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View Full Version : Trip Report Golf Canyon 2/10/18


2065toyota
02-12-2018, 09:19 PM
Winter is about the only time we should feasibly be in the gorge doing anything except looking for shade.

Golf Canyon has been on my to do list for a while, but just never really worked out. Not the greatest of all canyons, but definitely worth doing while Zion is still a little frozen. I sent out some invites and by the time we were ready to go, we had 11 of us put together including my 60 year old mom.

I just had to leave out the fact that we had a 1900 foot elevation climb and that she would be rapping off of rock cairns all day long.

It was going well until she slipped and fell into a cactus and it velcro'd her pants to her leg. You do have to try not to laugh at your mom, if it's a friend you can laugh all you want when that happens.

The day went well with no real mishaps which makes for a good day, but doesn't make for any good stories.

If you need a good winter canyon, there are 4 in the Gorge that should be done. Cherry, Portal, Golf & Mayday.

Also its crazy the amount of fossils you can find in the gorge, that this area was once under water.

http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100048-jpg.13985/ (http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100048-jpg.13985/)http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100050-jpg.13986/ (http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100050-jpg.13986/)http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100049-jpg.13987/ (http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100049-jpg.13987/)http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100052-jpg.13988/ (http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100052-jpg.13988/)http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100055-jpg.13989/ (http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100055-jpg.13989/)http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100060-jpg.13990/ (http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100060-jpg.13990/)http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100067-jpg.13991/ (http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100067-jpg.13991/)http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100069-jpg.13992/ (http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100069-jpg.13992/)http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100072-jpg.13993/ (http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100072-jpg.13993/)http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100076-jpg.13994/ (http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100076-jpg.13994/)http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100079-jpg.13995/ (http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100079-jpg.13995/)http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100086-jpg.13996/ (http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100086-jpg.13996/)http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100087-jpg.13997/ (http://canyoncollective.com/attachments/p2100087-jpg.13997/)
oldno7
02-13-2018, 05:05 AM
That looks as good or better than Cherry.
2065toyota
02-13-2018, 06:27 AM
That looks as good or better than Cherry.

Better than cherry, not nearly as good as portal though
rockgremlin
02-13-2018, 06:36 AM
Some pretty interesting geology in that canyon. Much finer grained sandstones than what you're used to seeing in most Utah slots. Almost limestone-y.
jman
02-13-2018, 06:44 AM
Some pretty interesting geology in that canyon. Much finer grained sandstones than what you're used to seeing in most Utah slots. Almost limestone-y.

I think it is limestone.

I was driving through the gorge this last weekend and was noticing lots of small grottos or caves just all over the place.

And kudos to your mom Toyota for tackling the hike up and those raps!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Scott P
02-13-2018, 05:19 PM
Yes, it's limestone. More specifically Redwall Limestone.
2065toyota
02-13-2018, 08:14 PM
The rock in one section is so white it almost looks like we were playing in the snow
ratagonia
02-14-2018, 07:14 PM
Yes, it's limestone. More specifically Redwall Limestone.

Well, some of it. The Geo map shows kinda a mess, but as I parse it, most of the approach is on the PIPc Callville Limestone; while the actual canyons Portal and Mayday, and maybe Cherry, are in the Redwall.

Thanks for twisting my arm to sniff it out, Scott.
Scott P
02-21-2018, 08:54 PM
Well, some of it. The Geo map shows kinda a mess, but as I parse it, most of the approach is on the PIPc Callville Limestone; while the actual canyons Portal and Mayday, and maybe Cherry, are in the Redwall.

I missed this earlier.

Yes, I was referring to the rock in the photographs above that were being discussed as being the Redwall Limestone, rather than the approach or entire gorge.

If anyone is interested, the reason it isn't red in those canyons like it is in the Grand Canyon is because the Redwall Limestone in itself really isn't red. In the Grand Canyon, it's just stained red by the Supai Formations and Hermit Shale. In the Grand Canyon, the Supai Formation (various members) lies directly on the Redwall and the Hermit above that. In areas where the Supai isn't directly above the Redwall, such as in the Virgin River Gorge, the limestone shows its true color which is grey or even white where it is polished by erosion, such as the last photo displayed by 2065toyota.

In some places in the Grand Canyon/Marble Canyon, the red over the the Redwall has been washed or polished away, especially in the narrow canyons (which are usually technical).

Here's a photo of me in the Silver Grotto (Marble Canyon/Grand Canyon NP), which shows the Redwall where the red has been washed or polished away:

https://www.summitpost.org/images/original/399520.jpg

You can see the similarities in the rock between the Silver Grotto and Golf Canyon.

Hopefully that's not too much information, but it might be interesting to some.