Feet This is the confluence of the right and left forks of Downward Spiral where there are a lot of potholes. The left (north) fork has nothing to offer technically. The pot holes here will offer unique anchor challenges. yDwnSprl-Tp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59688   W -110.62012        Elev: 4,030 Feet Top entry of Downward Spiral where it slots up near a sandy area. The section from here down to the confluence offers some scenery but nothing technically challenging. Between here and the confluence there are multiple places to drop into the canyon to look around. dDwnSprlR1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59659   W -110.62610        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 1 - Downward Spiral. Anchored from an arch and drops about 20 feet down a vertical wall with a slight overhang near the top to the confluence. DO NOT PULL YOUR ROPES OVER THE ARCH. Use a retrievable anchor or a sand trap. wDwnSprl-RP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59660   W -110.62728        Elev: NaN Feet Silo that is tricky to cross and has a very deep pothole at the bottom. This pothole will be a keeper if you fall in so hainv someone nearby with a handline may be a good idea. wDwnSprl-RP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59615   W -110.62875        Elev: NaN Feet Canyon opens up to a very wide open wash area. jDwnSprlMid          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59577   W -110.63012        Elev: 3,790 Feet A spot where it is easy to drop into a very wide open area of Downward Spiral down from the north side. yDwnSprl-Md          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59543   W -110.63184        Elev: 3,790 Feet Entry to the lower slot of Downward Spiral. This is the down canyon side of a long wide open section of the drainage. wDwnSprl-RP-04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59465   W -110.63324        Elev: NaN Feet This is where the lower part of Downward Spiral route starts to do just that, spiral downward. A series of downclimbs drop down the final part of the slot. No ropes are needed but handlines are recommended to assist eachother. wDwnSprl-RP-05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59450   W -110.63402        Elev: NaN Feet A cross joint joins in from the RDC (north) side about 80 feet down canyon of the end of the lower slot of Downward Spiral. wDwnSprl-RP-06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59460   W -110.63500        Elev: NaN Feet Bottom of a steep slickrock slope. This slope is on the up canyon side of a small crossjoint on the RDC (north) side and is down canyon of a much larger cross joint. The first 100 feet are very steeply sloped and will be challenging to get up. A smaller cross joint just down canyon of here may be a more gentle and allow an easier exit but this has not been confirmed. All the way down by the end of the canyon the slickrock slopes are even more gentle and look like they will go much easier but this also has not been confirmed. Worth a look if you don't like the steep slope here. yDownWrdSprlBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59362   W -110.63533        Elev: 3,720 Feet Bottom of Dwonward Spiral where it meets Smith Fork and Lake Powell. When the lake is at 3637 feet there is about 50 feet of water to swim between the end of Downward and a bank along the LDC side of Smith Fork or you can traverse a short section of sloped ledge to get around to a bank and stay dry. If the lake is over 3640 the ledge traverse may not be possible. If the lake is lower than 3600 you will likely be able to easily scramble down the LDC side down into dry land in Smith Fork.

Downward Spiral (4) - Exit Option 1 to the bottom of Psycho D

wDwnSprl-RP-06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59460   W -110.63500        Elev: NaN Feet Bottom of a steep slickrock slope. This slope is on the up canyon side of a small crossjoint on the RDC (north) side and is down canyon of a much larger cross joint. The first 100 feet are very steeply sloped and will be challenging to get up. A smaller cross joint just down canyon of here may be a more gentle and allow an easier exit but this has not been confirmed. All the way down by the end of the canyon the slickrock slopes are even more gentle and look like they will go much easier but this also has not been confirmed. Worth a look if you don't like the steep slope here. wDwnSprl-RP-07          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59750   W -110.63422        Elev: 3,780 Feet Cross over this cross joint here while traveling the bypass route of the lower part of Downward Spiral. To exit the area travel about 0.3 miles northeast to where you can cross Psycho D via a set of cross joints. jPsychoPosExt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60142   W -110.63144        Elev: 3,777 Feet A cross joint crosses Psycho D here allowing entry or exit from the canyon on either side. Corssing Psycho D is also easy here and used to cross over Psycho D to go south toward Downward Spiral. wPsychoD-RP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60306   W -110.63142        Elev: NaN Feet Top out on the route between Pothoez and Psycho D. yPothoez-Md          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60393   W -110.63251        Elev: 3,850 Feet Entry to Pothoez if you only wish to do the lower portion of the route. This is in a sandy spot just before the lower part of Pothoez slots up. wPsychoD-RP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60031   W -110.63647        Elev: NaN Feet Saddle on the ridge that devides Pothoeze and Psycho D. yPsychD-Bt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59959   W -110.63709        Elev: 3,710 Feet Bottom of Psycho D and Pothoez drainages where they drop into Smith Fork.

Downward Spiral (5) - Exit Option 2 to the bottom of Psycho D

yDownWrdSprlBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59362   W -110.63533        Elev: 3,720 Feet Bottom of Dwonward Spiral where it meets Smith Fork and Lake Powell. When the lake is at 3637 feet there is about 50 feet of water to swim between the end of Downward and a bank along the LDC side of Smith Fork or you can traverse a short section of sloped ledge to get around to a bank and stay dry. If the lake is over 3640 the ledge traverse may not be possible. If the lake is lower than 3600 you will likely be able to easily scramble down the LDC side down into dry land in Smith Fork. yPsychD-Bt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59959   W -110.63709        Elev: 3,710 Feet Bottom of Psycho D and Pothoez drainages where they drop into Smith Fork.

Downward Spiral (6) - Exit from bottom of Psycho D to cars

yPsychD-Bt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59959   W -110.63709        Elev: 3,710 Feet Bottom of Psycho D and Pothoez drainages where they drop into Smith Fork. jSmithFkLwr1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60231   W -110.63674        Elev: 3,720 Feet This is where the route down into the lower portion of Smith Fork meets Smith Fork. wSmithLwrRP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60148   W -110.63932        Elev: NaN Feet Cross over the drainage here to continue on the south east side and drop down toward Smith Fork. wSmithLwrRP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60223   W -110.64059        Elev: 4,025 Feet End of the ridge out on a point. wSmithLwrRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60073   W -110.64329        Elev: 4,030 Feet Drop in the wash about 40 feet. Leave the wash here and walk up onto the LDC (north) side to follow a ridge going northeast, pkSmithForkLwr          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59944   W -110.64949        Elev: 4,130 Feet Park here to start down into the lower portion of Smith Fork.