Canyoneering Route Description

Trough Canyon - 3A I
Ticaboo Mesa, Utah. 

Quick Facts

11-09-14, 6 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 2.75 hours) -

Time Required - 1.5 to 2.5 hours
Distance - 1.2 miles Total, 0.3 miles Technical
Rappels - 2 Rappels, Longest Rappel 210 feet.
Elevation Range - 4820 - 4280 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 210 feet and 30 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.  Both rappels in Trough Canyon can be easily done using a retrievable anchor like the Smooth Operator, Fiddlestick and will allow you to descend this canyon leaving nothing behind.  If you do not want to carry a rope longer than 200 feet see the option noted in the comments section for the final rappel using a 50 foot rope, a 200 foot rope, a pull line of more than 210 feet and a retrievable anchor like the Smooth Operator or a Fiddlestick.

General Comments

Trough Canyon gets the name from its starting location.  The route starts and ends from a water tank and water trough by Ticaboo Shelf Spring.  Ticaboo Shelf Spring originates at the top of this canyon so it could go by an aka of Ticaboo Shelf Spring Canyon.

Trough Canyon is a short route to fill up a small part of your day.  Trough Canyon drops down into the Upper South Fork of Ticaboo Canyon.  The route back up to the rim where you parked is via an old cattle trail and is mostly cairned.  If you find the route was too short and you want some other short thing to do, a nice option is to drive over and do only the top half of Double Entendre.

Thanks to Matt Williams for suggesting we explore the route.

Note - Final Rappel Option
The final rappel is about 210 feet which is longer that the standard 200 foot rope.  If you prefer not to carry a rope longer that 200 feet, the final rappel can be done using a 50 foot rope, a 200 foot rope, a pull line of more than 210 feet and a retrievable anchor like the Smooth Operator or a Fiddlestick.

Rig the large rock with the 50 foot rope using the Smooth Operator.  Rappel down past the small pothole below and tie the 200 foot rope to the 50 foot rope.  Each person can rap on the 50 foot rope to the small pothole then pass the knot in the ropes while standing safely in the pothole then continue the rappel on the 200 foot rope.  Using the Smooth Operator the knot in the ropes does not need to pass through a rap ring and simply fall down the drop when released.

Driving Directions

To get to the Trailhead

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

About 0.9 miles farther is a junction (TicabooDP-07) of BLM roads (13400 continues northeast and 13430 branches off to the south).
Continue northeast on BLM road 13400.
Note: If you were going farther out onto Ticaboo Mesa, you would turn south onto BLM road 13430.

About 0.3 miles farther is junction (extBLM-13460) of BLM roads (13400 continues northeast and 13460 branches off to the north).
To Go to the parking for Trough, SF Ticaboo or the Sleepy Time Trio Canyons, turn north onto BLM road 13460 toward Shelf Spring.

To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod

No exit vehicle is needed.  This is done as a loop route.

Maps

GPS coordinate information listed at the bottom.  For information about waypoint naming and map symbols, refer to the Glossary page.

Click the links for maps of the route. Map of the drive into the route.
Map of the entire route.

Details

The Approach:
From the parking spot (pkTicShSpg) route find your way northwest down the dirt and rock slope a little over 400 feet to where the Trough Canyon drainage drops down onto slickrock (yTroughTP).

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
When you get down onto slickrock (yTroughTP) walk north over toward the canyon about 200 feet to rap 1.  Rap one is at the head of a cross joint dropping in on the RDC (east) side.

Rap 1 (dTroughR1) is anchored from a large rock and drops about 70 feet down a mostly gentle slope with the lower portion going vertical.

Just after rap 1 is a downclimb about 25 feet down a V-slot that is slightly sloped and gets a little awkward near the bottom.

About 50 feet after the downclimb the canyon turns right as you get to the end of the cross joint.

About 50 feet farther is a downclimb (wTroughRP-01) of about 15 to 20 feet that is only slightly sloped and can be downclimbed by spreading wide.  this is a difficult downclimb due to the wide stretch needed and a partner assist will likely be needed.

Shortly after the downclimb will be a couple of small cross joints to go around by traversing RDC then route find your way down along the cross joints.

About 100 feet farther is the start (wTroughRP-02) of a shallow V-slot area cutting through more cross joints with a mix of easy walking and a couple spots of light galumphing. 

About 235 feet down canyon is an easy down climb (wTroughRP-03) of about 10 to 12 feet in a V-slot.  Over the next 250 feet are 3 more downclimbs of 10 to 12 feet each.  These next three downclimbs are mostly vertical and are stem style downclimbs.

After the series of 10 to 12 foot downclimbs is a drop (wTroughRP-04) of about 25 feet that is easily bypassed on the RDC side.

After getting around the drop and past another pothole you will be where the end of the canyon drops steeply down to the South Fork of Ticaboo Creek.  at the top of this steep dropping section downclimb a sloped slide / slot about 20 feet down to a small shallow pothole with a large rock in it.  That large rock is the anchor for rap 2.

Rap 2 (dTroughR2) is anchored from a large rock in a small pothole and drops about 210 feet passing first over a small pothole then down a mostly vertical wall.  Webbing can be tied to the large rock or use a retrievable anchor like the Smooth Operator.  If Going Smooth from the large rock anchor it is VERY IMPORTANT to tie the stone knot twist free to avoid getting the rope stuck.

Optional Anchor for rap 2
Another option is to downclimb about 5 feet past the large rock anchor down to the next lower pothole that is only shin deep where you will find a crack on the canyon floor that can be used with a knot chalk anchor.  This option would shorten the rappel to right at about 200 feet but would require leaving webbing for the knot chalk anchor.

Optional Technique to use a 200 foot rope
The final rappel can be done using a 50 foot rope, a 200 foot rope, a pull line of more than 210 feet and a retrievable anchor like the Smooth Operator or a Fiddlestick.  Rig the large rock with the 50 foot rope using the Smooth Operator.  Rappel down past the small pothole below and tie the 200 foot rope to 50 foot rope.  Each person can rap on the 50 foot rope to the small pothole then pass the knot in the ropes while standing safely in the pothole then continue the rappel on the 200 foot rope.  Using the Smooth Operator the knot in the ropes does not need to pass through a rap ring and simply fall down the drop when released.

After rap 2 walk north about 175 feet down the drainage to where it ends and meets the southern most fork of South Fork of Ticaboo Creek (yTroughBt).   Looking back up canyon it looks like Trough Canyon is nothing more than a pour off from the slickrock above.

The Exit:
From end of the canyon (yTroughBt) turn right and walk east down the South Fork of Ticaboo Creek.

Note - Side Trip
If you have extra time and want to wonder around in a short serene feeling slot a little you can wonder up stream about 550 feet to the bottom of a deep looking canyon dropping down fro Ticaboo Mesa from the same side as Trough Canyon.  You can wonder about 350 feet up the canyon to the base of a drop of 60 feet or so high.  There is only one boulder to scramble over on the way up.  The canyon has a very secluded and quiet feel with some vegetation and lots of shade.

About 1000 feet down canyon of the bottom of Trough Canyon you will get to a wide open bowl like area on the RDC (southwest) side of Ticaboo Creek (jTicShSpgEx).

Walk southwest about 300 feet through the flat area in the bowl like area over to the bottom of the cairned cattle trail (wTicShSpgEx01).

Follow the cairned route about 400 feet to where it crosses of the drainage (wTicShSpgEx02) then begins to travel mostly southwest up a series of about 10 switchbacks up toward Ticaboo Shelf Spring. 

Portions of the switchbacks up to the mesa top cross over some sections of slickrock making it difficult to see where the trail goes.  Each of these spots are short and just a little walking around will allow you to see where the trail continues.

A little over 0.2 miles up the switch backs is the top most switchback on the cairned route (wTicShSpgEx03).  From the last switchback walk west about 1500 feet back to where the vehicle is parked (pkTicShSpg).

GPS Waypoint Information

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

Trough Canyon (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). Road to the south is about 1.25 miles long and goes down toward Cane Spring Well. 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. The road going north is BLM Road 13440 aobut 0.4 miles long and goes over toward Colt Spring. TicabooDP-06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.68667   W -110.59547        Elev: NaN Feet Junction for a side road going north. The Road north is BLM Road 13540 and goes out toward Upper South Fork Ticaboo. 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. extBLM-13460          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.69800   W -110.57872        Elev: NaN Feet Turn off to BLM road 13460 toward Shelf Spring pkTicShSpg          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70146   W -110.58039        Elev: 4,820 Feet Wide parking spot near the end of BLM Road 13460 near a tank and trough by Ticaboo Shelf Spring. This spot is large enough for many cars.

Trough Canyon (2) - Approach and Canyon

pkTicShSpg          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70146   W -110.58039        Elev: 4,820 Feet Wide parking spot near the end of BLM Road 13460 near a tank and trough by Ticaboo Shelf Spring. This spot is large enough for many cars. yTroughTP          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70245   W -110.58089        Elev: 4,700 Feet Top of Trough Canyon. This is where the Trough Canyon drainage drops down onto slickrock. dTroughR1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70290   W -110.58069        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 1 - Trough Canyon. Anchored from a large rock at the top of the drop and drops about wTroughRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70324   W -110.58087        Elev: NaN Feet Downclimb of about 15 to 20 feet. Very wide stretch to get down this downclimb. A partner assist will make this drop a lot easier. wTroughRP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70379   W -110.58068        Elev: NaN Feet Start of a shallow V-slot area cutting through more cross joints. wTroughRP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70422   W -110.58007        Elev: NaN Feet Easy downclimb of 10 to 12 feet in a V-slot. Over the next 250 feet are 3 more downclimbs of 10 to 12 feet each. These next three downclimbs are mostly vertical and are stem style downclimbs. wTroughRP-04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70486   W -110.57969        Elev: NaN Feet Drop of about 25 feet that is easily bypassed around on the RDC side. dTroughR2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70492   W -110.57978        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 2 - Trough Canyon. Anchored from a large rock in a small pothole and drops about 210 feet passing first over a small pothole then down a mostly vertical wall.  Webbing can be tied to the large rock or use a retrievable anchor like the Smooth Operator.  If Going Smooth from the large rock anchor it is VERY IMPORTANT to tie the stone knot twist free to avoid getting the rope stuck. Optional Anchor for rap 2 Another option is to downclimb about 5 feet past the large rock anchor down to the next lower pothole that is only shin deep where you will find a crack on the canyon floor that can be used with a knot chalk anchor.  This option would shorten the rappel to right at about 200 feet but would require leaving webbing for the knot chalk anchor. Optional Technique to use a 200 foot rope The final rappel can be done using a 50 foot rope, a 200 foot rope, a pull line of more than 210 feet and a retrievable anchor like the Smooth Operator or a Fiddlestick. Rig the large rock with the 50 foot rope using the Smooth Operator.  Rappel down past the small pothole below and tie the 200 foot rope to 50 foot rope.  Each person can rap on the 50 foot rope to the small pothole then pass the knot in the ropes while standing safely in the pothole then continue the rappel on the 200 foot rope.  Using the Smooth Operator the knot in the ropes does not need to pass through a rap ring and simply fall down the drop when released. yTroughBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70546   W -110.57974        Elev: 4,290 Feet Bottom of Trough Canyon where it meets the South Fork of Ticaboo Creek. Looking back up canyon it looks like Trough Canyon is nothing more than a pour off from the slickrock above.

Trough Canyon (3) - Exit

yTroughBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70546   W -110.57974        Elev: 4,290 Feet Bottom of Trough Canyon where it meets the South Fork of Ticaboo Creek. Looking back up canyon it looks like Trough Canyon is nothing more than a pour off from the slickrock above. jTicShSpgEx          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70453   W -110.57676        Elev: 4,280 Feet Junction where you leave Ticaboo Creek and start up the Ticaboo Shelf Spring Exit route. THis route is mostly cairned and is an old cattle trail. wTicShSpgEx01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70380   W -110.57650        Elev: NaN Feet Bottom of the cairned cattle trail up to Ticaboo Shelf Spring. wTicShSpgEx02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70295   W -110.57630        Elev: NaN Feet Cairned trail crosses the draiange here to turn and travel mostly southwest up a series of about 10 switchbacks. Portions of the switchbacks up to the mesa top cross over some sections of slickrock making it difficult to see where the trail goes. Each of these spots are short and just a little walking around will allow you to see where the trail continues. wTicShSpgEx03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70200   W -110.57783        Elev: NaN Feet Top most switchback on the carined cattle trail. wTicShSpngTnk          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70234   W -110.58009        Elev: NaN Feet Tank and water trough at Ticaboo Shelf Spring. pkTicShSpg          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.70146   W -110.58039        Elev: 4,820 Feet Wide parking spot near the end of BLM Road 13460 near a tank and trough by Ticaboo Shelf Spring. This spot is large enough for many cars.