Birch Hollow Conditions

[canyonguru]

I am planning on heading up to birch this weekend has anyone been up there or know what the conditions of the canyon are. I have never done this canyon before and i want to do something new and i don't feel like getting or dealing with permits. Any news would be appreciated

[pup]

We did Birch 2 weeks ago. There are a couple of small pools (~3-5') at the bottom of rappels, otherwise it's dry, there's really nowhere to hold water. All of the anchors were solid and webbing was in good condition.

[trackrunner]

reports yahoo canyons forum from this weekend states mud in the upper section brutal sun hike out up orderville.

edit: forgot the source. from bushwaker via Ram over on canyons yahoo group

link

[Pubalz]

When you park your shuttle go down past the cooral The trail is pretty decent. Save a long hike out.

[canyonguru]

cool thanks we were planning on hiking up wild wind canyon do you guys think this will be a mistake or should we just exit all the way up ordervile.

also if we park past the corral do we still walk down N F R to the drainage then enter or is there a spot right by the corral to enter the canyon.

[ratagonia]

When you park your shuttle go down past the cooral The trail is pretty decent. Save a long hike out.

Uh, WITH a capable vehicle. There are one or two spots that are steepish uphill with rocks and difficulties, and a place that is quite narrow and your right side is likely to fall into the rut.

Your mom's Subaru will not like it. Big tires and real 4WD will make it fairly casual, but, for instance, JZ's Fourrunner with standard tires struggled with it.

Tom

[ratagonia]

cool thanks we were planning on hiking up wild wind canyon do you guys think this will be a mistake or should we just exit all the way up ordervile.

also if we park past the corral do we still walk down N F R to the drainage then enter or is there a spot right by the corral to enter the canyon.

Wild Wind Hollow really sucks, but with one vehicle...

The Corral is at the top of Orderville. It is quite a ways from the top of Orderville to the top of Birch, and quite a ways uphill. Still, I think I would rather hike the longer way around than up Wild Wind Hollow.

If you plan on going up Wild Wind Hollow or hiking out up Orderville to the Corral, then HIKING up the road, start Birch where Birch crosses the road, rather than at the Gifford road closer to the Ponderosa.

Tom

[Pubalz]

We Did Birch 2weekends ago the road was in good shape no ruts must have plowed it not to long ago. A little step at the first part but i dont think youll need a 4x

[ratagonia]

We Did Birch 2weekends ago the road was in good shape no ruts must have plowed it not to long ago. A little step at the first part but i dont think youll need a 4x

Wow cool.

However, it has rained since then - it might wash to 'rugged' pretty quick.

Tom

[trackrunner]

We Did Birch 2weekends ago the road was in good shape no ruts must have plowed it not to long ago. A little step at the first part but i dont think youll need a 4x

Wow cool.

However, it has rained since then - it might wash to 'rugged' pretty quick.

Tom

QFE yes very cool. I have never seen this road other than very rutted and only for 4x4 high clearance vehicles

[nelsonccc]

cool thanks we were planning on hiking up wild wind canyon do you guys think this will be a mistake or should we just exit all the way up ordervile.

also if we park past the corral do we still walk down N F R to the drainage then enter or is there a spot right by the corral to enter the canyon.

NO....................We made the mistake of going up this last year. In my opinion its worse than the MIA. Seriously. NO trail, steep, loose, and neverending.

We wished we had simply continued onto the Orderville TH and hiked the road back to our vehicle. Would have been way easier. If you leave a car at the lower Orderville TH then it's not that much farther from the wild wind hollow exit.

[canyonguru]

Wow thanks guys that really helps we were pretty dead set on wild wind as our exit. I have an 05 jeep grand cherokee with a 2'' lift and new off road tires i am not to worried about off roading. Maybe we will leave our packs at the birch TH drop the jeep off at ordervile TH that way the road hike back down to birch will be really easy. i remember the ordervile road down to the corral we took a ZAC shuttle there last year and it was pretty rutty but the big ol van made it.

funny story when we took the shuttle last year the slider door poped wide open on the dirt park of the NFR, the driver was some old guy hauling balls down the road it was pretty funny when it happened.

[canyonguru]

This is probably way off and i am sure that if there was any other way to do this route it would probably have been found by now, but on google earth it looks like you can follow this small draiage up to a ATV trail at the top of the mesa. It is just to the south after you climb back up out of ordervile to the long valley with the cows.

[canyonguru]

What about this route that was posted on ACA forum any thoughts
http://www.canyoneering.net/forums/s...ead.php?t=1793

[ratagonia]

This is probably way off and i am sure that if there was any other way to do this route it would probably have been found by now, but on google earth it looks like you can follow this small draiage up to a ATV trail at the top of the mesa. It is just to the south after you climb back up out of ordervile to the long valley with the cows.

I've tried that, two different ways. Wasn't so good.

Tom

[ratagonia]

What about this route that was posted on ACA forum any thoughts
http://www.canyoneering.net/forums/s...ead.php?t=1793

I kinda tried that last time, but did not go that far right. Try it, let us know if you can find a reasonable route.

Tom

[canyonguru]

well if i take my wife i probably wont try anything that requires to much bushwacking. but if she dosen't go i might try something out.

[ratagonia]

well if i take my wife i probably wont try anything that requires to much bushwacking. but if she dosen't go i might try something out.

And it is extra horrendous when it is hot out.

T

[scubabryan]

I know this is a few weeks late but will give my account in case anyone is going anytime soon. We just did Birch Hollow last Monday (July 6th). We were up there in East Zion Thursday July 2nd to Wednesday July 7th. The North Fork Rd was in great condition on the way up on the 2nd. The following day (Friday) a pretty big thunderstorm came through and dumped rain and hail on us for a good amount of time and turned the NFR into a muddy mess. Our travel trailers are right off the NFR and even though the road was real muddy, we watch trucks making it up and down but they were tearing up the road pretty bad (Some got stuck).

We had never done Birch Hollow before. With all the rain we had on Friday, I was convinced that the canyon would have a decent amount of water and the approaching and exiting trail would be a muddy mess on Monday when we planed on doing it. Saturday and Sunday was warm and dry up there and when we did Birch on Monday, to my surprise, there was only a little bit of mud on the approach and only water at the base of two of the rappels (only a few inches deep and could easily be missed). The exit in Orderville had some mud but could easily be avoided. Besides that, it was pretty darn dry. We saw Wild Wind Hollow and had read about using it as an exit but it looked steep and I had no interest in trying it, especially since we had a four wheeler spotted down in Orderville which would cut off a lot of the hiking out and that steep four wheel drive road up to the corrals. So, we learned that even though it rained pretty good two days before we did the canyon, if its warm, it will quickly dry up in a day or so. I also didn't notice too many places where a great amount of water could pool if there was more rain. We also learned that if the road is dry my four wheel drive truck should have no problems making it down and up the Orderville four wheel drive road and will do that next time instead of spotting an ATV down there.