Canyoneering Route Description

Warm Springs Canyon Canyon - 2A I
Ticaboo Mesa, Utah.

Quick Facts

05-19-12, 3 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 2.25 hours)-Time estimated since we combined routes
Pictures shown are from the bottom of Warm Springs Canyon where Sinusitis joins in then all the way up and out of Warm Springs.

Time Required - 2 to 3 hours
Distance - 4.2 miles Total, 2.3 miles Technical
Rappels - 0 Rappels, Longest Rappel N/A feet. Down climbs to 12 feet.
Elevation Range - 4525 - 3990 Feet
Shuttle Required - No Miles Vehicle - High Clearance, 4WD if bad road conditions Permit Required - No

Gear Used for Canyon

No ropes or special gear is needed for Warm Springs Canyon.  A short rope or length of webbing may be a good idea to assist partner if they feel the need.

General Comments

Warm Springs Canyon can offer a short scenic trip.  There is one drop of about 12 feet in the lower part of Warm Springs Canyon that may be a little difficult to get back up.  Dropping down this drop is optional though.  The rest of the canyon has a few easy downclimbs and travels through a scenic area making for a relaxing fun day out.

The route drops down into Warm Springs Canyon then travels almost all the way to the end where there is a huge drop down into Lake Powell.  At the bottom end of Warm Springs Canyon is where Sinusitis Canyon joins in but you will need to stop about 280 feet before reaching it.  You will be stopped by a drop of about 20 feet that will require a rope to drop down and then ascend back up.  The Warm Springs Canyon route allows you to see all but about 300 feet of the canyon while making it an easy day out. 

Note:
If you feel motivated to see the lower 300 feet of Warm Springs Canyon, you have two options.  The first option is to rig a rope, rappel the drop, go see the lower 300 feet of canyon then return by ascending the rope.  Getting up this drop can be awkward.  The second option is to not go down the drop yet and enjoy the easy day you are having.  Come back another day and plan to do the Sinusitis route which uses this portion of the canyon as an exit after first setting an exit rope at the drop.

Exiting Warm Springs Canyon is done by scrambling out of the canyon near the bottom of Pottymouth Canyon then using the Pottymouth exit to get back to the cars.  It is possible to upclimb all the way up Warm Springs Canyon but this makes it a more challenging day.  If you want to see two canyons on the same day try dropping down Pottymouth then exiting by upclimbing all the way to the top of Warm Springs Canyon. 

Driving Directions

To get to the Trailhead

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

About 700 feet farther is a fork in the road (extWarmSpring).  At this fork 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.

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 (pkWarmSpring1) walk west across the desert for about 1.1 miles over to the head of Warm Springs Canyon (yWarmSprCynTp).

From the head of the canyon (yWarmSprCynTp) walk along the top of the dirt sloped side of the canyon south for about 650 feet to near the top of a weakness (wWrmSpCynRP-08) to drop down into Warm Springs Canyon.  Work your way down the dirt slope toward the rock pile weakness and scramble down in where you will find one down climb of about 5 feet as you drop over the carmel layer.

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
Once at the bottom of the weakness and in Warm Springs Canyon (jWarmSprUprExt) travel south down canyon.  A few hundred feet down canyon will be a narrow section with a few short easy down climbs.  The narrow section opens up about 600 down canyon of where you dropped in to Warm Springs Canyon (wWrmSpCynRP-07).

About 500 feet farther down canyon will be a downclimb of about 8 feet that will be moderately difficult as it drops over a large choke stone / boulder (wWrmSpCynRP-06).  This drop is very difficult to climb back up.  A partner assist will likely be needed by most people to get back up this drop.

Travel down canyon of here is in a narrow winding section that is very scenic and will offer a few short easy downclimbs of 4 to 6 feet.  About 0.2 miles down canyon the narrow section opens up to a wide area (wWrmSpCynRP-05) that stays wide open for about 900 feet before the next narrow section starts.

About 200 feet down the next narrow section is a set of downclimbs (wWrmSpCynRP-04).  The downclimbs are 8 feet then 15 feet and both are easy downclimbs.  These are moderately difficult to get back up.

About 200 feet down canyon another canyon joins in on the LDC (northeast) side.  This is the bottom of Pottymouth Canyon (yPottymouthBt).  Once at the bottom of Pottymouth you can drop your gear to make travel easier then Continue down Warm Springs Canyon to see what is down there and turn around and come back to your gear before scrambling up out of the canyon.

From the bottom of Pottymouth continue 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. 

Warning:
Evaluate your ability to get back up this 12 foot drop before you go down!  You will need to get back up this drop to get out.  If you are unsure of your ability consider leaving one person at the top with a short rope to help get you back out then trade places so the other(s) can head down canyon.

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.  This is your stopping point.  Do not go down this 20 foot drop.  The only way out is back up a rope you leave or a very long rappel down into Lake Powel where you would need a boat to come get you.

Note:
If you were 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. 

Next turn around and go back up to the bottom of Pottymouth where you left your gear (yPottymouthBt).

The Exit:
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).

GPS Waypoint Information

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

Warm Springs 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). 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. tDublDuce          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.

Warm Springs Canyon (2) - Approach and Canyon

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. yWarmSprCynTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62770   W -110.61767        Elev: 4,275 Feet Top of the Warm Springs Upper Narrows. wWrmSpCynRP-08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62585   W -110.61734        Elev: 4,275 Feet Top of the steep part ofthe climb up out of the upper end of Warm Springs Canyon. The route out leveles off here in wide open desert. Route find your way a little over a mile north east of here back to where you parked on the dirt road. jWarmSprUprExt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62594   W -110.61777        Elev: 4,240 Feet Weakness in the cliff band formed by a rock fall debris pile which allows you to climb up out of the canyon on the RDC side. There is one upclimb of about 5 feet to get up on top of the carmel rock layer. wWrmSpCynRP-07          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62494   W -110.61938        Elev: NaN Feet Bottom of a narrow section. On the way up Warm Springs Canyon there are 4 or 5 short upclimbs of moderate difficulty. wWrmSpCynRP-06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62376   W -110.61950        Elev: NaN Feet When traveling up Warm Springs Canyon there is an upclimb here of about 8 feet that is difficult to get up. Most everyone will want a partner assist here unless you are really tall (like 6 foot 7). wWrmSpCynRP-05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62095   W -110.61908        Elev: 4,090 Feet Upper end of an open area in the canyon. Travel north up canyon from here starts another narrow section. wWrmSpCynRP-04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.61878   W -110.61680        Elev: NaN Feet Two upclimbs on the way up Warm Springs Canyon. 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 here starts an open area. 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 teh 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.

Warm Springs Canyon (3) - Exit

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.