Non-Technical Canyon Hiking Guide to the Colorado Plateau

[Iceaxe]

Non-Technical Canyon Hiking Guide to the Colorado Plateau
by: Kelsey, Michael
5th Edition

Coming June 2006

PRE-ORDER SALE!
Order before June 8th and save $2.00.
Normal price $19.95

SALE PRICE $17.95

This 5th Edition of the Canyon Guide to the Colorado Plateau has been completely revamped and updated. All canyon maps have been re-drawn and are more accurate then past editions. The book is now in full color (the only canyon guidebook of its kind) and has an additional 100 pages. New hikes have been added to such canyon hotspots as Cedar Mesa, Robbers Roost, Escalante, and Paria River areas, as well as Bryce and Arches National Parks. For the first time canyons and hikes in NE Utah and NW Colorado have been included. Technical canyons have been removed from this new edition, but they can still be found in Michael Kelsey

[rockgremlin]

Just picked one up today!

[Iceaxe]

Then give us a short description of whats new and what looks interesting to you.

[rockgremlin]

I'll let ya'll know when it arrives.

[stefan]

Just received my book in the mail. It turned out quite nice. It's a bit heavier, but the fotos are REALLY nice.

There's a bit of new stuff...i think two of the interesting additions, which i knew were going to be included, are fiftymile mountain including ruins and more of cummings mesa.

[Iceaxe]

Got my book.... it looks really nice. The new color picture format is well worth a couple extra dollars.

Tons of Cedar Mesa stuff. Pretty much everything out of Tassoni's book plus whatever else MK could dig up. The secret places are dwindling really fast.

The book is a typical Kelsey guidebook........ lots of great information jammed into a very small place. Newbie's use a little caution until you get the hang of using one of Kelsey's books.

[rockgremlin]

Got mine yesterday. I've got my weekends booked solid for the next 5 years!!!! I agree. Very well put together. The secret places are for sure dwindling fast...especially after this gets out into the bookstores. Kelsey must know this state better than pretty much anyone. Its unbelieveable how much cool stuff is packed into this one little book. Very much worth the cash.

[Windwalker]

I believe I recognize the authors name, it's on one of my books about the San Rafael Swell area. After doing three or four of his hikes in the swell I found that his time tables are far different than mine. The time it would take me to do one of his hikes was probably about two to three times his estimates.

I just Googlin Mr Keelsy and found that he's some kind of hiking machine or an animal.

Does this new book give a more down to earthly mortal estimate of time it takes to do a hike??

[shaggy125]

Does this new book give a more down to earthly mortal estimate of time it takes to do a hike??

this is one of the most common complaints about his books. If you have an old version then he now doubles the time it actually takes him and he puts that as his estimate, however this is still usually quite a bit faster than most mortals.

Eric.

[Scott P]

If you have an old version then he now doubles the time it actually takes him and he puts that as his estimate, however this is still usually quite a bit faster than most mortals.

You mean you can't keep up with a 63 year old man?

(Me neither).

[Scott P]

Anyway, new stuff included NW Colorado/NE Utah. Lot's in Cedar Mesa. Some in Escalante. New hikes near Grand Junction. New hikes in th Paria area, and a bit in Zion. A few new canyons in the Roost (already in the tech guide).

Some stuff that has been deleted are all the closed canyons on the Navajo Nation. Also, the entire Hualapai Reservation, because that area has also been closed to hikers. A few other hikes were dropped such as Hatch Wash (because it is now a bushwhack) and Aztec Creek.

[Iceaxe]

I finally started to check out the new Kelsey book "Hiking the Colorado Plateau" in detail last night. Damn, it can be confusing. He combines 3 or 4 canyons on one page and then jumps around between the canyons while describing them. I can only read one or two descriptions at a time before major confusion sets in and I have to put the book down. Maybe its just me since following written descriptions are not my forte. I do much better with a good illustrated map.

And speaking of maps, When I last spoke to Kelsey he mentioned that all the maps in the book had been redrawn. My understanding was they should be to some type of scale since they were drawn on a light table with the USGS map underneath. These maps are not good enough to reliably navigate with, but they might be more accurate in locating features then his maps of the past. He also mentioned that he plans to experiment with Topo! for his next maps. I hope he can get that to work for his books, it would be much better.

I still highly recommend the book for its vast amount of information. Just be aware you have to do some digging to find the nuggets.

I also noticed you can figure out some of the new technical canyons that will be in his next book. One particular route even has the downstream rappels noted on the map below the "hiker exit". And mentions for those who wish to continue downstream should see "Technical Slot's Revision 2".

Anyhoo..... I'm digging through the book, it has a lot to digest..... kinda like eating an elephant sandwich.

[stefan]

I hope he can get that to work for his books, it would be much better.

Since you are using maps on your site, are there any publishing issues associated with using these maps?

I still highly recommend the book for its vast amount of information. Just be aware you have to do some digging to find the nuggets.

in some ways i almost prefer this, i think it's more rewarding. one thing i kinda wish he didn't do was placing the sleepy hollow description BEFORE the description to coyote gulch. i think it may attract more attention this way, and there may be a larger impact, considering the gaggles of people flocking there.

I also noticed you can figure out some of the new technical canyons that will be in his next book. One particular route even has the downstream rappels noted on the map below the "hiker exit". And mentions for those who wish to continue downstream should see "Technical Slot's Revision 2".

yup and he's got a lot more. for example, i found 4 slots on satellite images i had heard nothing about, and he has them already written up for this new book. should be quite the compendium when he's finished with it. you may beat him to the punch, ice, considering he's gonna take some time to finish it, but he's done a lot of newer stuff, already, that isn't published just yet.

[Iceaxe]

Since you are using maps on your site, are there any publishing issues associated with using these maps?

I would have to read the Topo! fine print again. But Topo! is very generous in what they will let you do with maps generated with their software. You must obtain permission to sale any maps, but you can give them away for free. All maps must contain the Wildflower logo. There might be some other rules I forgot. Its been about 6 years since I jumped through the hoops. I do know several guidebooks (Ron Kay's Zion book) use Topo! generated maps. The actual maps are USGS and are public domain.

you may beat him to the punch, ice, considering he's gonna take some time to finish it, but he's done a lot of newer stuff, already, that isn't published just yet.

Heck.... I already have about a two year back log of new (to me) canyons to do. I'm just trying to find the time to do them all. I still haven't finished everything Kelsey has in his first book.

[Scott P]

I also noticed you can figure out some of the new technical canyons that will be in his next book. One particular route even has the downstream rappels noted on the map below the "hiker exit". And mentions for those who wish to continue downstream should see "Technical Slot's Revision 2".

Have you checked out the juicy bait for Sleepy Hollow yet?

PS the tech slot book is due next spring.

[Iceaxe]

Have you checked out the juicy bait for Sleepy Hollow yet?

I have now!

Just curious how difficult is this slot. Kelsey has a big warning stating something like "highly experianced climbers only" or some such.

So lets see... we have Spur and Sleepy Hollow as new stuff coming....

Anyone notice any more?

[Iceaxe]

I'm still working my way through the book. I've looked really hard at about 1/4 of the stuff..... most of it is really good so far.

But.... I think you have found a couple of errors..... The Butler Wash Road (SJC 262) is exactly 21 miles long from Hwy 95 to Hwy 163 (Kelsey has it at 22.0). I drove the road in May and checked it with both vehicle and GPS. I agree with the mileage in Tassoni's book for overall. A couple of his sites are off by a 1/10th or so but Tassoni is pretty accurate. Kelsey gets off by 1 mile somewhere along the path. That would make locating some of the ruins really difficult because milage is all you have to go by without GPS waypoints.

One other pet-peeve.... Kelsey is renaming stuff or not using the established name. I'm guessing this is in defiance to Tassoni who was first to publish. Many of the ruins in Butler (and I assume elsewhere) have accepted names. Most the ruins in Butler were named by the Illustrated America Exploring Expedition of 1892. Some of these ruins even have the name and date inscribed on a nearby wall, yet Kelsey has not used the established names.

Established --> Kelsey
Fish Mouth Cave is Big Cave
Cold Springs is Hidden Ruin
Monarch Cave is Big Pool
Double Stack is Split Level

This drives me up a wall. Particularly when he does it to ruins and canyoneering routes.

[nat]

Have you checked out the juicy bait for Sleepy Hollow yet?

I have now!

Just curious how difficult is this slot. Kelsey has a big warning stating something like "highly experianced climbers only" or some such.

As a heads up (warning) this slot is fairly stiff. Actually, Kelsey has 2 slots mentioned in his guide here, Sleepy Hollow and "Long Branch". I should say, these are also mentioned (without any real beta, except for location) in Steve Allen's Canyoneering 3 Escalaante guide. He has some comments on Long Branch on page 4, and comments on both Long Branch and the Main Fork of Sleepy Hollow (which he calls Big Tony) on pages 212-213. I've done the main fork, and it has some hard high upclimbs with some continuous high stemming (up to about 50 ft up). It's probably harder than E4, and unless you are pretty comfortable with these things, probably not recommended. A really great slot though. There are pictures of it on Tom's latest rave, and Wade's canyonquest website. I haven't done Long Branch, but have rim walked it a couple of times. It could be very difficult and risky (see Steve Allen's comments on page 4).

[Iceaxe]

I don't have Allen's Escalante book, I have a hard time following his stuff, I need pictures (read maps). How about posting a link to the pictures or tell me by what name they were calling the canyon?

Frosted Flakes maybe???

So Frosted Flakes is Big Tony is Sleepy Hollow???

[nat]

I don't have Allen's Escalante book, I have a hard time following his stuff, I need pictures (read maps). How about posting a link to the pictures or tell me by what name they were calling the canyon?

Frosted Flakes maybe???

So Frosted Flakes is Big Tony is Sleepy Hollow???

That's correct. (Remember Tony the Tiger?)