Willard Canyon?

Anybody ever been down Willard Canyon? Just wondering if it would be worth it to bushwhack down through it at all. There are some nice cliffs in the bottom part of the canyon that would make a great spot to climb and rappel. In the spring, the waterfall is running too. Could be a good time.
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/6177129.jpg

I've hiked up to Locomotive Point during the Bald Eagle migration in March on a half dozen occasions and I've always thought about going in from North Creek, over the top of Willard Peak, finding my way down Willard Canyon to a shuttle, and then hitting the Shooting Star on the way back out.

I bought a harness after doing U-turn in Moab. I've also got a helmet picked out and all I need at this point is an excuse to pull the trigger on it.

Been looking at getting a harness and all that too. I've hiked up the bottom of Willard Canyon once and it was a great hike. I think that the sticker on this one would be the really bad shuttle required. It's a long way tron the bottom to the top via drivable roads.

Could be a good adventure for next summer I think. :nod:

I've jeeped up there once in the spring, there are actually 2 waterfalls of decent size up there. I haven't come down from the top though.

http://www.bogley.com/forum/files/jeep_1a.jpg

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Originally Posted by devo_stevo

It's a long way tron the bottom to the top via drivable roads.

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Roads? We don't need no stinkin' roads!

Granted it's a 15+ mile hike, probably 17-18, from that campground in North Fork, definitely an all day affair considering the bushwacking but there's Cutler Spring near the top and I'll bet we could find somebody to do the basic shuttle back around to Liberty. I'll have to pull out my maps to make sure though.

It would be fun to crash there in the campground and build a big bonfire instead of trying to drive home after a hike like that though.

BTW, I have a harness because the local shop had what I wanted in stock. The helmet is a special order and I just haven't gotten around to it.

So you're talking the full monty on this one. I was thinking more in the vain of driving to Willard Basin at the top of the canyon via the Willard Peak road from Mantua. There's a spring and a campground at the top of the canyon. From there it would be a matter of finding your way down. To do it from the Liberty side would be crazy yet it intrigues me....

This is an old thread, and my experience with going down this canyon is even older - late '80's. A friend and I tried to mountain bike down the canyon from the Willard Basin road up above. Needless to say, we didn't make it and wound up hiking back out. The road starts out as a nice smooth dirt road, which then turns into two tracks, then a single track, then disappears completely! There is a route through there though, built by the CCC in the 1930's. Ever since, I've wanted to go back and rediscover the route. I'm sure it would need some clearing with the pruners and a saw. More recently, I've hiked part of the way up from the bottom; there are ledge-switchbacks cut into the rock on the south canyon wall. The trail crosses one of the waterfalls at one point.
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Originally Posted by Canyon_Cal

This is an old thread, and my experience with going down this canyon is even older - late '80's. A friend and I tried to mountain bike down the canyon from the Willard Basin road up above. Needless to say, we didn't make it and wound up hiking back out. The road starts out as a nice smooth dirt road, which then turns into two tracks, then a single track, then disappears completely! There is a route through there though, built by the CCC in the 1930's. Ever since, I've wanted to go back and rediscover the route. I'm sure it would need some clearing with the pruners and a saw. More recently, I've hiked part of the way up from the bottom; there are ledge-switchbacks cut into the rock on the south canyon wall. The trail crosses one of the waterfalls at one point.
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I think @jman has rappelled the waterfall here. I don't know much about the trails, other than the doubletrack from the bottom as it just enters the canyon. That's where I stopped and filmed in my more recent threads. I imagine the trails here aren't traveled too frequently, so it wouldn't surprise me if it gets fully overgrown each year, then trimmed back.

Rappelling those waterfalls would be pretty sweet! And easy to do knowing the ledge trail to get on top. Lots of trees/boulders to anchor from. Probably take a pretty long rope or finding another anchor on the way down, though. A stuck rope there could really ruin your day!

I'd like to figure out a way to get my motorbike on that double track to save some time getting up there. There's also a single track on the other side of the canyon that's a little more scenic way to hike up.

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Originally Posted by Sombeech

I think @jman has rappelled the waterfall here. I don't know much about the trails, other than the doubletrack from the bottom as it just enters the canyon. That's where I stopped and filmed in my more recent threads. I imagine the trails here aren't traveled too frequently, so it wouldn't surprise me if it gets fully overgrown each year, then trimmed back.

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I haven’t done Willard but I have done Pearsons, a neighbor of it.

It’s a gnarly area to explore; The Willard spire canyons are full of curiosities.


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