Canyoneering Route Description
Pothoez - 4A(B) III R
Ticaboo Mesa, Utah.
04-22-12, 4 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 5 hours) - Lower Pothoez
only
05-04-13, 7 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 8 hours)
- Upper Right and Left Forks and Lower Pothoez
05-27-16, 5 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route
7 hours) - Upper Left Fork and Lower Pothoez
Time Required - 5 to 7 hours
Distance - 4.5 miles Total, 1 mile Technical
Rappels - 4 Rappels, Longest Rappel 70 feet.
Longest actual drop is less than 70 but a couple of the raps use
70 feet of rope.
Elevation Range - 4130 - 3710 Feet
Shuttle Required - No Miles Vehicle - High Clearance
- (4WD if roads are bad)
Permit Required - No
Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up
to 70 feet and 30 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.
Two ropes of at least 70 feet each are recommended. The last
two rappels are over potholes where two ropes of 70 feet each are
useful (one as a rappel rope and the other as a potshot rope for
escape / handline). Have a couple Pothsots and a set of
ascenders on hand for pothole crossing / escape. Wet suits
will likely not be needed except in cold months. After recent
rains there will be a couple spots to wade but one of the potholes
in the lower section will require at least one person dropping in
and they will want a wet suit if it is cold out.
Retrievable anchor systems can make some of these drops easier.
A Sandtrap and a Smooth Operator (the BluuGnome version of the
Fiddlestick) can be used in a couple spots that will make things
easier and cleaner. However these tools are not a necessity
for the route.
Pothoez is a fun half day route offering a variety of fun.
In the upper portion of Pothoez there are two short
forks to choose from. The right ( south) fork has no rappels between
the top and the confluence but does have a couple of spots where you will be
stemming 25 feet or so above the deck which is the portion of the canyon
where Pothoez gets the R rating from. The left (north) fork is easy
travel to the confluence and offers a single rappel. Both forks are
only about 500 feet long each. Both forks can easily be done if you
want to see them both. To see both forks descend one of them then exit
up out of the canyon at the confluence and circle around to go do the other
fork.
The last two drops with potholes are the main reason
for Pothoeze getting a technical rating of 4 and the canyon's name. The last two drops in Pothoez cross over large deep potholes. The first pothole is deep but
easy to escape if you have set an escape line by tossing a Potshot.
The second pothole, the one at the final drop, is larger and deeper and is
overhung on all sides. Dropping down into this last pothole would be a
bad idea as it would be difficult to get out of. Be prepared to get a
little creative getting over this last large pothole.
The max drop is less than 70 feet but the last two raps
cross over potholes and will need about 70 feet of rope to cross the
potholes and get down the drop. Also needed will be a second rope at
each of these drops to be used with a potshot toss to offer escape /
handline while on rappel.
Using retrievable anchors like the Sandtrap and the
Smooth Operator (the BluuGnome version of the Fiddlestick) makes it possible
leave no webbing at the drops in the canyon. Pothoez can be done
without these tools but they can make some of these drops easier.
If full of water there are a couple spots where you
will have to wade a couple short pools in the lower section. Also of
note is that the
lower section has a few potholes with sand bottoms that could prove
difficult to get out of if sand was scoured out completely. The sand
may never wash out of these but keep in mind things change and this is one
thing that could change.
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.
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 technical section.
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 to Psycho D or
other nearby slots 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 since
it leads up into a very
nice subway like
corridor. If you plan
to do the Psycho D route
you can get an idea of
how much water is at the
end of the route.
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
Draiange 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
east up
the long sandy wash up
to the bottom drop of
Psycho D to inspect the
water. If you are
here for scenic value
only the subway like
corridor and the pool at
the end is a treat.
This can also be a good
way to look at the pool
and determine how much
water you would have at
the end of Pyscho D if
you were doing that
route. For most if
not all of the Psycho D
route you are stemming
above the floor, but you
would need to swim this
last pool.
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 only the lower
section.
To continue up to the
upper section of Pothoez
continue north east
about 400 feet up the
wide drainage to where
the canyon begins to
slot up again
(wPothoezRP01). As
you near the slot start
up onto the slick rock
on the right (south
east) side and route
find your way up along
the southeast side of
the canyon.
About 400 feet farther
is a small side drainage
like feature you will
cross over while you are
still very close to the
Pothoez Canyon.
After crossing this
small side drainage like
feature veer right and
route find your way
about 400 feet east up
to the top of the ridge
line (wPothoezRP02).
After getting up onto
the ridge continue north
east about 350 feet to a
cross joint / saddle
(wPothoezRP03).
Cross over the cross
joint then continue up
the steep slick rock
north east to the next
high point along the
saddle.
Continue about 1,000
feet up over the next
high point on the ridge
then back down into the
Pothoez Draiange.
Where you drop back to
the Pothoez Drainage
will be a wide open wash
and the top of a slot
starting down canyon (yPothoezRF-Tp).
This is the top of the
more aggressive fork of
Pothoez. If you
wish to go over to the
top of the Left Fork
continue north and route
find your way across
rolling slick rock for
about 500 feet to the
top of the Left Fork of
Pothoez (yPothoezLF-Tp)
The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
Note:
You can easily do both
forks of Pothoez since
they are short and
escape at the confluence
is reasonably easy.
When you finish the
approach you can choose
which fork to do or plan
to loop around and do
both..
After completing one or both of
the short upper forks
continue down canyon for
the rest of the route.
Travel between the head
of the two forks is less
than 500 feet and easy
travel.
The Right Fork
of Pothoez
From the top of the
Right Fork of Pothoez (yPothoezRF-Tp)
start down canyon
enjoying some easy
stemming and galumphing
for about 90 feet before
reaching a pothole /
silo feature
(wPothoezRP04).
You will need to cross
over this feature at
about 15 to 20 feet up
off the deck.
falling in would land
you in a pothole that
has a narrow and
overhung upclimb for an
exit and would be very
difficult.
Crossing over the silo
puts you in the R zone.
After crossing this silo
is a short narrow walk
then the canyon narrows
up again. Over the
next 450 feet to the
confluence is a bunch of
galumphing with a couple
spots that will take you
up to about 20 feet off
the deck. There
are also a few silo like
features to cross, some
you can drop down in and
others you should cross
higher. When you
reach the confluence (jPothoezConf)
you will be greeted with
a wider section where
you can walk freely.
The Left Fork of
Pothoez
From the top of the Left
Fork of Pothoez (yPothoezLF-Tp),
it is a bout 500 feet to
the confluence of the
left and right forks.
Travel to the confluence
involves light stemming
and galumphing and
several potholes to
cross over. One of
the potholes requires a
steep down climb of
about 8 feet to get into
it. Just before
reaching the confluence
is rap 1.
Rap 1 (dPothoezR1) can
be anchored from a rock
protrusion buried in the
sand about 5 feet back
from the drop and drops
about 25 feet down an
almost vertical wall to
a pothole below.
The pothole can easily
be stemmed over if it
has water. You can
sling webbing on the
rock protrusion or use a
Smooth Operator (aka
Fiddlestick) on it.
Optionally a small arch
between huecos on the
RDC wall about head high
can be used.
A few feet farther is
the confluence of the
left and right forks (jPothoezConf).
Exit from the
Confluence of the Upper
Forks
When you reach the
confluence (jPothoezConf)
you can exit out the RDC
(north) side to
circle around and do the
other fork as well.
To exit
escape by scrambling
about 25 feet up the
steep slope on the RDC
(north) side. The
escape allows you to
escape and circle back
to the top to complete
the other fork of Pothoez if desired.
Once at the top of the
steep scramble route
find your way bout 400
feet northeast to the
top of the left fork of
Pothoez. If you
want to get to the top
of the right fork it is
another 500 feet of easy
travel to the southeast.
Continuing Down
from the Confluence
Shortly down canyon of
the confluence you begin
galumphing and stemming
with a couple spots that
take you to about 20
feet off the deck.
A little over 300 feet
down canyon of the
confluence the canyon
opens up in a wide V
shaped area
(wPothoezRP05) where
travel becomes easier.
About 600 feet down
canyon a cross joint
crosses the canyon.
About 100 feet down
canyon of the cross
joint another narrow
section starts
(wPothoezRP06 ) with an
easy downclimb of about
8 feet. After the
down climb continue with
easy galumphing down
canyon and one other
downclimb of about 15
feet to stem down.
About 350 feet down
canyon the galumphing
ends where the canyon
opens up wide
(wPothoezRP07).
Shortly down canyon is a
short and very easy slot
of about 100 feet long.
Part way through the
slot are a couple large
boulders to scramble
over (wPothoezRP08).
Just after the slot the
canyon opens to wide
spaces again.
Continue walking the
wide wash for about 600
feet to the top of the
lower portion of Pothoez
(yPothoez-Md).
Lower Pothoez
From the top of the
Lower Pothoez slot (yPothoez-Md)
travel southwest down
canyon with a mix of
walking and galumphing
over a lot of very small
potholes and undulating
side walls. About
0.25 miles down canyon
will be rap 2.
Rap 2 (dPothoezR2) is
the first rap in Lower
Pothoez Canyon and drops
about 25 feet. The
top part of this drop is
easily downclimbable in
a little chute but the
last 8 to 10 feet is
overhung and not an easy
downclimb. A
sandtrap or backpack can
be used as the anchor
here.
It is possible to
downclimb rap 2 by
providing a meat anchor
for all but the last
person to rappel on.
The last person can then
downclimb with an
aggressive assist from
multiple people at the
bottom. Even with
a partner assist this
downclimb is not easy.
It is helpful to have at
least 3 people involved
in assisting the last
person down. If
the last man down faces
RDC when downclimbing
there is a good handhold
to dangle from to get to
those below assisting.
Down canyon of this drop
travel is easy. If
the canyon is full of
water from recent rains
there will be a few
spots where you may need
to wade through some
short pools. There
are also a few potholes
with sand bottoms that
could prove difficult to
get out of if sand was
scoured out completely.
Rap 3 (dPothoezR3) is
about 300 feet down
canyon of rap 2.
An anchor can be set for
rap 3 in one of the
small potholes near the
top of the drop. A
sandtrap works well if
there is plenty of dry
sand or a rock can be
buried and used as a
deadman anchor in one of
the small potholes.
Rap 3 drops down into a
deep pothole and may
drop 20 to 30 feet
depending on how low the
water is in the pothole.
The pothole that Rap 3
drops into is a deep
keeper and needs to be
escaped. Before
rappelling toss a second
line with a potshot full
of sand over the pothole
to set an escape line.
There are good features
on the down canyon side
for the potshot to wedge
into. The first
person drops into the
pothole, escapes out the
other side using
ascenders or just hand
over handing up the rope
then assists everyone
else up out of the
pothole (optionally a
guided rappel can be set
up). Each of the
lines set for Rap 3 (the
rappel line and the
potshot escape line)
should be about 70 feet.
Travel down canyon of
rap 3 is easy for about
200 feet to the top of
rap 4.
Rap 4 (dPothoezR4) is
anchored from a large
rock feature protruding
from the sand floor
about 10 feet back from
the drop. The
anchor for Rap 4 can be
set using a retrievable
anchor like the Smooth
Operator (BluuGnome
version of the
Fiddlestick), or webbing
can be left behind. Rap 4
also crosses over a
large pothole and will
use two ropes of about
70 feet each (one for a
rappel rope and the
other to toss a potshot
full of sand as a guide
/ hand line). Rap
4 drops down to the top
of the pothole where you
cross over it on the RDC
side while on rappel
then down an additional
35 feet to the bottom of
the rappel.
The pothole that Rap 4
crosses over is 25 or 30
feet deep and is
overhung on all sides.
If you go down into this
pothole it will be VERY
difficult to get out of.
Before starting the
rappel for rap 4 toss a
second line with a
potshot over the pothole
and let it hang down the
second part of the
rappel. While on
rappel the second line
can be used as a hand
line to assist in
getting over the rappel.
Getting past the pothole
can be done without the
second line but it
requires careful balance
while traversing the RDC
side using small
features in the rock.
If you slip off the
small features while
traversing over the top
of the pothole you will
pendulum farther down
into the pothole.
The second line can be
very helpful getting
across.
After the first person
is across the pothole
part way down Rap 4 and
on the lip, they can
stay there to assist
those that fallow over
the pothole then
complete the rappel
last. Or the
second line can be
secured from the bottom
of the rappel and used
as a guide line for a
guided rappel. At
the bottom of rap 4 is
another pool but it can
be easily avoided while
on rappel.
After rap 4 walk about
100 feet over to where
the Pothoez drainage
meets the Psycho D
drainage (jPsychoPothoez),
then turn left and
follow the Psycho D
drainage southwest for
about 300 feet to where
it ends and meets with
Smith Fork (yPsychD-Bt).
The Exit:
After
getting back to Smith
Fork (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.
Downloadable GPX files
available at
BG-Gear Store
(easier than manual entry and a great way to support
Bluugnome).
Waypoint naming convention and map symbol information can be found on the Glossary page.
Elevations are approximate.
BEFORE
manually entering coordinates set your system to WGS84 datum and Lat/Lon hddd.ddddd° coordinate format.
Inconsistent datum's and coordinate formats will result in location errors.
Click to show / expand the list of waypoints below........
| Pothoez (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.
|
| Pothoez (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.
- 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.
- wPothoezRP01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60448
W -110.63110
Elev: NaN Feet
Near the down canyon end of a narrow section. When you get to this point during the approach route veer right (east) and route find your way up along the RUC side of the drainage.
- wPothoezRP02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60510
W -110.62843
Elev: 3,975 Feet
Up on top of the ridge. Continue north east along the ridge.
- wPothoezRP03
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60570
W -110.62718
Elev: NaN Feet
Small cross joint / saddle to cross over. Cross and continue east and up to the next high point along the ridge.
- yPothoezRF-Tp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60712
W -110.62472
Elev: 3,990 Feet
Top of the Right Fork of Pothoez. The right fork is the more challenging fork and has a few sections in the R zone where you will be stemming about 15 or 20 feet off the deck.
- yPothoezLF-Tp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60805
W -110.62573
Elev: 4,010 Feet
Top of the Left Fork of Pothoez Canyon. The left fork is the less challenging fork.
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| Pothoez (3) - The Canyon |
- yPothoezRF-Tp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60712
W -110.62472
Elev: 3,990 Feet
Top of the Right Fork of Pothoez. The right fork is the more challenging fork and has a few sections in the R zone where you will be stemming about 15 or 20 feet off the deck.
- wPothoezRP04
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60712
W -110.62496
Elev: NaN Feet
Pothole / silo feature you have to cross over at about 15 feet up. Falling in would leave you with a very difficult slot upclimb that is overhanging. This puts you mandatorily in the R zone.
- yPothoezLF-Tp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60805
W -110.62573
Elev: 4,010 Feet
Top of the Left Fork of Pothoez Canyon. The left fork is the less challenging fork.
- dPothoezR1
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60709
W -110.62645
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 1 in the left fork of Pothoez Canyon. Anchored from a rock protrusion buried in the sand about 5 feet back from the drop and drops about 25 feet down an almost vertical wall. Optionally a small arch between huecos on the RDC wall about head high can be used. This rap is just before reaching the confluence.
- jPothoezConf
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60700
W -110.62649
Elev: 3,950 Feet
Confluence of the right and left forks of Pothoez Canyon. Escape is possible up the steep slick rock on the RDC (north) side. THe escape is handy if you wish to escape and circle back to complete the other fork of Pothoez.
- wPothoezRP05
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60685
W -110.62744
Elev: NaN Feet
Canyon opens up to a wide V shaped section after a section of stemming and galumphing to about 20 feet up in some places.
- wPothoezRP06
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60605
W -110.62942
Elev: NaN Feet
Another narrow section starts about 100 feet after passing a cross joint.
- wPothoezRP07
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60523
W -110.63008
Elev: NaN Feet
Canyon opens wide again.
- wPothoezRP08
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60483
W -110.63073
Elev: NaN Feet
Boulder to scramble over in a minor slot that is only about 100 feet long. The canyon opens to wide spaces again just after the boulders.
- wPothoezRP01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60448
W -110.63110
Elev: NaN Feet
Near the down canyon end of a narrow section. When you get to this point during the approach route veer right (east) and route find your way up along the RUC side of the drainage.
- 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.
- dPothoezR2
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60137
W -110.63534
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 2 - Pothoez Canyon. Drops about 25 feet. The top part of this drop is easily downclimbable in a little chute but the last 8 to 10 feet is overhung and not an easy downclimb. A sandtrap can be used as an anchor or this can be done as a downclimb with a VERY aggressive partner assist. It is possible to provide a meat anchor for all but the last person to rappel on. The last person can then downclimb with an aggressive assist from multiple people at the bottom. Even with a partner assist this downclimb is not easy. It is helpful to have at least 3 people involved in assisting the last person down.
- dPothoezR3
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60080
W -110.63600
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 3 in Pothoez. An anchor can be set for rap 3 in one of the small potholes near the top of the drop using a deadman or sandtrap in one of the small potholes. Drops down into a deep pothole and may drop 20 to 30 feet depending on how low the water is in the pothole. The pothole that Rap 3 drops into is a deep keeper and needs to be escaped. Before rappelling toss a second line with a potshot full of sand over the pothole to set an escape line. There are good features on the down canyon side for the potshot to wedge into. The first person drops into the pothole, escapes out the other side using ascenders or just hand over handing up the rope then assists everyone else up out of the pothole (optionally a guided rappel can be set up). Each of the lines set for Rap 3 (the rappel line and the potshot escape line) should be about 70 feet.
- dPothoezR4
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60028
W -110.63595
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 4 - Pothoez Canyon. Anchored from a large rock feature protruding from the sand floor about 10 feet back from the drop using a retrievable anchor like the Smooth Operator. Rap 4 also crosses over a large pothole and will use two ropes of about 70 feet each (one for a rappel rope and the other to toss a potshot full of sand as a guide / hand line). Rap 4 drops down to the top of the pothole where you cross over it on the RDC side while on rappel then down an additional 35 feet to the bottom of the rappel.
The pothole that Rap 4 crosses over is 25 or 30 feet deep and is overhung on all sides. This pothole would be VERY difficult to get out of. Getting past the pothole can be done without a second line with a potshot but it requires careful balance while traversing the RDC side using small features in the rock. If you slip off the small features while traversing over the top of the pothole you will pendulum farther down into the pothole.
- jPsychoPothoez
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60003
W -110.63616
Elev: NaN Feet
Junction where Pothoez and Psycho D meet.
- 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.
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| Pothoez (4) - Exit |
- 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.
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