DWayne27
03-25-2010, 05:08 PM
this past weekend we drove past the snow of southern utah to get to some nice warm dry canyons in the marble canyon area. was about a 5 and a half hour drive from provo, so not too bad. there is plenty of camping just off the main road down there, some places better than others i am sure. our spot was fine to set up tents and sleep, although nothing in the way of scenery or anything other than flat dirt.
the first morning we hit the south fork of badger (thanks to french_de & trackrunner for some info on the area). this was definitely a fun canyon, and it had different feel than the utah canyons i have done - at least to me. much wider, with a little bit of a different kind of problem solving. i think we had 4 real raps of between 60 and 90 feet. we did get our feet muddy a few times, but that was the extent of the water in the canyon. temperatures were perfect (didnt even notice it being hot or cold, so it must have been just right). i also thought it was very cool to do a nice canyon and end up right on the river. it was a nice diversion, and a good chance to snap a few pics. after we hung out there we headed south to take the fishermans exit. i would say it was around a half mile to 3 quarters of a mile to get to the base of it, and it was boulder hoping all the way. it was kinda fun - but the rocks there were super sharp and i only have one glove, so every time i had to use my left hand it was unpleasant... maybe i am just a baby though. anyway, when we got to the base of the exit, it is just a steep and annoying climb up the dirt hill, but not to bad. eventually you reach the cliff bands, and there were a few switch backs on cliff ledges anywhere from 1-3 feet wide. the last bit of the ledges required one short and pretty easy climb, then a bit of a traverse to get to the last climb where there were ropes. for our group, the traverse between the two climbs was the sketchy part. pretty fun looking back, but i was nervous... anyway, after the climb up the cliff bands there is a little more uphill to do till you reach the rim, then a mile or two across the desert back to the road/car (i am sure it wasnt as long as it seemed). all in all a good canyon.
however, from my reading, i heard that badger was the better option compared to sevenmile draw, so our second day we opted not to make another long climb up from the river, and just hit cathedral wash. what i had read about that was it was just a nice walk with a 4 foot drop to negotiate. we were all pleasantly surprised by this one though. certainly nothing difficult for the adventurous hiker, or nothing you need to even pull out a handline for, but there was more excitement than we thought.
good weather (but very windy - our tent was hanging on by 1 stake when we came back), good canyons, very nice to get out.
the first morning we hit the south fork of badger (thanks to french_de & trackrunner for some info on the area). this was definitely a fun canyon, and it had different feel than the utah canyons i have done - at least to me. much wider, with a little bit of a different kind of problem solving. i think we had 4 real raps of between 60 and 90 feet. we did get our feet muddy a few times, but that was the extent of the water in the canyon. temperatures were perfect (didnt even notice it being hot or cold, so it must have been just right). i also thought it was very cool to do a nice canyon and end up right on the river. it was a nice diversion, and a good chance to snap a few pics. after we hung out there we headed south to take the fishermans exit. i would say it was around a half mile to 3 quarters of a mile to get to the base of it, and it was boulder hoping all the way. it was kinda fun - but the rocks there were super sharp and i only have one glove, so every time i had to use my left hand it was unpleasant... maybe i am just a baby though. anyway, when we got to the base of the exit, it is just a steep and annoying climb up the dirt hill, but not to bad. eventually you reach the cliff bands, and there were a few switch backs on cliff ledges anywhere from 1-3 feet wide. the last bit of the ledges required one short and pretty easy climb, then a bit of a traverse to get to the last climb where there were ropes. for our group, the traverse between the two climbs was the sketchy part. pretty fun looking back, but i was nervous... anyway, after the climb up the cliff bands there is a little more uphill to do till you reach the rim, then a mile or two across the desert back to the road/car (i am sure it wasnt as long as it seemed). all in all a good canyon.
however, from my reading, i heard that badger was the better option compared to sevenmile draw, so our second day we opted not to make another long climb up from the river, and just hit cathedral wash. what i had read about that was it was just a nice walk with a 4 foot drop to negotiate. we were all pleasantly surprised by this one though. certainly nothing difficult for the adventurous hiker, or nothing you need to even pull out a handline for, but there was more excitement than we thought.
good weather (but very windy - our tent was hanging on by 1 stake when we came back), good canyons, very nice to get out.