Canyoneering Route Description
Sinusitis Canyon - 4A (B) II
Ticaboo Mesa, Utah.
05-19-12, 8 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 5.3 hours) - Time estimated
since we combined routes
11-08-14, 6 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 7.1 hours)-Time is for doing
Pottymouth, Pinworm and Sinusitis.
Time Required - 4 to 6 hours. (add 30 minutes
to route time if exiting up Warm Springs Canyon)
Distance - 5.1 miles Total, 0.5 miles Technical
(add 0.2 miles to the distance if exiting up Warm Springs
Canyon)
If using Pottymouth for the approach, 0.9 miles of the approach
will be in a canyon with a tech rating of 2.
Rappels - 1 Rappels, Longest Rappel 30 feet.
There is also an upclimb where a rope needs to be set for the
exit. See general comments and gear requirements.
Elevation Range - 4525 - 3860 Feet
Shuttle Required - No Vehicle - High Clearance
4WD if bad road conditions
Permit Required - No
On the approach and prior to dropping into Sinusitis a rope of
about 40 feet must be left at the exit climb up in the lower
portion of Warm Springs Canyon. If you do not set this exit
rope you will be unable to escape the route and will be in need of
rescue. A second rope and pull cord
for a drop of 30 feet into a keeper pothole (which is the only
rappel in Sinusitis). A third rope of about 40 feet and a potshot
will be useful for tossing to set an escape from the keeper in
Sinusitis.
There are a couple of spots in Sinusitis where you may have chest
high water if full of water but they are short so crossing quick may
be better than carrying a wet suit. The big keeper pothole in
Sinusitis would be a swimmer if it had water in it. In dry hot
conditions no wet suits are needed if. If there is water in
the canyon it maybe a good idea for 1 or 2 people to carry a wet
suit in case someone needs to spend some time in the keeper working
on escaping it. You never know when there is water.
Sinusitis Canyon is a short but challenging route. The
big keeper pothole is deep and offers a fun challenge and the rest of the
canyon is fun with downclimbs and galumphing over tight sections. Another
challenge is the exit. Before entering Sinusitis an exit
rope must be set in the bottom portion of Warm Springs Canyon. That
exit rope is used to climb up a drop while using Warm Springs Canyon as the
exit route from Sinusitis. Climbing up the 20 foot drop can be tricky
even with a rope.
Some people have escaped the keeper pothole with a
partner assist. In wet conditions this may not be easy or possible.
Also keep in mind the sand levels in potholes can change with flooding and
can scour out or fill in. Things may be different when you visit. Be
prepared with potshots and a wetsuit in the group in case you need them.
Sinusitis Canyon drops into Warm Springs Canyon.
To exit out of the system you need to exit up Warm Springs Canyon.
Exit up Warm Springs Canyon has one drop of about 20 feet that can not be
upclimbed without a rope. Before entering Sinusitis Canyon it is
necessary to drop down into Warm Springs Canyon and fix a rope to use to
climb up the drop after exiting Sinusitus Canyon. Pottymouth Canyon
can be used as part of the approach down into Warm Springs Canyon to set the
exit rope. Alternately you can route find your way along the slick
rock staying parallel to Pottymouth then drop into Warm Springs.
Pottymouth is short fun and quick so it makes a good addition to an already
short day in Sinusitis.
Warning:
Sinusitis requires setting an exit rope in the lower end of Warm Springs
Canyon. If you do not set the exit rope prior to descending Sinusitis you
may find your self trapped in Warm Springs Canyon.
After exiting Sinusitis Canyon and travelling up Warm
Springs Canyon to the bottom of Pottymouth Canyon, there are two options
for exiting back to the
cars. The
fastest route would be
to exit out of Pottymouth and
Warmsprings Canyon and
go directly back to the
car park area.
Another option would be
to exit up Warm Springs
Canyon and scramble out
near the head then route
find your way back to
the cars across open
desert. Exiting up
Warm Springs Canyon will
involve a few difficult
upclimbs that will
likely require partner
assist to get up.
Skilled upclimbers may
be able to do the route
solo but a partner is
recommended. Add about
30 minutes and 0.2 miles to planned
route time and distance if exiting up
up Warm Springs Canyon.
This route description is for Sinusitis and does not include GPS info for
the Warm Springs Canyon exit. For GPS coordinates for the Warm Springs
Canyon exit refer to the route description for Warm Springs Canyon.
Note about Route Options:
If you want a larger day and would like to see 4 canyons in the same day you
can enjoy Warm Springs Canyon, Pottymouth, Pinworm and Sinusitis all in one
route. An easy way to do this is to descend Pottymouth down to
Pinworm, take a short side trip to look up into Pinworm, finish Pottymouth down into Warm
Springs Canyon, go down Warm Springs to set the exit rope then return to the
bottom of Pottymouth, go over to the top of Sinusitis and descend it to the
bottom end of Warm Springs Canyon then up climb all the way to the head of
Warm Springs Canyon then across open desert back to the car park.
Side Trip Note:
Pinworm Canyon is a
short side slot near the
end of the Pottymouth
drainage. Pinworm
extends up to the north
up out of Pottymouth
about 650 feet and can
be upclimbed all the way
up to the bottom of a 25
foot drop right at the
head of the canyon.
Pinworm does not offer a
technical challenge but
is a fun excursion if
you are looking to add a
little time to your day.
If you get near the
bottom of Pottymouth and
want to add a little more
time looking around, take
a journey up Pinworm.
You can also scramble up
the RUC (east) side and
drop in at the mid point
then explore up and down
canyon.
Note about Photo
Gallery Pictures:
The pictures in the
photo gallery for
05-19-12 do not include
all the pictures from
the day.
On 05-19-12 we did
Pottymouth, dropped down
Warm Springs Canyon to
set exit ropes for
Sinusitis, did Sinusitus
exiting up to the bottom
of Pottymouth then
continued up canyon in
Warm Springs Canyon back
to the cars.
When placing these
pictures in albums for
the respective canyons I
did not include all
pictures of the day in
each album. This was
done to reduce confusion
if someone were looking
at the pictures to get
an idea of what is in
the canyon itself.
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 veer right and and travel south toward the Warm
Springs area.
Drive the road south for about 3.6 miles to a junction with
another road (WarmSpngDP-01). This is where the alternate drive
in route joins back with this standard drive in route. Turn
left at this junction and continue to the parking spot you need
to go to.
About 0.3 miles farther south on the road you will come to where
the road makes a sharp bend to the right. On the left side
of the road at this bend is a large clearing where a few
vehicles can be parked (tDublDuce). This is where you
would park for the Double Duce route down into the Seven Mile
drainage.
If you are going to the upper Warm Springs slots like Potty
Mouth or Sinusitis, drive another 1.2 miles and pull over in a wide
obvious spot to park on the left (north east) side of the road
(pkWarmSpring1). Park here to begin the route for
Pottymouth or Sinusitis canyons.
If you go too far the road tops out on a hill about 0.53 miles
past the parking spot. That top out is the parking spot
for Glaucoma and Tinitus. If you get to the top out spot
then you have driven a little too far.
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:
The parking spot is
about 550 feet north of
where the Pottymouth
drainage crosses the
road but the drainage is
almost non existent this
far up.
From the parking spot
(pkWarmSpring1), walk
southeast on the dirt
road for about 600 feet
then turn right
(southwest) and start
walking away from the
road across the open
desert. About 0.2
miles from the road you
will begin to see the
Pottymouth drainage
forming more deeply on
your right (north).
Don't drop down into the
Pottymouth drainage.
Instead continue
parallel with Pottymouth
and continue southwest
out onto a ridge running
parallel with Pottymouth.
About 0.6 miles from the
road the point has a
drop (wPottyRP-01) where
you will need to
scramble down to
continue southwest.
From here there will be
a large drainage on each
side of the ridge.
On the right (north) is
Pottymouth Canyon and on
the left (south) is
Sinusitis Canyon.
Scramble down the drop
in the ridge then
continue about 400 feet
to a white slickrock
saddle (wPottyRP-02) on
the ridge just before
reaching a hoodoo like
feature. From the
saddle turn right
(north) and route find
your way down off the
ridge into the
Pottymouth drainage.
as you drop down into
Pottymouth you will need
to traverse northeast up
canyon to the top
(yPottymouthTp) of the
sandstone slot dropping
down away from the dirt
layer.
Note:
Now that you are near
the head of Pottymouth
you have a choice.
Stay on the left (south)
side of Pottymouth and
route find your way
along the slickrock and
follow the side of
Pottymouth for about
0.85 miles southwest to
the bottom where it
dumps into Warm Springs
Canyon. Or you can
drop into Pottymouth
here and enjoy the
canyon to get to the
bottom end. The
Sinusitis route is short
so adding Pottymouth to
the route is a good way
to add some fun to the
day. Pottymouth
requires no ropes and
does not take much
longer than trying to
route find your way up
top.
Since I suggest adding Pottymouth to the route,
this route description
will describe the
descent down Pottymouth.
This description gives
details of what is in
Pottymouth but GPS
coordinates are not
supplied for the points
in Pottymouth. If
you want the GPS points
for what is in
Pottymouth, refer to the
route description for
Pottymouth.
From the top of
Potthmouth Canyon (yPottymouthTp)
go southwest down
canyon. A little
over 100 feet down
canyon is an easy
downclimb / slither of
about 12 feet
(wPottyRP-03).
About 0.5 miles down
canyon is a confluence
where a shallow side
drainage joins in from
the RDC (north) side.
the 0.5 miles of travel
down to that confluence
is easy with a mix of
short open sections and
shallow V shaped slots
where a little
galumphing is needed to
travel down canyon.
There is also one
elevator style down
climb of about 15 feet
(wPottyRP-04).
As you pass the
confluence that is 0.5
miles down canyon from
the head of the canyon
(jPottyDrain1) you may
not notice it since it
drops in within one of
the open sections and is
shallow at that point.
Shortly after passing
the confluence the
canyons starts to slot
again just before
reaching an elevator
downclimb (wPottyRP-05)
of about 10 feet.
In this section of slot
the walls are narrow
enough where you will
likely want to take off
your pack to make travel
easier but the walls are
wide enough to allow
walking on the canyon
floor.
Shortly after this point
the canyon slots up
deeper and becomes more
narrow. Travel
down canyon of here
involves walking between
narrow walls, easy
downclimbs, galumphing
in short sections and
scrambling over some
rock debris.
About 0.2 miles down
canyon of the confluence
is the start of a skinny
section (wPottyRP-06).
Most people will want to
stem / galumph about 15
feet off the deck to go
over this. Thin people
can try their luck
staying on the canyon
floor if they are
inclined to take on the
challenge. The
real skinny section
continues for about 125
feet before reaching a
silo (wPottyRP-07).
When you reach the silo
(wPottyRP-07) drop down
into it with an elevator
like downclimb of about
12 feet. Down
canyon of the silo the
walls are close together
where you will have to
turn sideways to walk.
You will pass through a
couple other silo like
features before getting
to the start of
(wPottyRP-08) a wide
open area.
In this wide open area
the Pinworm drainage joins
in (yPinwormBt) from
the RDC (north) side.
This drainage is hard to
miss as it is more
obvious than the
previous one up canyon
of here.
Note:
Pinworm does not offer a
technical challenge but
is a fun excursion if
you are looking to add a
little time to your day.
Pinworm extends up to
the north about 650 feet
and can be upclimbed all
the way up to the bottom
of a 25 foot drop right
at the head of the
canyon. Another
option is to walk up the
slickrock on the RUC
(east) side of Pinworm
for about 250 feet to
where you can scramble
down into the mid point
of Pinworm
(wPinwormRP-01).
From the mid point
scramble up to the head
then all the way back
down through Pinworm
Canyon to the bottom
where it dumps down into
Pottymouth. In the
canyon are a few easy
downclimbs, some
sculpted walls and a
couple easy potholes to
scramble over.
Just after passing the
Pinworm
drainage is the start of
another slot which gives
easy travel for about
250 feet down to the end
of Pottymouth Canyon
(yPottymouthBt) drainage
where it dumps into Warm
Springs Canyon.
Go Set
the Exit Rope:
Now that you are at the
bottom of Pottymouth and
in Warm Springs Canyon
you need to go down Warm
Springs to set the
escape rope.
The bottom of Sinusitis
Canyon is 0.25 miles
southeast down Warm
Springs Canyon from the
bottom of Pottymouth.
Bring with you the 40
foot rope to leave as
the escape rope and some
webbing. The rest
of your gear you can
leave here since you
will be coming back up
Warm Springs after
setting the escape rope.
From the bottom of
Pottymouth turn left
(southeast) and start
down Warm Springs
Canyon.
About 250 feet down
canyon of Pottymouth is
an easy down climb of
about 12 feet
(wWrmSpCynRP-03). This
is an easy downclimb but
may require a little
partner assisting to get
back up.
The next 800 feet of
canyon is easy travel
between tall semi narrow
walls and very scenic
before reaching the top
of a drop that is about
20 feet high
(wWrmSpCynRP-03).
This is the only drop
between Pottymouth and
Sinusitus that will
absolutely need a rope
to climb up. Down
canyon of this drop
there is no way out
unless you want to do a
very long rappel down
into Lake Powel to a
boat. If you are
setting an exit rope for
the Sinusitis route this
is the drop you set it
at. Set the rope
on one of the large
rocks near the top of
the drop. The drop
is about 20 feet but a
40 foot rope is
recommended to allow for
creativity in anchor
choices and hauling
options.
After setting the exit
rope return back up
canyon to the bottom of Pottymouth.
Exit Warmsprings
and go to the top of
Sinusitis:
From the bottom of Pottymouth (yPottymouthBt)
scramble up the slick
rock slope to the east
and just down canyon of
the bottom of Pottymouth.
The slope levels off a
little after about 750
feet (wPottyRP-09).
If you plan to travel
over to enjoy Sinusitis
Canyon, continue
northeast on a bearing
of about 65 degrees for
about 0.2 miles to what
feels like you are
crossing over the next
drainage
(wSinusitisRP01).
This is not the main
Sinusitis drainage but
is a small side drainage
that drops down into
lower Sinusitis.
Cross over the minor
side drainage then begin
to veer right and travel
east where the terrain
allows. As you
travel east, cross up and
over a ridge about 300
feet away then continue
another 300 feet down
the other side down into
the next drainage over
which is Sinusitis
(jSinusitisTp).
Side Trips:
When you drop into
Sinusitis Canyon here
(jSinusitisTp) the main
route is down canyon
from here to the
southwest. Up
canyon of this point
does not offer technical
fun but if you have
extra time and are
curious you may enjoy
the 4 very short slots
up canyon of here.
To go look at the short
slots drop your gear
here and travel light.
Allow about 45 minutes
extra time if you go
look these slots over.
The 4 short slots up
canyon of here range
from 150 to 300 feet
long each and are spread
out for about 0.35 miles
northeast up canyon of
here. Two of them are
walk through slots and
the other two offer two
easy downclimbs and one
spicy downclimb. These
slots do not offer
technical fun and are
not overly interesting.
The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
From the drop in point (jSinusitisTp)
walk southwest down
canyon about 275 feet to
the start of a slot (ySinusitisTp).
The slot starts as a V
shaped slot that is
shallow and has a
few holes to cross that
could be waist deep if
full of water.
Almost 400 feet down
canyon is a drop of
about 10 to 12 feet
(wSinusitisRP02) down
into a pothole that
would be about chest
deep if full. The
pothole is elongated and
easy to bridge over.
About 100 feet farther
is a drop
(wSinusitisRP03) down
into a pothole that can
be an easy downclimb, an
aggressive partner
assist or a drop that
will require a pack drag
to rap over depending on
sand levels. If
this pothole is full it
is an easy downclimb.
If the pothole is
scoured out deep it will
require a pack drag to
rappel down into the
pothole. The top
part of the drop is an
easy sloped V-slot down
to an overhanging lip
into the pothole that
can be 10 feet or more
below the lip. If
you pack drag to get
down this drop it can be
difficult to get your
pack back if pulled from
down in the pothole.
A better place to pull
from to retrieve your
pack is after exiting
the down canyon side of
the pothole where you
can easily stem up high
for an easy pull angle
for pack retrieval.
About 120 feet farther
the canyon begins to get
deeper (wSinusitisRP04)
where you drop down a
couple easy sloped
V-slot downclimbs about
10 to 15 feet each.
Almost 100 feet farther
down canyon is the big
keeper pothole
(dSinustsR1-KPH) which
was
about 15 feet deep with
a sand filled bottom.
Keep in mind if flashing
fills in or washes sand
out of this pothole it
can change and be deeper
or more shallow. An
anchor can be set to
rappel down into the
pothole using a choke
stone or a deadman
anchor can be used in a
small up-canyon pothole.
The final drop into the
pothole is vertical and
about 15 feet but the
anchor will be set up
canyon so a rope and
pull of about 30 feet
should work well.
Before dropping into the
keeper pothole it may
also be a good idea to
use a second rope of
about 40 feet to
toss a potshot full of
sand across to use as an
escape rope. Some
people have climbed out
of the pothole with
partner assist but in
wet conditions this
would be very difficult.
Also if sand scours out
and the pot hole becomes
deeper, partner assist
would not be possible.
The slot on the down
canyon side of the
pothole will easily
catch a single potshot
and hold well.
Continue down canyon
after the keeper where
you will find a few
short drops of 5 to 12
feet each, one of which
will likely require a
partner assist.
About 125 feet down
canyon of the keeper
pothole will be a drop
of about 50 feet
(wSinusitisRP05) where
you will need to
downclimb through a
skinny crack in an
elevator like way.
There is one part near
the top of the drop that
is small and will
require people to remove
their packs to fit
through.
Next walk and galumph
your way for the next
few hundred feet to the
end of Sinusitis Canyon.
As you reach the end of
Sinusitis Canyon you
will be greeted with
another downclimb of
about 30 feet that
starts as a steeply
sloped V then goes down
an almost vertical crack
near the bottom and is
overall an easy
downclimb.
When you get to the
bottom of the downclimb
you are at the end of
Sinusitis Canyon where
it dumps into the lower
portion of Warm Springs
Canyon (ySinusitisBt).
The Exit:
From the bottom of
Sinusitis where it drops
down into Warm Springs
Canyon you are slightly
up canyon of a big drop
down into Lake Powel.
For a nice view over the
water go down Warm
Springs Canyon about 30
feet to take a look.
To exit from Sinusitis
you will need to travel
northwest up Warm
Springs Canyon.
About 40 feet up Warm
Springs Canyon is a two
stage upclimb
(wWrmSpCynRP-01) to get
up that will likely
require some partner
assists for most people.
First as an upclimb of about 8 feet which taller people will find easier.
The second stage is
about 6 feet and is a
little awkward since you
have to get over a
boulder chokestone at
the top. Both
stages are moderately
difficult but partner
assists should make
these easy for most
anyone.
About 40 feet farther up
Warm Springs Canyon is
another upclimb of about
5 feet that is slightly
awkward.
About 200 feet farther
up Warm Springs Canyon
is a drop
(wWrmSpCynRP-02) that
can not be upclimbed. If
you are exiting
Sinusitis, you need make
a separate trip down
Warm Springs Canyon to
this spot and leave a
rope hanging over the
drop so you can ascend
up it to exit. The
top of this drop has a
large boulder chokestone
at the top making
ascending a little
difficult. After
you have people at the
top a two man haul gets
the rest up fast.
The drop is about 20
feet but a rope of about
40 feet is a good idea
to open more anchor
options and have more
rope to work with when
hauling people up.
After getting everyone
up the drop that
required the rope enjoy
some beautiful semi
narrow canyon for about
800 feet to another
upclimb of about 12 feet
(wWrmSpCynRP-03).
A few people may want an
assist on this upclimb
but most people should
be able to handle it
fine.
After the 12 foot
upclimb it is an easy
walk for about 250 feet
up to the bottom of
Pottymouth where it
meets Warm Springs
Canyon (yPottymouthBt).
Note:
There are two options
for completing the exit
once you are at the
bottom of Pottymouth. The
fastest route would be
to exit out of
Pottymouth and
Warmsprings Canyon and
go directly back to the
car park area.
Another option would be
to exit up Warm Springs
Canyon and scramble out
near the head then route
find your way back to
the cars across open
desert. Exiting up
Warm Springs Canyon will
involve a few difficult
upclimbs that will
likely require partner
assist to get up.
Skilled upclimbers may
be able to do the route
solo but a partner is
recommended.
To exit directly
back to the cars:
From the bottom of Pottymouth (yPottymouthBt)
scramble up the slick
rock slope to the east
and just down canyon of
the bottom of Pottymouth.
The slope levels off a
little after about 750
feet (wPottyRP-09).
To exit
directly back to the
cars route find your way
northeast on a bearing
of about 40 degrees
roughly parallel to the Pottymouth
drainage for about 0.6 miles to a
slick rock ridge /
point. The ridge /
point is the same one
used for the approach
down to the top of Pottymouth.
Scramble northeast up
the ridge about 500 feet
to a slick rock saddle
(wPottyRP-02).
While getting over to
the saddle you may need
to traverse around a bit
to make travel easier.
From the slickrock
saddle continue
northeast up the ridge
for about 450 to a steep
section to scramble up
(wPottyRP-01).
Once at the top of the
steep scramble continue
northeast along the
desert for about 0.6
miles back to the road
where the parking area
is (pkWarmSpring1).
To exit up Warm
Springs Canyon:
From the bottom of
Pottymouth Canyon (yPottymouthBt)
travel northeast up Warm
Springs Canyon. A
little over 200 feet up
canyon are two upclimbs
(wWrmSpCynRP-04).
The first upclimb is
about 15 feet and is
moderate to difficult
upclimbing. The second
is about 8 feet and not
as difficult but is
awkward as you climb up
over a large choke
stone.
About 200 feet up canyon
of the upclimbs starts
an open area of about
900 feet long.
At the upper end of the
open area
(wWrmSpCynRP-05).
Travel up canyon from
here is in a more narrow
portion of the canyon
with twisted sculpted
walls and very scenic.
There are multiple easy
upclimbs of 4 to 6 feet
over the next 0.2 miles
before reaching an
upclimb of about 8 feet.
The 8 foot upclimb
(wWrmSpCynRP-06) is
difficult and almost
everyone will want /
need a partner assist to
get up this drop.
If you are really
tall..... like 6 foot 7,
you can stem up it
making it easier.)
After the upclimb the
canyon widens out a
little for about 475
feet before reaching the
bottom end of a narrow
section
(wWrmSpCynRP-07).
The narrow section up
canyon of here is a
little over 200 feet
long and has about 4
short but moderately
difficult upclimbs.
Continuing up canyon
from the top end of the
narrow section the
drainage widens out a
little and is more of a
wash with a lot of
boulder debris in it.
Almost 400 feet up
canyon from the top of
the narrow section look
for a weakness in the
RDC (east) side of the
canyon walls. The
weakness
(jWarmSprUprExt) is
formed from a rock fall
pile which allows one to
climb up out of the
canyon. As you
scramble up out of the
canyon there will be an
upclimb of about 5 feet
as you get up on top of
the carmel layer.
Note:
The weakness used to
climb out of the upper
end of Warm Springs
Canyon is about 600 feet
before the top end of
the slot you are
traveling in. If
you go too far and come
to a dead end on your
way up just turn back
down canyon about 600
feet looking for the
weakness you passed.
As you hit the dirt
portion of the climb up
continue east up the
steep dirt slope for
about 80 feet to where
the slope levels off
(wWrmSpCynRP-08) to wide
open desert.
After you are up on the
wide open desert you can
head directly for the
parking spot
(pkWarmSpring1) for the
start of the Pottymouth
route which is 1.1 miles
northeast at a bearing
of 66 degrees.
There is no preferred
route through this
section of desert, route
find what looks best to
you at the time.
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........
| Sinusitis (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-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.
- WarmSpngDP-01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.65055
W -110.60412
Elev: NaN Feet
Alternate drive in route and standard drive in route for the Warm Springs area join here.
- t2Deuce
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.64746
W -110.60106
Elev: 4,560 Feet
Trailhead for Double Deuce canyon. This is a large clering for a few vehicles to park where the road makes a sharp bend.
- pkWarmSpring1
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.63272
W -110.59759
Elev: 4,525 Feet
Park here for the route over to Upper Warm Springs canyons like Potty Mouth and Sinusitus.
|
| Sinusitis (2) - Approach and Exit Rope setting in Warm Springs |
- pkWarmSpring1
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.63272
W -110.59759
Elev: 4,525 Feet
Park here for the route over to Upper Warm Springs canyons like Potty Mouth and Sinusitus.
- wPottyRP-01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.62547
W -110.60442
Elev: 4,360 Feet
A drop in the ridge to scramble down on the approach to Pottyouth or Sinusitis Canyons.
- wPottyRP-02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.62484
W -110.60563
Elev: 4,280 Feet
A white sandsone saddle on the ridge just before reaching a hoodoo like feature.
- yPottymouthTp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.62681
W -110.60468
Elev: 4,305 Feet
Top of Pottymouth Canyon where a slickrock slot drops down away from the dirt layer.
- yPottymouthBt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61878
W -110.61604
Elev: 4,030 Feet
Bottom of Pottymouth where it joins into Warm Springs Canyon.
- wWrmSpCynRP-03
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61815
W -110.61552
Elev: NaN Feet
Drop of about 12 feet that is easy to downclimb and may require a partner assist to get back up.
- wWrmSpCynRP-02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61731
W -110.61307
Elev: 3,990 Feet
Drop of about 20 feet that can not be upclimbed and has a large boulder choke stone at the top you have to get over. If you are exiting Sinusitis, you need make a seperate trip down Warm Springs Canyon to this spot and leave a rope hanging over the drop so you can ascend up it to exit. The rope can be anchored from large rocks at teh top of the drop. A rope of about 35 or 40 feet is a good idea here to allow more anchor options.
- wWrmSpCynRP-03
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61815
W -110.61552
Elev: NaN Feet
Drop of about 12 feet that is easy to downclimb and may require a partner assist to get back up.
- yPottymouthBt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61878
W -110.61604
Elev: 4,030 Feet
Bottom of Pottymouth where it joins into Warm Springs Canyon.
- wPottyRP-09
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61888
W -110.61361
Elev: NaN Feet
When scrambling up out of Pottymouth the slope levels off a little here.
If exiting and heading for the cars, route find your way roughly parallel to the Pottymouth drainage northeast about 0.6 miles to a slick rock ridge / point that can be scrambled up to get back to the road. The ridge is the same one used to approach Pottymouth.
If dropping into Warm Springs Canyon down to the bottom of Pottymouth, drop down the steep sloped slick rock for about 750 feet to the southwest to get down into Warm Springs Canyon.
If exiting Warm Springs Canyon and traveling over to the top of Sinusitis, continue northeast about 0.2 miles to where you cross over what feels like the next drainage.
- wSinusitisRP01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.62015
W -110.61033
Elev: NaN Feet
When exiting up out of Warm Springs Canyon from the bottom of Pottymouth and traveling over to the top of Sinusitis the route crosses a minor side drainage of Sinusitus here.
- jSinusitisTp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61937
W -110.60873
Elev: 4,065 Feet
The approach to Sinusitis from the bottom of Pottymouth drops into Sinusitis here in an open area.
Up canyon of here are 4 very short slots that are mostly uninteresting.
The 4 short slots up canyon of here range from 150 to 300 feet long each and are spread out for about 0.35 miles northeast up canyon of here. Two of them are walk through slots and the other two offer two easy downclimbs and one spicy downclimb. These slots do not offer technical fun and are not overly interesting. Feel free to drop your gear here before entering Sinusitis if you want to go look at the short slots.
|
| Sinusitis (3) - The Canyon |
- jSinusitisTp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61937
W -110.60873
Elev: 4,065 Feet
The approach to Sinusitis from the bottom of Pottymouth drops into Sinusitis here in an open area.
Up canyon of here are 4 very short slots that are mostly uninteresting.
The 4 short slots up canyon of here range from 150 to 300 feet long each and are spread out for about 0.35 miles northeast up canyon of here. Two of them are walk through slots and the other two offer two easy downclimbs and one spicy downclimb. These slots do not offer technical fun and are not overly interesting. Feel free to drop your gear here before entering Sinusitis if you want to go look at the short slots.
- ySinusitisTp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61879
W -110.60932
Elev: 4,050 Feet
Top of Sinusitis. This is where the lower slot forms and begins the challenging portion of Sinusitis.
- wSinusitisRP02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61821
W -110.61042
Elev: NaN Feet
Drop of about 10 to 12 feet into a pothole that could be about chest deep if full of water.
- wSinusitisRP03
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61802
W -110.61058
Elev: NaN Feet
Drop down into a pothole that can be an easy downclimb, an aggressive partner assist or a drop that will require a pack drag to rap over depending on sand levels. If the pothole is scoured out deep it will require a pack drag to rappel down into the pothole. Top part of drop is easy sloped V-slot down to an overhanging lip into the pothole that can be 10 feet or more below the lip. An easy place to pull from to retrieve your pack is after exiting the down canyon side of the pothole where you can easily stem up high for an easy pull angle for pack retrieval.
- wSinusitisRP04
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61778
W -110.61087
Elev: NaN Feet
Canyon begins to drop and get deeper. There are a couple easy sloped V-slot downclimbs here.
- dSinustsR1-KPH
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61760
W -110.61112
Elev: NaN Feet
Big keeper pothole. Anchor a few feet back using a chokestone or a deadman anchor and rap down into the pothole. The last 15 feet are vertical but you may want up to 30 feet of rope to get to the anchor. Another rope of about 40 feet may also be useful to toss a potshot across the pothole to allow escape. Partner assist up out of the pothole may be possible in dry conditions if the sand levels allow. The V-slot on the down canyon side of the pothole will catch a potshot well.
- wSinusitisRP05
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61742
W -110.61148
Elev: NaN Feet
Drop of about 50 feet where you will need to downclimb through a skinny crack in an elevator like way. There is one part near the top of the drop that is small and will require people to remove their packs to fit through.
- ySinusitisBt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61700
W -110.61222
Elev: 3,860 Feet
Bottom of Sinusitus where it drops into Warm Springs Canyon.
|
| Sinusitis (4) - Exit |
- ySinusitisBt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61700
W -110.61222
Elev: 3,860 Feet
Bottom of Sinusitus where it drops into Warm Springs Canyon.
- wWrmSpCynRP-01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61707
W -110.61235
Elev: NaN Feet
Two stage upclimb to go up when exiting up Warm Springs Canyon when exiting Sinusitis. The stages are about 8 and 6 feet. Both are moderately difficult but partner assists should make these easy for most anyone.
- wWrmSpCynRP-02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61731
W -110.61307
Elev: 3,990 Feet
Drop of about 20 feet that can not be upclimbed and has a large boulder choke stone at the top you have to get over. If you are exiting Sinusitis, you need make a seperate trip down Warm Springs Canyon to this spot and leave a rope hanging over the drop so you can ascend up it to exit. The rope can be anchored from large rocks at teh top of the drop. A rope of about 35 or 40 feet is a good idea here to allow more anchor options.
- wWrmSpCynRP-03
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61815
W -110.61552
Elev: NaN Feet
Drop of about 12 feet that is easy to downclimb and may require a partner assist to get back up.
- yPottymouthBt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61878
W -110.61604
Elev: 4,030 Feet
Bottom of Pottymouth where it joins into Warm Springs Canyon.
- wPottyRP-09
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61888
W -110.61361
Elev: NaN Feet
When scrambling up out of Pottymouth the slope levels off a little here.
If exiting and heading for the cars, route find your way roughly parallel to the Pottymouth drainage northeast about 0.6 miles to a slick rock ridge / point that can be scrambled up to get back to the road. The ridge is the same one used to approach Pottymouth.
If dropping into Warm Springs Canyon down to the bottom of Pottymouth, drop down the steep sloped slick rock for about 750 feet to the southwest to get down into Warm Springs Canyon.
If exiting Warm Springs Canyon and traveling over to the top of Sinusitis, continue northeast about 0.2 miles to where you cross over what feels like the next drainage.
- wPottyRP-02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.62484
W -110.60563
Elev: 4,280 Feet
A white sandsone saddle on the ridge just before reaching a hoodoo like feature.
- wPottyRP-01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.62547
W -110.60442
Elev: 4,360 Feet
A drop in the ridge to scramble down on the approach to Pottyouth or Sinusitis Canyons.
- pkWarmSpring1
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.63272
W -110.59759
Elev: 4,525 Feet
Park here for the route over to Upper Warm Springs canyons like Potty Mouth and Sinusitus.
|