french_de
08-30-2013, 12:20 PM
I really like this canyon name.
Ivan’s Tail is a very short technical section of Lower Portland Creek just up the road from downtown Ouray Co. For a beginners introduction to wet Ouray Co. canyoneering this is the way to go. We ran it in an about hour after we finished Angel Creek earlier in the day. We didn't even take packs with us but we did wear wet suits-the water is cold. It is a lot of fun packed into 200 + yards of technical water park canyoneering. The bridge that heads up Amphitheater Campground crosses over the 55 foot waterfall and is a good spot for gauging water flow and taking waterfall rappelling pictures. Two days before when we looked into the 55 foot fall from the bridge heavy rains made this creek a torrent. The water was brown and dollar sized rocks clipped over the top. It was scary looking and sounding. It had returned to fine shape when we entered the canyon two days later. Both drops in the canyon are bolted and chained. We dropped in right up creek from the 55 foot waterfall.
The hardest part of the canyon is exiting it. The lower canyon enters private property so exit right Looking Down Canyon at the big rock is mandatory. The climb out was muddy making the 5th class scramble up a little more difficult. There are some bolts at the top of the exit. That is a good spot to attach an exit line before dropping in to the canyon..
Thanks to Michael Dallin for the excellent beta from his book Ouray Canyoning
Thanks to my Canyoneering Partners – Dave, Monica, Kurt, Kari, Sandra who made this trip so much fun.
Doug French
Good place to drop into the Creek
68964
55 foot waterfall from the road bridge
68965
Roping the chains and getting wet
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View from the other side of the bridge. Lot's of empty spaces in that bridge!
68971
Pictures from the Bottom of the 55 footer
68972689736897468975
More fun after the big rappel
689766897768978
All good things come to an end. Up the muddy exit by the big rock
689796898068981
Ivan’s Tail is a very short technical section of Lower Portland Creek just up the road from downtown Ouray Co. For a beginners introduction to wet Ouray Co. canyoneering this is the way to go. We ran it in an about hour after we finished Angel Creek earlier in the day. We didn't even take packs with us but we did wear wet suits-the water is cold. It is a lot of fun packed into 200 + yards of technical water park canyoneering. The bridge that heads up Amphitheater Campground crosses over the 55 foot waterfall and is a good spot for gauging water flow and taking waterfall rappelling pictures. Two days before when we looked into the 55 foot fall from the bridge heavy rains made this creek a torrent. The water was brown and dollar sized rocks clipped over the top. It was scary looking and sounding. It had returned to fine shape when we entered the canyon two days later. Both drops in the canyon are bolted and chained. We dropped in right up creek from the 55 foot waterfall.
The hardest part of the canyon is exiting it. The lower canyon enters private property so exit right Looking Down Canyon at the big rock is mandatory. The climb out was muddy making the 5th class scramble up a little more difficult. There are some bolts at the top of the exit. That is a good spot to attach an exit line before dropping in to the canyon..
Thanks to Michael Dallin for the excellent beta from his book Ouray Canyoning
Thanks to my Canyoneering Partners – Dave, Monica, Kurt, Kari, Sandra who made this trip so much fun.
Doug French
Good place to drop into the Creek
68964
55 foot waterfall from the road bridge
68965
Roping the chains and getting wet
6896668967689686896968970
View from the other side of the bridge. Lot's of empty spaces in that bridge!
68971
Pictures from the Bottom of the 55 footer
68972689736897468975
More fun after the big rappel
689766897768978
All good things come to an end. Up the muddy exit by the big rock
689796898068981