Canyoneering Route Description

Nighthawk (Y-bru-sats) fork of Shinob Canyon - 4A(B) II
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah.

Quick Facts

03-12-12, 3 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 10.75 hours)  

Time Required - 7 to 9 hours for Nighthawk only - add about 2 hours if also doing the Fern's Nipple side trip.
Distance - 3.3 miles Total, 0.4 miles Technical - add 0.8 miles if also doing the Fern's Nipple side trip.
Rappels - 7 Rappels, Longest Rappel 200+ feet.  (longest rap - right at 200 feet if webbing is extended - slightly longer rope recommended)
Elevation Range - 5390 - 6240 Feet (max elevation will be 7065 if also doing the Fern's Nipple side trip).
Shuttle Required -No Vehicle - Passenger Permit Required - Yes

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up to 200+ feet (a rope that is a little longer than 200 feet is recommended) and 80 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.  Wet suits may be a good idea on cooler days if the canyon is full of water since you may spend a little time in water working your way through a few potholes.  Also have along a couple potshots for pothole work. 

Optional toys to have along would be a retrievable anchor for the first couple drops and a sandtrap.

Note / Warning:
Rap 6 drops right at 200 feet IF the anchor webbing was extended far enough.  Be sure to extend the webbing for the anchor on rap 6 as far down the crack as possible.  This will help be sure a 200 foot rope is long enough!  And it will minimize rope grooves.  Since rap 6 drops a full 200 feet, it would be a good idea to take a rope a little longer than 200 to be on the safe side.  If you decide on using only a 200 foot rope, it is very important to extend the anchor webbing as far as you can.  If using only a 200 foot rope it would also be a good idea to set up the first person on a contingency lower so they can be lowered farther if the rope is short.  If that happens you'll have to get creative!  To be on the safe side bring a rope a little longer than 200 feet. 

General Comments

The Nighthawk fork of Shinob Canyon is the southernmost fork.  Nighthway (Y-bru-sats) has a series of potholes to work through followed by a big rap down into the the Timpie fork with views of a very nice arch.  One quick rap in lower Timpie gets you out to the main Shinob canyon. 

After dropping into the Timpie fork take a moment to look up and see Etta Place Arch way over head just left of the rappel.  A quick walk up canyon in the Timpie fork is worth while as well.

Note:
The first 8 or 9 potholes in the pothole section are very clearly potholes.  As the pothole section continues the potholes progressively get more and more elongated and sand filled.  I continue calling all of theses drops potholes in the the route description although some may not feel too much like potholes.

Warning:
The pothole section of Nighthawk has a lot of sand.  Future water flow from rains will likely change the amounts of sand in the pothole section.  Sand may wash in making things easier or sand may get scoured out making the route more difficult.  Go in prepared for a few surprises.  As usual for pothole canyons, remember not to send your entire party into a pothole before getting at least one person out the other side.

If you are familiar with and comfortable with retrievable anchors please use them on the first couple raps to keep the area clean for casual hikers.

The Shinobs are a collection of routes in the forks of Shinob Canyon.  The routes were shared with me by the same friend that shared the Wives.  I enjoy the same spirit of sharing as she does, so here they are.  Just like the Wives, these canyons are all fairly short routes.  A side trip up to Fern’s Nipple is a convenient way to add a little length and variety to the routes.

The Name Shinob Canyon does not show on most maps.  The Shinob name was found on a map distributed by the Capitol Reef Visitor center.  The forks of Shinob Canyon are being called by names from the Piute legends surrounding the Piute god Shinob.  The northernmost fork goes by the name Na-Gah, the middle fork goes by the name Timpie and the southernmost fork goes by the name Nighthawk.  The Piute name for Nighthwak is Y-bru-sats.  Y-bru-sats was thought to be a little difficult to commit to memory so the English translation of is used, Nighthawk.  

Note – Map Reading Warning:
Different maps have Bear Canyon labeled in different locations.  I thought it a good idea to mention this to help clear up any possible confusion.

The route up to the Shinobs and Ferns Nipple uses a side canyon off of Grand Wash to gain access to the area above Shinob Canyon.  This side canyon is labeled as Bear Canyon on the National Geographic maps and has no name on Garmin’s Mapsource maps.  Garmin’s Mapsource maps labels a small canyon about 0.2 miles east as Bear Canyon.  

The canyon referred to here as Bear Canyon is the one labeled as Bear Canyon on National Geographic maps and un-named in Garmin maps.  Keep in mind if you are using Garmin software or maps you will see Bear Canyon labeled about 0.2 miles east of the canyon referred to here as Bear Canyon.  

Note:
The Fern’s Nipple side trip - - - The side trip route up to Fern’s Nipple will add additional time and mileage if you decide to go up there.  Well worth the views if you take the time.   

Allow 2 to 4 additional hours for the side trip up to Fern’s Nipple.  Time will depend on the speed of the group and what fork of Shinob you plan to do.  The additional distance for the side trip to Fern’s Nipple will also depend on the fork of Shinob you set out to do and will be between 0.8 to 2.4 miles.  Fern’s Nipple will also take the highest elevation for the route to 7065 feet.  

It is recommended to take a length of webbing or rope to the top of Fern’s Nipple to assist each other with sketchy parts of the route down from the top of Fern’s Nipple.

Driving Directions

To get to the Trailhead

Start from the turn off of highway 24 to the Capitol Reef Visitor Center.   This is about 9.7 miles north on highway 24 from the town of Torrey, Utah, which is at the junction of highways 12 and 24.  

From the turn off to the Capitol Reef Visitor Center (vCapReefVisit) follow the Scenic Drive road about 3.4 miles southeast to the turn off for Grand Wash (extGrandWash).  

Turn left (east) onto the dirt road to Grand Wash (extGrandWash).  Drive 1.3 miles to the end of the road where it ends at the Grand Wash and Cassidy Arch trailhead (tGrandWash).

To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod

No exit vehicle is needed.  This is done as a loop route.

Maps

GPS coordinate information listed at the bottom.  For information about waypoint naming and map symbols, refer to the Glossary page.

Click the links for maps of the route. Map of the entire route.
Map of the approach section.
Map of the Na-gah and Timpie forks.
Map of the Nighthawk fork and Fern's Nipple side trip.

Details

The Approach:
From the Grand Wash trailhead (tGrandWash), walk east down the trail along Grand Wash.   

About 0.2 miles after leaving the parking area will be the junction for the start of the Cassidy Canyon trail on the left (tCassidy).  Continue past the Cassidy Canyon junction.

About 375 feet after the Cassidy Canyon junction is where you will start the route up out of Grand Wash (jBearCyn).  This point is about 175 feet south of a point on the right (east) side of the wash you have been walking in.

Note:
The route up out of Grand Wash will traverse the ledge system on the right (east) side of the wash.  From the point where you leave Grand Wash (jBearCyn), you will ascend and traverse along the ledge system going up and south toward Bear Canyon.  

Note:
Different maps have Bear Canyon labeled in different locations.  I thought it a good idea to mention this to help clear up any possible confusion.  For more information see the not about this in the general comments section.  

While walking in Grand Wash, keep an eye on the cliff band on the right (east).  About 175 feet before reaching what looks like the end of the cliff band as it goes around a corner is where you will start the hike up out of the wash (jBearCyn).  Look for an easy scramble up onto a series of ledges running along the cliff band.  Parts of the route along the ledges are cairned but the cairns are small and can easily go un-noticed.

The blue line shows the approximate route along the ledges up out of Grand Wash. Around the point at the end of the blue line is Bear Canyon.

After scrambling up about 50 feet or so to a ledge veer right (south) and travel along the ledge.  About 600 feet along the ledge look for an easy scramble up to the next highest ledge (wBearRP-01).  After getting up to the next highest ledge (wBearRP-01) continue south along that ledge.  

About 400 feet farther will be an up climb (wBearRP-02) of about 15 feet to get to the next highest ledge.  The up climb has plenty of hand holds and spots for your feet making it an easy chore.  After getting to the top of the up climb, continue south along the next highest ledge.  

About 150 feet farther the ledges will come to a wide flat area (wBearRP-03) on the ledge as it rounds the corner to the left (south east).  From this flat area the ledge continues south east up the left (north east) side of Bear Canyon.  There are good views down to the Grand Wash trailhead and over to Cassidy Arch from here.  

Walking along the ledge on the side of Bear Canyon offers some good views since you are high up on a cliff band.  About 450 feet after starting along the ledge on the side of Bear Canyon you will find a spot where you can easily cross over Bear Canyon along the top of a slick rock pour off (wBearRP-04).  

Note:
Optionally from the pour off you could continue up Bear Canyon about 300 feet to a 15 foot up climb.  Then continue another 300 feet up Bear Canyon to a dry fall of about 30 feet (sBearDryFall).  The dry fall can be upclimbed directly or up a chute on the left (south) both of which are a little sketchy.  After climbing up the dry fall you can traverse west back down canyon along the south side of Bear canyon and work your way over to intersect with the standard route at point (wShinobRP-04).  

Cross over Bear Canyon along the top of the slick rock pour off (wBearRP-04) and continue south west scrambling up to the shelf on the other side of Bear Canyon.    

Contour southwest along the shelf for about 300 feet to where a cairned route starts (wShinobRP-01).  There are multiple cairned routes running up along here so follow what feels good to you at the time.  

Note:
The cairned route you are following will lead to the base of the pointed rock out cropping peak but will not take a direct route.  Keep this in mind and resist the urge to go directly toward the pointy peak.  

The route up will travel a little up into that ravine, cross over to the right (north) side of the ravine then go farther up into the ravine where you will then traverse back across the ravine along the bottom side of a vertical wall (under an arch) to just under the outcropping peak you just noted.  

As you follow the cairned route look ahead to the southwest and note a pointed rock outcropping like peak.  Note a large bowl like ravine to the right (north) of the peak.  Follow the cairned route up into the ravine.  

After about 250 feet the cairned route crosses over to the north side of the bowl like ravine (wShinobRP-02).   Shortly after crossing over the ravine will be the start of a use trail traveling up the ravine on the north side.  

As you continue up the north side of the ravine, stay on the lookout for an arch in the ravine with a vertical wall below it.  Then look for a way to walk over to a ledge that traverses under the arch at the base of the vertical wall back over to the south side of the ravine.

As you traverse along the ledge under the arch (wShinobRP-03) continue along the ledge and follow it about 200 feet east out to a point.  Then continue around the point about 50 feet and look for the bottom of a chute (wShinobRP-04).  

Scramble up the chute about 40 or 50 feet to a small landing.  Turn left on the landing and scramble up another chute that will top out in another 30 or 40 feet (wShinobRP-05).  

After getting to the top of the chutes (wShinobRP-05), you will be greeted with slightly more wide open feeling spaces.  Travel west along the slick rock skirting around a bowl and out to a point about 500 feet from the top out of the climb up the chutes.  From the point you will begin to have good views west over toward Cassidy Arch.  

Walk around the point (wShinobRP-06) and continue along the now very wide ledge to the south.  Shortly after getting around the point, look for a well worn trail starting through the dirt heading south and slowly veering to the south east.  

About 0.2 miles along the dirt trail, you will transition from a white dirt and sandstone and crossing over a red patch of rock (wShinobRP-07).  The large canyon system to the right (south west) is Shinob Canyon.  Also this is where you start to get good view of Fern’s Nipple in the distance.  

About 500 feet after crossing the red area of dirt and sandstone you will find the head of a drainage on the right (west) which is the top of the Na-gah fork of Shinob Canyon (yNa-gahTp).  

To drop down the Na-gah fork of Shinob, refer to the route description for the Na-gah fork of Shinob Canyon.  

To continue to the Timpie or Nighthawk fork of Shinob Canyon or to Fern’s Nipple, continue with this approach description.

From the head of the Na-gah Fork of Shinob Canyon (yNa-gahTp), contour around the head of the canyon to the south west.  About 350 feet farther the route will cross over a small drainage (wShinobRP-08).  This small drainage is an optional drop in for the fork of the Shinobs you just passed).  After crossing over the small drainage, the route climbs a little while it continues to follow a wide large ledge.   

About 0.25 miles farther the route will go around a point (wShinobRP-09).  From this point you get good views over toward the main portions of Shinob Canyon and a good view of Fern’s Nipple in the distance.  Also around this point you will begin to find a well worn trail going through the dirt and slick rock.  

About 0.2 miles farther the route will cross over a part of the ledge with a very large undercut under it (wShinobRP-10).  

About 360 feet after the undercut ledge, will be the top of another drainage which is the drop in for the Timpie fork of Shinob Canyon.  Just before getting to down to the drainage the route will traverse across a section of steep soft sand with a significant drop down it.  On the other side of the sand slope you will be down in the drainage for the Timpie fork of Shinob Canyon (yTimpieTp).  

To drop down the Timpie fork of Shinob Canyon, refer to the route description for the Timpie fork of Shinob Canyon.   

To continue to the Nighthawk fork of Shinob Canyon or to Fern’s Nipple, continue with this approach description.  

From the Timpie fork of Shinob Canyon (yTimpieTp), continue across the drainage and up the other side.  The route will go west then gradually veer south.  

About 300 feet after crossing the top of the second fork of Shinob Canyon, you will need to start scrambling up a series of easy sections (wShinobRP-11) to work up toward the next higher level.  The scrambling continues intermittently for a little over 200 feet before meeting up with a well defined use trail (wShinobRP-12).  This use trail continues to climb and is in mostly white dirt and sandstone.  

After about 400 feet the use trail tops out and goes around a point (wShinobRP-13).  This is also where the trail starts to travel through more red dirt and sandstone rather than the white you were on.  

After going around the point (wShinobRP-13) the route starts to descend again.  Follow the use trial along a ledge for about 500 feet to where it crosses over a the Nighthawk fork of Shinob Canyon (yNitHwkTp).  This is the top entry for the Nighthawk fork of Shinob Canyon.  

To drop down the Nighthawk fork of Shinob Canyon, jump to the technical section below for the Nighthwak fork of Shinob Canyon.   

To do the side trip to Fern’s Nipple, refer to the side trip portion of the approach route.

The Side Trips:
Side trip to Fern’s Nipple: From the head of the Nighthawk fork of Shinob (yNitHwkTp),  go up south up stream in the drainage and scramble up a rock fall debris area.  About 100 feet up canyon will be a dry fall of about 12 feet (wFernNipRP-01).  The climb up the dry fall is moderately difficult and feels exposed.  

After getting to the top of the dry fall the drainage has a subtle fork.  Continue up the right (southwest) fork.  Continue up the drainage about 250 feet then start to look for a convenient place to climb out (wFernNipRP-02).  

About 200 feet farther the route up out of the drainage tops out briefly (wFernNipRP-03) and a cairned route should be fairly easy to find here.  

After the route levels off for a moment work south up the hill aiming for Fern’s Nipple which should be easy to spot here.  About 150 feet up the hill will be a section of sandstone to scramble and up and over (wFernNipRP-04).  Shortly after getting up and over this section you will be greeted with a great un-obstructed view of Fern’s Nipple about 1000 feet away.  

About 400 feet farther will be a flat sandy area near the base of the final slope up to Fern’s Nipple (wFernNipRP-05).  From the flat sandy area route find the route that feels the most comfortable up the slick rock slope toward Fern’s Nipple.  

About 350 feet up the slope will be a transition to a much steeper grade of close to 45 degrees (wFernNipRP-06).  From here it is only about 400 feet to the top of Fern’s Nipple and you will need to route find your own way up.  The last 50 feet or so before reaching the top gets very steep and will feel very exposed, so take care here.  The easiest side to go up is the west side of Fern’s Nipple.  

The top of Fern’s Nipple (p-Ferns-Nipple) has a log book to sign so enjoy!  The views here are great and if weather allows makes a great spot for a snack and to just take in the views.  

Reverse the route to get back down to the Shinob Canyon route.  Take care getting down the first few feet from Fern’s Nipple.  You will likely need to help each other to get down safely.  A length of webbing can be helpful for this.

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
Nighthawk (Y-bru-sats) fork of Shinob Canyon:
From head of the Nighthawk fork (yNitHwkTp), travel northwest down the Nighthawk fork.  About 200 feet down canyon is a fast easy down climb of about 10 feet over a slick rock pour off just before reaching rap 1.

Rap 1 (dNitHwkR1) is anchored from a tree about 20 feet back from the drop.  Rap 1 drops about 80 feet down a slightly sloped wall.  Optionally Rap 1 can be anchored from choke stones in the water course at the top of the drop.  If choke stones are used be careful of the rock quality of the rocks in the area.

Rap 2 (dNitHwkR2) is about 250 feet down canyon of rap 1 is anchored from a tree on a ledge on the RDC side and drops about 60 feet down a series of ledges.

About 175 feet down canyon is a drop of about 20 feet (wNitHwkRP-01).  This drop can be bypassed on the RDC side by route finding your way along a ridge or bypassed on the LDC side about 75 feet away from the drop.  About 175 feet farther down canyon is rap 3.

Rap 3 (dNitHwkR3) is about 350  feet down canyon of rap 2, is anchored from trees or a boulder about 25 feet back from the drop and drops about 80 feet.  About 100 feet of rope will be needed from anchor to bottom of rap.  The start of Rap 3 has a small pothole near the top and is down a sloped wall with a section of free hang in the middle of about 30 feet. 

Optionally a SandTrap can be used to anchor rap 3 since there is a significant amount of sand.  If need rap 3 can be bypassed by finding your way along a ledge system on the LDC side.

At the bottom of rap 3 you find your self on a ledge to the side of a long series of potholes to work your way through for the remainder of the Nighthawk fork.  To make the pull easier it is best to cross over the potholes (the potholes are small here) to the other side of the canyon where the pull line will be a lot cleaner. 

Drop down into the potholes just after Pothole 4 after pulling your ropes from rap 3.

Drop into Pothole 5:
When dry, slide into pothole 5 down a sloped wall about 15 feet with a hand line from someone above.  Last person can easily be given a partner assist.  The bottom is a sand filled so the depth could change from flood activity.  If wet and full the pothole could be a swimmer or only chest deep depending on the shifting of the sand below.  If wet it may be a little more challenging to assist the last person down into pothole 5.

Exit from Pothole 5:
When dry the lip on the down canyon side may be chest high or possibly overhead if the sand gets washed out.  When dry and only chest high this is a pretty easy climb out but may require a partner assist if sand washes out making it taller.  If wet a pack or potshot toss will likely be needed to get up the other side.

Drop into Pothole 6:
When dry the drop down into pothole 6 is almost down climbable but feels exposed.  The shape of the walls allow a person to get almost enough friction to feel good about the 12 foot down climb.  There are also a few foot and hand holds scattered along the drop to help.  A potshot about half full of sand left at the top offers jut enough friction to make the down climb easy.  If the canyon is wet the down climb will definitely need and anchor and it may be difficult to get sand for the pot shot so a pack anchor may be a better idea.

Exit from Pothole 6:
Pothole 6 is a large wide pothole filled with sand when we saw it.  If the sand washes out it may be deep and looks like the exit could be an awkward climb out.  On our visit March 2012 pothole 6 was full of sand and was an easy walk across.

Drop into Pothole 7:
The drop down into pothole 7 is a steep sloped wall of about 15 feet.  Wet or dry this drop should be anchored from above using a sandtrap, potshot or pack anchor.

Exit from Pothole 7:
The exit up out of the down canyon side of pothole 7 should be an easy scurry up out of it even if the sand gets scoured out.

Drop into Pothole 8:
Drop into 8 is about 10 feet and is an easily controlled slide. 

Exit from Pothole 8:
Pothole 8 is a long narrow area filled with sand making it an easy walk over to the top of the drop into pothole 9.

Drop into Pothole 9:
The drop into pothole 9 is about 10 feet down a sloped crack to easily stem down.

Exit from Pothole 9:
When we went through March 2012 sand has mostly filled pothole 9 making it an easy walk out the other side.

Potholes 10 and 11 have short easy down climbs of about 5 feet to drop down into them and are sand filled making them an easy walk out the other side.  Keep in mind the sand levels can change so things may be different on future visits.

Drop into Pothole 12:
The drop into pothole 12 is a sloped chute easy to down climb until the last 6 feet.  the last 6 feet are a drop off where a hand line from above is a good idea.  the last person can be captured from those below.

Exit from Pothole 12:
Pothole 12 is a long one with a sandy floor and some vegetation in it. with a walk over to a drop going down into pothole 13.

Drop into Pothole 13:
The drop to pothole 13 is about 10 feet.  Down climb by wedging your body in the V shaped slot and worming your way down into pothole 13.

Exit from Pothole 13:
Pothole 13is another elongated sand filled area with vegetation and a walk over to the top of the drop into the next pothole.

Drop into Pothole 14:
The drop into pothole 14 is about 8 feet with the last 5 feet being overhung so a rope from above is helpful.  The last person can be captured from those below.

Exit from Pothole 14:
Pothole 14 is sand filled, elongated and has vegetation making for an easy walk over to the drop into pothole 15.

Drop into pothole 15:
Rap 4 (dNitHwkR4) is the drop down into pothole 15.  Anchor from a bush about 15 feet back from the drop and rap about 12 feet down into pothole 15.  The drop into pothole is about 15 feet into sand so keep in mind the sand levels can change here as well making future visits different.

Exit out of pothole 15:
Pothole 12 is not as elongated as the few above it and is more like a large chamber like area.  The area is sand filled which makes for an easy walk over to the drop on the other side.  After pothole 15 the canyon starts to drop fast.

Drop into pothole 16:
Rap 5 (dNitHwkR5) is the drop down into pothole 16.  Anchored from a log jammed in the slot dropping down out of pothole 15 and into pothole 16.  There is little in the way of rock debris or features to anchor from here.  If the log gets blown out from flooding a sandtrap of potshots may be the best option.  Rap 5 drops a total of about 40 feet with the first 15 being a down climb.

Exit out of Pothole 16:
Pothole 16 is a small pothole that was sand filled on our visit in March 2012. 

Drop down into Pothole 17:
Down climb into pothole 17 by worming your way down a 15 foot drop in a V shaped crack.

Exit out of Pothole 17.
Rap 6 is the exit out of the Nighthawk fork and into the Timpie fork.  Rap 6 is anchored from a dead man anchor and drops a total of about 200 feet if the webbing is extended sufficiently over the drop.  Rap 6 is a very scenic rap with the first part being in a chute like slot to the pothole then the lower half dropping down a vertical wall giving a big air feel.

Note / Warning:
Be sure to extend the webbing for the anchor on rap 6 as far down the crack as possible.  This will help be sure your rope is long enough!  And it will minimize rope grooves.  Since rap 6 drops a full 200 feet, it would be a good idea to take a rope a little longer than 200 to be on the safe side.  If you are using only a 200 foot rope it is very important to extend the anchor webbing as far as you can.  If using only a 200 foot rope it would also be a good idea to set up the first person on a contingency lower so they can be lowered farther if the rope is short.  If that happens you'll have to get creative!  To be on the safe side bring a rope a little longer than 200 feet.
Note / Warning:

There is an intermediate pothole part way down that is about 5 feet deep and sand filled so it may be deeper and in keeper mode some day.  The midpoint pothole is easy to step across but pay attention and try not to drop into it.

Note:
There are a few cracks near the mid point pothole on rap 6 that might work well as knot chalk anchors.  This has knot been confirmed but something to note if anyone wants to look it over on a future visit.

At the bottom of rap 6 you are the end of the Nighthawk fork (yNitHwkbt) and now in the Timpie fork.  After getting off rope back away from the wall and look up and left of the rappel to see a very cool arch.  We are not sure if this arch has an official name but we are calling it Etta Place Arch since Cassidy Arch is nearby in Grand Wash.

After rap 6 and in the Timpie fork it is a scenic treat to walk about 350 feet upcanyon in the Timpie fork.  The narrows are very pretty and you can get a look at Etta Place arch from other angles.

After taking in the sites from the bottom of rap 6 travel north west down canyon in the Timpie fork.  About 60 feet down canyon is a ledge with a drop of about 50 feet.

The last rap in the Timpie fork which you are now in (dTimpieR4).  Walk along the ledge on the RDC side to an easy down climb to the top of the Timpie final rap.   The last rap is anchored from a tree root and a bolt and drops about 30 feet.  There is a piton part way down the drop.

After the last rap walk about 350 feet down canyon to the end of the Timpie fork where it meets the main Shinob Canyon (yTimpieBt).

The Exit:
Once in the Main Shinob Canyon (yTimpieBt), turn right (north) and walk down canyon in main Shinob.  About 0.3 miles down canyon you will be near the last rap out of the Na-gah fork.  Look high up on the right to see the slot dropping out of the RDC wall.

Continue north and walk down the large wide open Shinob Canyon.  

About 0.3 miles down canyon will be the end of the Shinob Canyon where it dumps into Grand Wash and meets the road that goes into the Grand Wash Trailhead.

Turn right (north east) and follow the road about 0.3 miles back to the Grand Wash Trailhead (tGrandWash).

GPS Waypoint Information

Click to show / expand the list of waypoints below........

Shinob 1 - Drive to Trailhead

extGrandWash          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25622   W -111.23287        Elev: 5,580 Feet Exit off of the scenic drive to a dirt road into Grand Wash. tGrandWash          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.26373   W -111.21570        Elev: 5,425 Feet Parking area at the Grand Wash trailhead.

Shinob 2 - Approach (along all three canyon tops)

tGrandWash          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.26373   W -111.21570        Elev: 5,425 Feet Parking area at the Grand Wash trailhead. tCassidy          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.26586   W -111.21350        Elev: 5,390 Feet Junction out of Grand Wash for the trailhead to Cassidy Canyon. jBearCyn          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.26678   W -111.21316        Elev: 5,400 Feet This is where the route up to Bear Canyon leaves Grand Wash and starts up the side of the cliff band. Note: Bear Canyon is labbled as the canyon just east of here on Garmin maps and the canyon just west of hear on National Geographic maps. The one just south west of here is being referred to as Bear Canyon for this route. wBearRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.26514   W -111.21321        Elev: NaN Feet Look for an easy scramble up to the next highet ledge then continue south along the ledges on the cliff band. wBearRP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.26414   W -111.21354        Elev: NaN Feet Up climb of about 15 feet to get to the next higher ledge. After getting to the top of the up climb, continue south along the ledges. wBearRP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.26376   W -111.21385        Elev: 5,560 Feet The ledges up out of Grand Wsh lead go around a corner here and follow along the north east side of BearCanyon on a wide ledge. wBearRP-04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.26280   W -111.21282        Elev: NaN Feet Ledge along the side of Bear Canyon gets to a spot where you can easily cross over Bear Canyon along the top of a slick rock pour off. wShinobRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.26249   W -111.21373        Elev: NaN Feet Start of a cairned route. This area has a few ways you can go with enough cairns that you will eventually start to follow a cairned route no matter which way you travel. wShinobRP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.26208   W -111.21443        Elev: 5,760 Feet Cairned route crosses over the ravine then starts to travel up the north side of it. wShinobRP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.26185   W -111.21475        Elev: 5,860 Feet Ledge traversing under an arch along a ledge at the base of a vertical wall. wShinobRP-04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.26183   W -111.21413        Elev: 5,820 Feet Start of a scramble up a chute to get up above the ledge you have been on. wShinobRP-05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.26159   W -111.21450        Elev: 5,885 Feet Top out of the climb up the chutes from the ledge below. Continue west to follow the Shinob route. wShinobRP-06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.26141   W -111.21614        Elev: 5,970 Feet This is where the route goes around a point then follows a wide ledge to teh south. wShinobRP-07          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25906   W -111.21492        Elev: NaN Feet Crossing over a red patch of dirt and sandstone as opposed to the white dirt and sandstone you have been on so far. yNa-gahTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25845   W -111.21350        Elev: 5,940 Feet Top entry for the Na-gah Fork of Shinob Canyon. wShinobRP-08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25756   W -111.21344        Elev: NaN Feet Route crosses over a small drainage which is and optional drop in for the fork of the Shinobs you just passed. wShinobRP-09          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25594   W -111.21587        Elev: 6,160 Feet Route goes around a point and presents great views of the main portions of Shinob Canyon and Fern's Nipple. wShinobRP-10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25466   W -111.21334        Elev: NaN Feet Route along the ledge crosses over a section of the ledge with a big undercut under it. yTimpieTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25397   W -111.21275        Elev: 6,055 Feet Top entry for the Timpie Fork of Shinob Canyon. wShinobRP-11          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25408   W -111.21381        Elev: NaN Feet Start to climb up a series of scrambles to get up to the next higher leve to the south. wShinobRP-12          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25365   W -111.21435        Elev: NaN Feet Start of a well worn use trail. wShinobRP-13          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25278   W -111.21523        Elev: 6,210 Feet Use trail tops out here and goes around a point. The trail here is also in red dirt and sandstone as opposed to the white dirt you were traveling in. yNitHwkTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25172   W -111.21447        Elev: 6,240 Feet Top entry of the Nighthawk Fork of Shinob Canyon.

Shinob 3 - The Canyon, Na-Gah

yNa-gahTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25845   W -111.21350        Elev: 5,940 Feet Top entry for the Na-gah Fork of Shinob Canyon. wNa-gahRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25826   W -111.21394        Elev: NaN Feet Drop of about 50 feet in the wash that is esily bypassed LDC by walking about 80 feet south to find an easy donw clinb into a side wash. wNa-gahRP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25833   W -111.21566        Elev: NaN Feet Top of a drop of about 100 feet. This drop is also easily bypassed by walking about 100 feet left (south) to the top of a chute that allows a scramble down to the canyon floor. wNa-gahRP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25845   W -111.21638        Elev: 5,785 Feet The third drop in the canyon and is about 40 feet. Down climb a series of ledges here staying slightly RDC to get down this drop. This drop can optionally be bypassed by hiking about 150 feet to the left (south) then down a slope to the canyon floor. wNa-gahRP-04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25855   W -111.21679        Elev: NaN Feet Top of a narrow slot to down climb with a twisted tree at the top of it. The drop under the tree down the slot is about 20 feet to the wash below. dNa-gahR1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25878   W -111.21758        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 1 - Na-gah Fork Shinob. Anchored RDC about chest high from two bolted hangers and drops about 60 feet in a chamber with a pool at the bottom that could get up to about waist deep. dNa-gahR2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25885   W -111.21783        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 2 - Na-gah Fork Shinob. Anchored from two bolted hangers at foot level on a ledge and drops about 35 feet. dNa-gahR3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25893   W -111.21798        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 3 - Na-gah Fork Shinob. Anchored from two bolted hangers about chest high LDC and drops about 155 feet down a mostly vertical wall into the main drainage for Shinob Canyon. yNa-gahBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25907   W -111.21834        Elev: 5,520 Feet Bottom of the Na-gah fork of Shinob Canyon where it meets the wash in the main portion of Shinob Canyon.

Shinob 4 - The Canyon, Timpie

yTimpieTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25397   W -111.21275        Elev: 6,055 Feet Top entry for the Timpie Fork of Shinob Canyon. wTimpieRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25415   W -111.21300        Elev: 6,060 Feet Drop of about 30 feet. Scramble down the drop to the last 6 feet which can be awkward but is a down climb. dTimpieR1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25443   W -111.21389        Elev: 5,905 Feet Rap 1 - Timpie fork of Shinob Canyon. Can be anchored from a treeup above the drop on the RDC side or a knot chalk on the LDC side. Rap 1 drops about 15 feet. If using knot chalks be careful of rock quality. wTimpieRP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25452   W -111.21535        Elev: 5,871 Feet Top of a large drop that is bypassed by scrambling around LDC about 125 feet then down to below the shelf. dTimpieR2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25452   W -111.21553        Elev: 5,900 Feet Rap 2 - Timpie fork of Shinob Canyon (the big rap). Rap 2 is anchored from a rock near the top of the drop and drops a total of about 275 feet. The last 50 feet of the rap are down climbable so a shorter rope can be used. dTimpieR3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25449   W -111.21585        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 3 - Timpie fork of Shinob Canyon. Anchored from a pinch point between a boulder and the canyon wall and drops about 20 feet. Possibly down climable but may be a bit sketchy. yNitHwkbt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25464   W -111.21708        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 6 - Nighthawk fork Shinob Canyon and the end of the Nighthawk fork. At the bottom of the rap you are now in the Timpie fork. Anchored from a deadman and drops right at 200 feet if the anchor webbing was extended far enough. A slightly longer than 200 foot rope is recomended. dTimpieR4          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25476   W -111.21722        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 4 - Timpie fork Shinob Canyon. On the RDC side of a ledge andchored from a tree root and a bolt and drops about 30 feet. There is a piton part way down the rap. yTimpieBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25535   W -111.21824        Elev: 5,520 Feet Bottom exit of the Timpie fork of Shinob where it meets the main Shinob Canyon.

Shinob 5 - The Canyon, Nighthawk

yNitHwkTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25172   W -111.21447        Elev: 6,240 Feet Top entry of the Nighthawk Fork of Shinob Canyon. dNitHwkR1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25208   W -111.21491        Elev: 6,107 Feet Rap 1 - Nighthawk fork of Shinob Canyon. Anchored from a tree about 20 feet back and drops about 80 feet down a slightly sloped wall. dNitHwkR2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25233   W -111.21568        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 2 - Nighthawk fork of Shinob. Anchored from a tree on a ledge on the RDC side. Drops about 60 feet down a series of ledges. wNitHwkRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25255   W -111.21627        Elev: 6,016 Feet Drop of about 20 feet. Bypassable Rdc or LDC. dNitHwkR3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25288   W -111.21671        Elev: 5,960 Feet Rap 3 - Nighthawk Fork of Shinob Canyon. Anchored from a tree or a boulder about 20 feet back and drops about 80 feet down a sloped wall with about 30 feet of free hang mid way down. dNitHwkR4          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25391   W -111.21703        Elev: 1 Feet Rap 4 - Nighthawk fork of Shinob Canyon. This is between potholes 14 and 15 and drops down into pothole 14. Anchored from a bush about 15 feet back and drops about 12 feet. dNitHwkR5          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25405   W -111.21704        Elev: 5,822 Feet Rap 5 - Nighthawk fork of Shinob Canyon. This is between potholes 15 and 16 and drops down into pothole 16. Anchored from log wedged in the water course at the top of the drop. Rap 5 drops about 40 feet with the first 15 feet being down climbable. yNitHwkbt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25464   W -111.21708        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 6 - Nighthawk fork Shinob Canyon and the end of the Nighthawk fork. At the bottom of the rap you are now in the Timpie fork. Anchored from a deadman and drops right at 200 feet if the anchor webbing was extended far enough. A slightly longer than 200 foot rope is recomended. dTimpieR4          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25476   W -111.21722        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 4 - Timpie fork Shinob Canyon. On the RDC side of a ledge andchored from a tree root and a bolt and drops about 30 feet. There is a piton part way down the rap. yTimpieBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25535   W -111.21824        Elev: 5,520 Feet Bottom exit of the Timpie fork of Shinob where it meets the main Shinob Canyon.

Shinob 6 - Exit

yTimpieBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25535   W -111.21824        Elev: 5,520 Feet Bottom exit of the Timpie fork of Shinob where it meets the main Shinob Canyon. yNa-gahBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25907   W -111.21834        Elev: 5,520 Feet Bottom of the Na-gah fork of Shinob Canyon where it meets the wash in the main portion of Shinob Canyon. tGrandWash          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.26373   W -111.21570        Elev: 5,425 Feet Parking area at the Grand Wash trailhead.

Shinob 7 - Side Trip to Ferns Nipple

yNitHwkTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25172   W -111.21447        Elev: 6,240 Feet Top entry of the Nighthawk Fork of Shinob Canyon. wFernNipRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25143   W -111.21413        Elev: NaN Feet Dry fall of about 12 feet that needs to be up climbed. There are a couple routes to climb up this. wFernNipRP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25075   W -111.21429        Elev: NaN Feet Start to climb out the right (southwest) side of the drainage here and look for a cairned route. wFernNipRP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.25052   W -111.21488        Elev: 6,480 Feet Climb up out of the drainage tops out briefly and a cairned route should be fairly easy to find here. wFernNipRP-04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.24997   W -111.21520        Elev: NaN Feet Section of sandstone to climb or scramble up. Go slight left of the point here. wFernNipRP-05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.24927   W -111.21410        Elev: 6,690 Feet Flat sandy area to cross over before making the final climb up the slope to the top of Fern's Nipple. wFernNipRP-06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.24826   W -111.21381        Elev: NaN Feet This is where the grade of the slope up to Fern's Nipple gets a lot steeper. p-Ferns-Nipple          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 38.24734   W -111.21301        Elev: 7,065 Feet Fern's Nipple. Log book but no USGS marker.