Canyoneering Route Description

Bulloch Canyon - Paper Bag Fork - 3A IV
Zion National Park, Utah.

Quick Facts

07-25-15, 3 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 15 hours) time includes 2 hour side trip to a nearby peak west of the canyon.

Time Required - 11 to 13 hours
Distance - 13.6 miles Total, 2 miles Technical - Technical miles include 1.5 miles down Orderville which is mostly a walk.
Rappels - 7 Rappels, Longest Rappel 70 feet. - 6 raps in Paper Bag Fork and one rap in Lower Orderville
Elevation Range - 6820 - 4440 Feet
Shuttle Required -Yes 27.6 Miles Vehicle - Passenger  Permit Required - Yes
Optionally using a 4WD - High Clearance vehicle will get a little over a mile farther into the approach.

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up to 70 feet and 70 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.

General Comments

Paper Bag Fork is the left / west fork of Bulloch Canyon. Thanks to Kip for sharing route info and sharing the name.

The Paper Bag Fork of Bulloch Canyon is not very scenic nor a technically fun canyon.  Most of the canyon is ravine like with fallen logs and boulders to downclimb over and around. There are some short narrow slots mixed in with the debris filled segments.

However if you do decide you want to take a trip out there, I do recommend taking a short side trip over to the ridge running between Left Fork of Bulloch and one of the side forks of Checkerboard Canyon. The two canyons come from opposite directions with the heads crossing such that a narrow ridge is created almost 0.4 miles long. The ridge is easy to travel and offers views down both sides into each canyon. The ridge is a very interesting walk. At the southern end of the ridge you can route find your way to the east up onto a near by peak / mesa.

Navigating Dakota Ridge toward Checkerboard Canyon follows a series of high points along Dakota Ridge and is pretty straight forward to follow. However there are a few spots where smaller ridges branch off and a GPS may be a good idea to help ensure you stay on course.

Once down off Dakota Ridge near the head of Checkerboard Canyon the route over to the Paper Bag Fork of Bulloch Canyon travels southwest roughly following the rim of Checkerboard through some wide open rolling terrain. A GPS may be a good idea here as well to assist with finding the correct spot to drop off the mesa down to the head of the Paper Bag Fork.

The route we used into the head of the Paper Bag Fork was not directly down the head of the canyon which is steep, full of loose rock and nasty looking.  Instead we made our way a little over 100 feet to where we could rap down to a ledge on the RDC side then downclimb / rap down into the side of the canyon very near the head.  If you decide to go directly down the head of the canyon you will need a longer rope than described here.

Driving Directions

To get to the Trailhead

From the East Gate of Zion National Park, travel 2.4 miles east on highway 9 to the turn for North Fork Road (wEngDP-01). 

Turn left (north) onto North Fork Road and drive 5.3 miles on a paved road to the turn for the Ponderosa Ranch (wEngDP-02).

Continue past the turn for the turn for Ponderosa Ranch and continue on the North Fork Road a few hundred feet to where the pavement ends (wBirchHlwDP-01). 

About 2.8 miles after the pavement ends is a large turn out on the left (west) side of the road with a wooden kiosk.  The turnout is the trailhead for Birch Hollow (tBirchHollow).

Note:
About 0.24 miles past this kiosk is a small dirt road that comes in on the left (northwest) and is where the Esplin Gulch route will come out onto the road (jWWH-Top).  This is the top of the Wild Wind Hollow exit that will be used to exit Eslpin.  Park an exit vehicle here.

About 3 miles past the kiosk for Birch Hollow is a junction (extOrderville) to a signed dirt road on the left ( west) that goes to the upper trailhead for Orderville Gulch.

Stay on the North Fork road and continue 1.6 miles to a road (extCotageWoods) on the right (east) with a sign for the Cottage of the Woods community.

Stay on the North Fork road and continue 0.9 miles to a sharp right hand bend in the road (pkBulloch1).  This is where you will park the entry vehicle to begin the route.  There is a road sign post labeled as 90 and 92.  If you are driving a passenger vehicle and do not have high clearance or 4WD find a place to park here to start the approach toward Bulloch Canyon.

Note:
The North Fork road is dirt and usually in good enough condition for a standard passenger car to travel unless muddy from recent rains.  So passenger cars will normally be able to get to this point.  Turning off of the North Fork Road here to go toward the Bulloch Canyon approach starts down a road that gets significantly rougher and is not suggested for passenger vehicles.  High clearance 4WD vehicles are suggested past this point.  Driving in past this point will get you a little over 1 mile farther.

If you are using a 4WD high clearance you can drive a little over a mile into the approach to another turn off to park at (pkBulloch2).  See approach description for details.

Warning:
The dirt portion of the North Fork Road can become impassable with rain.  The road has a lot of clay content and becomes very slick with just a little rain.  Even 4WD vehicles quickly become useless.  If there is a high likelihood of rain, consider opting out of this route that day.  Afternoon showers at some times of the year can create an impassable road in a very short time.  We got stuck overnight only 0.5 miles from pavement (4WD vehicles included).

To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod

Leave an exit vehicle at the Zion Visitor center.  After the route take the Zion shuttle back to the visitor center to pick up the vehicle.  Then drive up to retrieve the entry vehicle.

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 entire route.
Map of first part of approach.
Map of second part of approach.
Map of the technical section.
Map of the technical section.

Details

The Approach:
From turn off (pkBulloch1) of the North Fork Road for the approach for Bulloch Canyon walk southwest on the road marked as 90 and 92. 

About 600 feet from the North Fork Road will be a fork in the road (wBullochRP-01).  Stay left and the fork.

About 550 feet farther will be a road (wBullochRP-02) joining in from the right (north) that can easily be over looked due to the angle of approach.

About 0.9 miles farther is another fork in the road (pkBulloch2).  This fork is about 1.2 miles after leaving the North Fork Road.  When walking in on the approach for Bulloch Canyon turn right (north) at this fork. 

Note:
If you have high clearance and 4WD this is where you can park to begin the route.  Driving farther is possible but the road quickly deteriorates and is not recommended.

About 600 feet down this road you may notice a faint road joining in from the left(south).  Continue past the faint road and stay on the more obvious road continuing west).  As you continue the condition of the road quickly deteriorates in spots making short sections of the road harder to follow but over all the road is easy to follow.

About 1.1 miles down farther the road goes sharply around a corner to the left (jDakotaHill) and begins to drop south down toward Walker Gulch.   A game trail leaves the road here and continues west up a ridge from here toward Dakota Hill.

To follow the Dakota Hill ridge toward Bulloch, Eastern Son or Checkerboard Canyons, leave the road here and start up the trail to the west toward Dakota Hill.

Note:
To follow the road over toward Walker Gulch, Esplin Gulch or Squeeze Play, stay on the road and continue down to the south.

About 100 feet up the trail (DakotaRdgRP01) is a point where a minor ridge joins the the main Dakota Ridge. The minor ridge drops down to the south. Continue west up Dakota Ridge.

There is vegetation to push through in places as you travel this part of Dakota Ridge but not too thick to make travel a hassle.  It does get in the way of what you can see at times so you may find your self trying to see which way the ridge goes.   Continue northwest following the ridge for about 0.25 miles to high point on the ridge (DakotaRdgRP02).

From the high point (DakotaRdgRP02) the ridge turns left and begins to go up to the southwest.

Note:
The Deadeye Dick drainage is visible to the north. It is possible to drop down into Deadeye Dick from the saddle near here but not the best option.

To continue toward Dakota Hill veer left and follow the ridge to the southwest where it is mostly rolling up and down.  Travel about 0.25 miles to the top out on Dakota Hill (pDakotaHill).

From the top out on Dakota Hill continue southwest along the ridge as it gently slopes downward.  About 500 feet from the peak the ridge starts to drop off rapidly (jSalamander1).  From this point notice two ridges running down from here; one to the west and the other to the south. To continue to Eastern Sun, Checkerboard Canyon or the Paper Bag Fork of Bulloch Canyon veer right and follow down the ridge running west.

Note:
 If your route is to go to Salamander Fork of Bulloch Canyon you would drop down southwest between the two ridges.

About 750 feet farther west will be a minor top out along the ridge (DakotaRdgRP03).

Continue west about 0.22 miles along the ridge over to a larger peak (DakotaRdgRP04).  As you approach this peak route find your way along the right (north) side of the peak then begin to follow the ridge running down to the northwest.

Continue northwest down the ridge for about 900 feet to a saddle (DakotaRdgRP05).

Continue northwest up the ridge for about 0.2 miles to another high point along the ridge (jEastrnSun) where the main ridgeline veers left and travels almost level to the southwest and a smaller ridge drops down to the northwest.  To go to Checkerboard Canyon or the Paper Bag Fork of Bulloch Canyon, veer left and follow the main almost level ridge to the southwest for about 900 feet to the next high point.

Note:
Eastern Sun Canyon can be seen down to the northwest. If you were going to Eastern Sun you would leave the ridge here and drop northwest down toward Eastern Sun.   Also of note 375 feet west of here is where you will enter the Zion National Park by crossing the boundary line.

From the next high point (DakotaRdgRP06) continue west along the ridge about 700 feet to a very wide high point.

From the very wide high point (DakotaRdgRP07) there is a gate in a fence to cross. To continue on the main ridge line travel north about 1000 feet to the next high point.

From the next high point (DakotaRdgRP08) veer left and travel slightly more southwest then down slope over to a wide open saddle about 800 feet away.

From the wide saddle (DakotaRdgRP09) continue up the gentle slopes to the west about 1000 feet to the next high point on the ridge.

From the next high point (DakotaRdgRP10) continue west following a well defined and easy to follow ridge line with steep red and white slopes on the left (south) and heavily vegetated slopes on the right (north).  About 0.5 miles farther the ridge will start to end.

As the ridge begins to end (DakotaRdgRP11) there will be two short ridgelines going northwest and southwest. Veer left and walk about 400 feet on the ridge to the southwest where the slope down begins to get steep.

From the top of the steep slope (DakotaRdgRP12) route find your way down the steep slope to the southwest for a little over 200 feet to where it levels off.

Note:
From here you can see a large drainage off to the west which is Checkerboard Canyon and a large drainage off to the south which is one of the upper drainages of the Salamander Fork of Bulloch. The Left Fork of Bulloch Canyon is not yet visible.

After getting to the bottom of the steep dirt (DakotaRdgRP13) to go to the Left Fork of Bulloch Canyon / Paper Bag Fork of Bulloch Canyon walk southwest down the gentle slope about 800 feet to where you will cross over a wide shallow drainage.

Note:
If you were going to Checkerboard Canyon you would veer right and walk west about 900 feet and drop into the Checkerboard drainage.

As you cross the wide shallow drainage that drops down to the south (PaperBag01) continue southwest up the slope roughly following the rim of Checkerboard Canyon on your right (west).

Note:
This shallow drainage going south drops down to the Salamander Fork of Bulloch.

About 500 feet after crossing the shallow drainage the route levels off (PaperBag02) where travel is fast easy walking southwest for about 0.9 miles over to where you leave the mesa to go down to the head of the Paper Bag Fork of Bulloch Canyon.

When you find the top of the slope leading down to the head of the Paper Bag Fork (PaperBag03) leave the mesa and drop down the steep slope to the west about 600 feet to a small saddle which is the head of the Paper Bag Fork (yPaperBagTp). 

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
From small saddle at the head of the Paper Bag Fork of Bulloch Canyon (yPaperBagTp) avoid dropping south down the watercourse as it is steep with lots of loose rock and would be a long rap.  A better entry is to continue west about 250 feet up and over a small hill to get to drop off where you can rappel down a large ledge for rap 1.

Rap 1 (dPaperBagR1) is anchored from a tree and drops about 50 feet down to the ridge running between Bulloch and a side canyon of Checkerboard Canyon. Once down on the ledge walk a little over 100 feet to where you can downclimb ledges down into the Paper Bag Fork.

Note:
If you have time, a great side trip to see something unique is to continue south along the ledge you are on wich quickly becomes a narrow ridge running between the Paper Bag Fork and one of the side forks of Checkerboard Canyon. The two canyons come from opposite directions with the heads crossing such that a narrow ridge is created almost 0.4 miles long. The ridge is easy to travel and offers views down both sides into each canyon. The ridge is a very interesting walk. At the southern end of the ridge you can route find your way to the east up onto a near by peak / mesa if desired.

From where you can scramble down the side of the Paper Bag Fork (dPaperBagR2) begin downclimbing ledges down into the side of the Paper Bag Fork a short distance to where you can rappel from a small tree about 70 feet to the canyon floor. After we got down it looked as though there may be a way to walk / downclimb around this rappel.

Down canyon of rap 2 is walking and scrambling down steep ravine full of rocks and vegetation. There are a few short downclimbs over large rocks that can be a little awkward.

About 0.25 miles down canyon is two downclimbs (PaperBag04) close to each other. First drop is about 12 feet down a crack on the LDC side but can be bypassed up and over on the RDC side. The second drop is about 10 feet and a little awkward over a log where partner assist may be needed.

After these drops the canyon levels off to easy walking for about 750 feet to the next easy downclimb (PaperBag05) of about 10 feet on the RDC side over a boulder.

Down canyon is easy walk and a few very short scrambles for about 600 feet to the next downclimb (PaperBag06) of about 12 feet over a large boulder where you can downclimb around it on the LDC side.  Just down canyon is a narrow section about 80 feet long with 3 stem style downclimbs of 5 to 8 feet.

After the narrow slot, the canyon opens up to easy walking again for about 300 feet to the start of the next narrow section with 2 downclimbs of 12 and 8 feet. The second downclimb has a pool at the bottom about shin deep followed by another pool about shin deep that can be stemmed over with a little effort.

Shortly down canyon is start (PaperBag07) of another short narrow section with an easy stem style downclimb of about 15 feet.

Shortly down canyon is a downclimb of about 12 feet over log and boulder debris with the last 6 feet being moderately difficult to downclimb down the LDC wall to water that can be ankle to waist deep. This drop is tricky to get around due to the slick walls.

Travel down canyon is easy for a few hundred feet down to and through a shallow carved out section with sculpted walls.

Just after is a pour off dropping into the canyon on the LDC side (PaperBag08).  A little over 100 feet down canyon is rap 3.

Rap 3 (dPaperBagR3) is anchored from knot chalk on the RDC side and drops about 15 feet over a large boulder. Optionally a dead man or cairn anchor could be used.

Shortly down canyon is a downclimb of about 8 feet that is awkward followed be a multiple short easy drops and mostly easy travel down to rap 4.

Rap 4 (dPaperBagR4) is anchored from a log in the wash and drops about 40 feet into a deep feeling slot that quickly opens up to more open walking down to rap 5.

Rap 5 (dPaperBagR5) is anchored from a knot chalk on the RDC side and drops about 15 feet. Optionally you can use various rocks as anchors. It is easy walking down to rap 6.

Rap 6 (dPaperBagR6) is anchored from a log and drops about 25 feet. Down canyon is easy walking for a few hundred feet with a few boulders to scramble over.

A few hundred feet down canyon is a downclimb (PaperBag09) of about 15 feet over boulders.

A little over 250 feet down canyon a side drainage joins (PaperBag10 ) in from the LDC (east) side. Just after is a sloped chute to scramble / downclimb through about 20 feet.

A little over 250 feet down canyon a large side drainage joins (PaperBag11) in from the RDC (west) side.  Then easy walking for 0.6 miles to the end of Bulloch Canyon (yBullochBt) where it dumps into Orderville.

Note:
About 950 feet before getting to Orderville the Salamander Fork joins in on the LDC side (ySalamanderBt) but is easily missed.  The Salamander Fork drops down a vertical section on the side of the canyon and can be see if you look closely.

The Exit:
From the end of Bulloch Canyon (yBullochBt ) where it meets Orderville, turn right and start west down Orderville Canyon.

About 0.6 miles down canyon is Orderville Rap 2. 

Rap 2 in Orderville (dOrderVileR2) has a huge (house sized) choke stone overhead that has a tree and bushes growing on it known as The Guillotine.  The rappel drops about 12 feet to a pool below and is anchored from 2 bolted hangers LDC.  This is one of my favorite rappels when the canyon is such that water is flowing over the rappel (which isn't always the case).  It is short but has very high wow factor with the huge rock over head and the pool below.  It is just very pretty.

Down canyon from rap 2 in Orderville the canyon has more and more water.  The further down canyon you go the more the water is flowing.  This is some of the best scenery in Orderville.  There are also more down climbs.  One of the down climbs drops into a pool that requires about a 30 foot swim.

About 1 mile below Orderville rap 2 is the junction with the Zion Narrows. 

From the Narrows junction turn left (south) and travel 1.4 miles down the narrows to the steps leading to the sidewalk.   Follow the sidewalk another 1 mile to the Temple of Sinawava Shuttle stop.  From there it is a shuttle ride back to the visitor center.

GPS Waypoint Information

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

Bulloch Paper Bag Fork (1) - Drive in to Trailhead.

wEngDP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.23934   W -112.83230        Elev: NaN Feet Turn to the North Fork off Highway 9. wEngDP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.27285   W -112.87304        Elev: NaN Feet Exit to the Ponderosa Ranch. If going to Englestead turn left, to the Ponderosa Ranch. If continuing up the North Fork road stay straight. wBirchHlwDP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.27620   W -112.87358        Elev: NaN Feet Paved road turns to Dirt road. wBirchHlwDP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.30654   W -112.86085        Elev: NaN Feet Dirt road / ATV trail leaves main road. Follow this to start an alternate route into Birch Hollow. tBirchHollow          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.30973   W -112.85655        Elev: 6,740 Feet Trailhead for Birch Hollow. It is a very large turn out on the west side of the road. extOrderville          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33710   W -112.83050        Elev: NaN Feet Turn off for Orderville from the North Fork road. 11.4 miles from highway 9. extCotageWoods          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35044   W -112.83240        Elev: NaN Feet Turn off of the North Fork Road to go to Cattages in the Woods community. pkBulloch1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35896   W -112.84125        Elev: 6,745 Feet Turn off of the North Fork Road on the left as the main road makes a sharp right hand bend. Road sign post labeled as 90 and 92.

Bulloch Paper Bag Fork (2) Approach

pkBulloch1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35896   W -112.84125        Elev: 6,745 Feet Turn off of the North Fork Road on the left as the main road makes a sharp right hand bend. Road sign post labeled as 90 and 92. wBullochRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35865   W -112.84336        Elev: NaN Feet Fork in the road. Stay left on the main road to continue on the approach to Bulloch Canyon. wBullochRP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35784   W -112.84508        Elev: NaN Feet Road joins in on the north side of the road and is easily overlooked on the route into Bulloch due to teh angle of approach of the side road. pkBulloch2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35226   W -112.85921        Elev: 6,640 Feet Fork in the road on the approach to Bulloch Canyon. Turn right (west) at this fork. Optionally you can park here if you have high clearance and 4WD to drive in this far. jDakotaHill          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35313   W -112.87547        Elev: NaN Feet The road goes sharply around a corner to the left and begins to drop south down toward Walker Gulch. A game trail leaves the road here and continues west up a ridge from here toward Dakota Hill. To follow the Dakota Hill ridge toward Bulloch, Eastern Son or Checkerboard Canyons, leave the road here and start up the trail to the west toward Dakota Hill. To follow the road over toward Walker Gulch, Esplin Gulch or Squeeze Play, stay on the road and continue down to the south. DakotaRdgRP01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35374   W -112.87820        Elev: 6,400 Feet A point where a minor ridge joins the the main Dakota Ridge. The minor ridge drops down to the south. Continue west up Dakota Ridge. DakotaRdgRP02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35558   W -112.88237        Elev: 6,500 Feet High point on the ridge where the ridge makes a turn and begins to head up to the southwest. The Deadeye Dick drainage is visible to the north. It is possible to drop down into Deadeye Dick from the saddle near here but not the best option. pDakotaHill          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35354   W -112.88593        Elev: 6,640 Feet Ridge tops out here on Dakota Hill. jSalamander1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35276   W -112.88736        Elev: NaN Feet End of the gently sloped ridge runing southwest from the peak of Dakota Hill. From this point notice two ridges running down from here; one to the west and the other to the south. To go to Salamander Fork of Bulloch Canyon drop down southwest between the two ridges. Start by dropping down toward the ridge running south for about 250 feet down to a small saddle To continue to Eastern Sun, Checkerboard Canyon or the Paper Bag Fork of Bulloch Canyon veer right and follow down the ridge running west. DakotaRdgRP03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35346   W -112.88988        Elev: 6,540 Feet Minor peak along the ridge, continue west. DakotaRdgRP04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35349   W -112.89386        Elev: 6,560 Feet Larger top out along the ridge. As you approach this peak route find your way along the right (north) side of the peak then begin to follow the ridge running down to the northwest. DakotaRdgRP05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35488   W -112.89638        Elev: 6,420 Feet Saddle along the ridge. Continue northwest up the ridge about 0.2 miles to the next top out with a short bit of vegetation to push through just before getting to the next top out. jEastrnSun          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35589   W -112.89988        Elev: NaN Feet Another top out on the ridge. From this high point the main ridgeline here veers left and travels almost level to the southwest and a smaller ridge drops down to the northwest. About 375 feet west of here is where you will cross the boundary line and enter into Zion National Park. To go to Eastern Sun Canyon leave the main ridge dropping down to the northwest toward the large Eastern Sun Canyon you can see down in the distance. To go to Checkerboard Canyon or the Paper Bag Fork of Bulloch Canyon, veer left and follow the main almost level ridge to the southwest for about 900 feet to the next high point DakotaRdgRP06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35420   W -112.90204        Elev: 6,625 Feet Another high point along the ridge. Continue west along the ridge about 700 feet to a very wide high point. DakotaRdgRP07          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35361   W -112.90435        Elev: 6,645 Feet A very wide high point along the ridge. There is a gate in a fence here to cross by. To continue on the main ridge line travel north about 1000 feet to the next high point. DakotaRdgRP08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35469   W -112.90747        Elev: 6,640 Feet Another wide high point on the ridge. From this high point veer left and travel slightly more southwest then down slope over to a wide open saddle about 800 feet away. DakotaRdgRP09          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35356   W -112.90918        Elev: NaN Feet Wide open saddle. Continue up the gentle slopes to the west about 1000 feet to the next high point on the ridge. DakotaRdgRP10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35411   W -112.91244        Elev: 6,735 Feet Another high point on the ridge. Continue west following a well defined and easy to follow ridge line with steep red and white slopes on the left (south) and heavily vegetated slopes on the right (north). About 0.5 miles farther the ridge will start to end. DakotaRdgRP11          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35564   W -112.91996        Elev: 6,820 Feet Ridge line begins to end here with two short ridgelines going northwest and southwest. Veer left and walk about 400 feet on the ridge to the southwest where the slope down begins to get steep. DakotaRdgRP12          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35452   W -112.92081        Elev: NaN Feet End of the ridge where steep slopes begin to form down to the soutwest. Route find your way down the steep slope to the southwest for a little over 200 feet to where it levels off. Note: From here you can see a large drainage off to the west which is Checkerboard Canyon and a large drainage off to the south which is one of the upper drainages of the Salamander Fork of Bulloch. The Left Fork of Bulloch Canyon is not yet visible. DakotaRdgRP13          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35419   W -112.92151        Elev: NaN Feet Bottom of the steep slope down off of Dakota Ridge. To go to Checkerboard Canyon veer right and walk west about 900 feet and drop into the Checkerboard drainage. To go to the Left Fork of Bulloch Canyon / Paper Bag Fork of Bulloch Canyon walk southwest down the gentle slope about 800 feet to where you will cross over a wide shallow drainage. PaperBag01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35226   W -112.92294        Elev: NaN Feet Route crosses over a wide shallow draiange dropping south. Continue southwest up the slope roughly following the rim of Checkerboard Canyon on your right (west). Note: This shallow drainage going south drops down to the Salamander Fork of Bulloch. PaperBag02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.35133   W -112.92418        Elev: NaN Feet The route levels off near here where travel is fast easy walking southwest for about 0.9 miles over to where you leave the mesa to go down to the head of the Paper Bag Fork of Bulloch Canyon. PaperBag03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.34069   W -112.93375        Elev: NaN Feet Leave the mesa here and drop down the steep slope to the west about 600 feet to a small saddle which is the head of the Paper Bag Fork. yPaperBagTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.34060   W -112.93574        Elev: 6,390 Feet Top of Paper Bag Fork. Dropping south down the Paper Bag Fork from the head here is steep with lots of loose rock and would be a long rap. A better entry is to continue west about 250 feet up and over a small hill to get to drop off where you can rappel down a large ledge.

Bulloch Paper Bag Fork (3) - The Canyon

yPaperBagTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.34060   W -112.93574        Elev: 6,390 Feet Top of Paper Bag Fork. Dropping south down the Paper Bag Fork from the head here is steep with lots of loose rock and would be a long rap. A better entry is to continue west about 250 feet up and over a small hill to get to drop off where you can rappel down a large ledge. dPaperBagR1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.34001   W -112.93611        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 1 - Paper Bag Fork. Anchored from a tree and drops about 50 feet down to the ridge running between Bulloch and a side canyon of Checkerboard Canyon. Once down on the ledge walk a little over 100 feet to where you can downclimb ledges down into the Paper Bag Fork. Note: If you have time a great side trip to see something unique is to continue south along the ledge you are on wich quickly becomes a narrow ridge running between the Paper Bag Fork and one of the side forks of Checkerboard Canyon. The two canyons come from opposite directions with the heads crossing such that a narrow ridge is created almost 0.4 miles long. The ridge is easy to travel and offers views down both sides into each canyon. The ridge is a very interesting walk. At the southern end of the ridge you can route find your way to the east up onto a near by peak / mesa if desired. dPaperBagR2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33964   W -112.93611        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 2 - Paper Bag Fork. Begin downclimbing ledges down into the side of the Paper Bag Fork a short distance to where you can rappel from a small tree about 70 feet to the canyon floor. After we got down it looked as though there may be a way to walk / downclimb around this rappel. Down canyon of rap 2 is walking and scrambling down steep ravine full of rocks and vegetation. There are a few short downclimbs over large rocks that can be a little awkward. PaperBag04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33607   W -112.93516        Elev: NaN Feet Two downclimbs close to each other. First drop is about 12 feet down a crack on the LDC side but can be bypassed up and over on the RDC side. The second drop is about 10 feet and a little awkward over a log where partner assist may be needed. After these drops the canyon levels off to easy walking for about 750 feet to the next downclimb. PaperBag05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33415   W -112.93441        Elev: NaN Feet Easy down climb of about 10 feet on the RDC side over a boulder. Down canyon is easy walk and a few very short scrambles for about 600 feet to the next down climb. PaperBag06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33248   W -112.93383        Elev: NaN Feet Drop of about 12 feet over a large boulder where you can downclimb around it on the LDC side. Just down canyon is a narrow section about 80 feet long with 3 stem style downclimbs of 5 to 8 feet. After the narrow slot, the canyon opens up to easy walking again for about 300 feet to the start of the next narrow section with 2 downclimbs of 12 and 8 feet. The second downclimb has a pool at the bottom about shin deep followed by another pool about shin deep that can be stemmed over with a little effort. PaperBag07          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33162   W -112.93329        Elev: NaN Feet Start of another short narrow section with an easy stem style downclimb of about 15 feet. Shortly down canyon is a downclimb of about 12 feet over log and boulder debris with the last 6 feet being moderately difficult to downclimb down the LDC wall to water that can be ankle to waist deep. This drop is tricky to get around due to the slick walls. Travel down canyon is easy for a few hundred feet down to and through a shallow carved out section with sculpted walls. dPaperBagR3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32995   W -112.93174        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 3 - Paper Bag Fork. Anchored from knot chalk on the RDC side and drops about 15 feet over a large boulder. Optionally a dead man or cairn anchor could be used. Shortly down canyon is a downclimb of about 8 feet that is awkward followed be a multiple short easy drops and mostly easy travel down to rap 4. dPaperBagR4          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32753   W -112.93156        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 4 - Paper Bag Fork. Anchored from a log in the wash and drops about 40 feet into a deep feeling slot that quickly opens up to more open walking down to rap 5. dPaperBagR5          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32635   W -112.93134        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 5 - Paper Bag Fork. Anchored from a knot chalk on the RDC side and drops about 15 feet. Optionally you can use various rocks as anchors. It is easy walking down to rap 6. dPaperBagR6          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32548   W -112.93134        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 6 - Paper Bag Fork. Anchored from a log and drops about 25 feet. Down canyon is easy walking for a few hundred feet with a few boulders to scramble over. PaperBag09          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32400   W -112.93141        Elev: NaN Feet Downclimb of about 15 feet over boulders. PaperBag10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32346   W -112.93131        Elev: NaN Feet Side drainage joins in from the LDC (east) side. Just after is a sloped chute to scramble / downclimb through about 20 feet. PaperBag11          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32283   W -112.93171        Elev: NaN Feet Large side drainage joins in from the RDC (west) side. Easy walking for 0.6 miles to the end of Bulloch Canyon where it dumps into Orderville. Note: About 950 feet before getting to Orderville the Salamander Fork joins in on the LDC side but is easily missed.  The Salamander Fork drops down a vertical section on the side of the canyon and can be see if you look closely. ySalamanderBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31460   W -112.92923        Elev: 4,900 Feet Bottom of the Salamander Fork where it meets the left fork of Bulloch Canyon. Salamander Fork is the Right Fork of Bulloch. It is a short walk south down canyon to the confluence with Orderville Canyon. yBullochBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31207   W -112.92866        Elev: NaN Feet Intermittent Stream

Bulloch Paper Bag Fork (4) - Exit down Lower Orderville and Narrows

yBullochBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31207   W -112.92866        Elev: NaN Feet Intermittent Stream dOrderVileR2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31167   W -112.93784        Elev: 4,820 Feet Rap 2 in Orderville Canyon. Drops about12 feet anchored from 2 bolt and hangars LDC. The pool has a waterfall. There is a huge boulder overhead with tree growing on top. One of my favorite rappels. This is sometimes called the Guillotine due to the huge boulder chock stone over head. yOrdervilleBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.30803   W -112.94661        Elev: 4,670 Feet Bottom exit of Orderville Canyon. Junction where Orderville Canyon meets the narrows in the North Fork of the Virgin River. Zion Ntl. Park yNotImlayBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.30029   W -112.94849        Elev: 4,580 Feet Bottom of Not Imlay Canyon. The last rap is over the center of a huge alcove. yMysteryBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.29928   W -112.94447        Elev: 4,560 Feet Bottom exit of Mystery Canyon where it meets the Virgin River Narrows after the 120 foot Rap 11. jRiverWalkEnd          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.29672   W -112.94818        Elev: 4,560 Feet This is where the river walk side walk meets the river in The Narrows. tNarrowsBot          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.28535   W -112.94785        Elev: 4,440 Feet Bottom trailhead for the Virgin River Narrows at the Temple of Sinawava.