Canyoneering Route Description
Smiling Cricket Canyon - 4B IV or V R
The Kingdom portion of
Halls Creek area, Utah.
The times are from a Basecamp near the confluence of Millers and Halls Creek
then back to Basecamp.
Add extra time in for the approach into the area from the car park.
09-08-12, 5 people, 1 Day (travel time in route 15.15 hours)
Low Water Conditions.
09-21-13, 7 people, 1 Day (travel time in route 10.25 hours)
Close to Full Water in most of the canyon.
10-13-18, 6 people, 1 Day
(travel time in route 7.75 hours) camped near bottom of Cricket and
COMPLETELY full water but spent about an hour at the pit practicing the toss
even though it was a swim over being full to the brim.
Shortcut route approach to the confluence of Millers and
Halls Creek:
Time Required - About 5.25 hours each way for the hike in
/ out via the Short Cut
Route.
Elevation Range - 4300 to
3840
The Canyon Route from a basecamp near the confluence of
Millers and Halls Creek:
Time Required - 10 to 20 hours (DEPENDS heavily on
conditions and group skills)
Distance -
4.3 miles Total, 1 mile Technical
Rappels - 16 Rappels, Longest Rappel 135 feet.
Elevation Range -- 3830 - 4785 Feet
Shuttle Required - No Vehicle - Passenger
for short cut route.
Permit Required - No
Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up
to 135 feet and 100 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.
You will also need potshots and ropes to cross potholes where you
need to toss the potshots up to 45 or 50 feet. A sandtrap is
also useful in a couple pots. Wet
suits mandatory with a 3mm full being minimum depending on current
temps. Also a retrievable anchor of some kind is recommended
(Smooth Operator,
webbing retrievable, Fiddle Stick, Slick, etc.)
Note on Naming:
Before Smiling Cricket came into public awareness the
canyon also went by the name of Poe Canyon. Both names; Poe Canyon and
Smiling Cricket Canyon are commonly used to refer to the same place. I
prefer the name Smiling Cricket just because it blends well with the common
names for the near by canyons of Happy Dog and Baboon Laughs. However the
name Poe was coined for this canyon years prior to the Smiling Cricket name.
With in this route description the names Smiling Cricket and Poe are used
interchangeably.
Halls Creek itself is a very long drainage running north up
from Lake Powel for over 30 miles. The Halls Creek Area runs through
portions of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Capitol Reef National Park and
Grand Staircase / Escalante. When someone refers to the Halls Creek
area, they are typically referring to the lower 10 or 15 miles of Halls
Creek.
A small popular portion of the Halls Creek area has routes named after animals with positive emotions, Smiling Cricket (aka
Poe), Baboon Laughs and Happy Dog Canyons. I refer to this area as The
Kingdom, as in the Animal Kingdom. The Kingdom falls inside the Glen
Canyon National Recreation Area and is about 3 miles up Halls Creek from
Lake Powel.
Smiling Cricket (aka Poe Canyon) is in The Kingdom area of Halls Creek.
Accessing Smiling Cricket via land is best done as an overnight.
Allow a day for the approach, another day for the canyon and another day for
the exit. The remote nature of the area makes it more worthwhile to
plan a basecamp then spend multiple days playing in canyons nearby.
There is poison ivy in various places on the routes
around the Halls Creek Area. Most (not all) of it is easy to avoid if you are looking for it.
Smiling Cricket (aka Poe Canyon) is a remote canyon
requiring a long approach. The time rating of IV or V reflects the remoteness of the place. To
do Smiling Cricket from the car park and back is an over night trip giving a time
rating of V. If you pack into the area for a multiday trip and are
planning your times from a near by base camp, Poe Canyon has a time rating of
IV from base camp back to base camp.
Note:
There are two over land routes that can be used to
access The Kingdom area (it is also commonly done from the lake from a
boat). One land route is via an old airstrip and the distance is about 9.2
miles from the start of that route down to Millers Creek. The shortcut
route follows open desert to a rubble pile allowing access down the cliffs
into Halls Creek and is about 5.9 miles down to Millers Creek.
This route description describes the shortcut route since it is 3.3 miles
shorter, has less elevation range and does not need a high clearance vehicle to access it. If
you would like information for the old airstrip route, I have made a separate
page for the
Old Airstrip Route into Halls Creek.
Portions of the Smiling Cricket approach ridge can be
convoluted and difficult to give verbal or written. Bring a map and or
GPS and be competent in navigating with them.
If you are looking at maps or areal imagery for the area and trying to get
familiar with the approach route and canyon, it may be useful to know the approach does
not drop into the actual head of the Smiling Cricket Canyon drainage.
The drop in point is about 1.2 miles down from the head of the drainage.
Up canyon of the drop in is a long section of wide open canyon and wash.
WAY up canyon is said to have a little more technical fun which is not part
of the standard route described here.
Warning:
Before deciding to drop into Smiling Cricket be sure to
gather a strong team who each have strengths you can lean on to get you
through. No one person will win the day in here. It will take
the team to get out. Rescue from Smiling Cricket would be difficult
since the canyon is remote and challenging.
Warning:
Seriously have a strong team both technically and mentally strong.
Caution:
Some of the rappels use bolts and some of them are VERY loose and suspect to
failure over time. While it may be possible for some teams to use all
natural anchors for this canyon most people will need some of the bolts.
It would be wise to bring a bolt kit with you as a last ditch safety net, in
case some of these bolts do fail. As usual though please try not to
use the bolt kit unless it is absolutely needed.
Caution:
Smiling Cricket / Poe can be very different with varying water levels.
If you happen to go through with high water and find you had a blast and
enjoyed the romp, be glad you got to enjoy the amusement park variety.
I saw Poe for the first time with low water (the Pit of Despair was actually
dry) then later saw the canyon mostly full. I found it amusing to note
that some of the pools we swam over and hopped out of were 15 feet deep
potholes we had to cross the time before.
One of the major and publicized obstacles in Smiling
Cricket / Poe is the Pit of Despair. The pit is a pot hole about 25 feet
deep and about 20 feet across. Tossing potshots over the pit is what makes
this pothole more menacing than most. On the opposite side of the pit is a
long flat patio with no where for the potshot to grab after it is thrown.
To get a good toss canyoneers will need to toss the potshots about 45 feet
to get beyond the flat patio and hang over a drop. To make things worse the
potshots must be thrown from an awkward stemming stance 8 to 10 feet off the deck.
While the pit seems to be the main obstacle you hear
about in Smiling Cricket it is certainly NOT the only
daunting obstacle. This is not a nice easy canyon with one big pit in the
middle of it. Smiling Cricket has a handful of very challenging spots that
will challenge.
Note / Warning:
This route description is based on conditions on my first visit where the
canyon had a lot of dry sections including the Pit of Despair and some of
the other monster potholes. Almost all of the potholes,
including the Pit of Despair, had
sand bottoms indicating that they could get scoured out making them deeper
and the canyon more challenging. Be aware MOTHER NATURE CAN CHANGE
THINGS so be prepared.
Warning:
Are you tired of the warnings yet?
To get to the Trailhead
DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO THE SHORT CUT ROUTE ............
The junction of highways 95 and 276 is about 26 miles south on
highway 95 from Hanksville Utah.
From the junction of highways 95 and 276, drive south on highway
276 for 35 miles to the turn off on the right (west) for the
south end of the Burr Trail (extBurrTairlS). Turn right
(west) to drive down the Burr Trail which is paved here.
About 2.25 miles from Highway 276 the Burr Trail is still paved
but crosses a major drainage (wBurrTrailDP01) and may be washed
out or flooded at times.
About 2.8 miles farther the Burr Trail crosses over Bullfrog
Creek (wBurrTrailDP02) and may be washed out or flooded at
times.
About 1.25 miles farther the Burr Trail goes up a couple switch
backs to climb up onto the mesa. After getting to the top
of the switch backs drive 0.3 miles farther to a large dirt turn
out on the left (west) side of the road. The large dirt
turn-out is where you will park (pkKingdomSrtCt) to take the
shortcut route into The Kingdom.
To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod
No exit vehicle is needed. This is done as a loop route.
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 drive into the route.
Map 1 of the Short Cut Route.
Map 2 of the Short Cut Route.
Map of approach up from Halls Creek
Map of the technical section.
The Approach to
The Kingdom via
the Short Cut Route:
Note /
Navigation Warning:
The shortcut route into
The Kingdom leads over
to a rubble pile forming
a weakness in the high
cliffs running along
Halls Creek. It is
very important to
navigate to the rubble
pile weakness. If
you navigate to some
other point along the
top of the cliffs you
will likely find
yourself at the top of
very high sheer drops
with no way down into
Halls Creek.
The shortcut route into
The Kingdom does not
have a trail and has few
landmarks over most of
it. Good map
reading and navigation
skills are required to
complete this route.
A GPS can make life a
whole lot easier as
well. Other routes
over this terrain will
work also as a lot of
the terrain is
forgiving. However
the route described here
follows a path that is
overall a direct line in
AND avoids a lot of un
needed ups and downs.
From where you parked
(pkKingdomSrtCt) walk at
a bearing of 258 degrees
(true not magnetic) for
about 0.6 miles across
the desert.
About 0.6 miles from the
parking area is a large
drainage to cross.
There is an easy slope
(wHalls-SC-RP01) to get
down into the drainage
just north of the apex
of a sharp horseshoe
bend.
Note:
If you happen to find
your way to the apex of
the big horseshoe bend
and find the drop to the
drainage is a sheer
drop, route find your
way north 100 to 200
feet where you will find
a slope leading down in.
Once
down in the drainage,
cross it and climb up
the bank on the west
side by scrambling up
onto the nose of the
ridge formed by the
horseshoe bend.
Note:
The scramble up the nose
of the ridge is easy,
but if desired there is
an easier slope to walk
up just north of the
ridge in the apex of the
upstream corner (wHalls-SC-Slop).
See the map to note
where it is, which is
simpler than trying to
explain it in text.
Once at the top of slope
up the nose of the ridge
(wHalls-SC-RP02),
continue west along the
ridge for about 900 feet
to where the ridge ends
and you are out on open
desert (wHalls-SC-RP03).
When you get to the end
of the ridge travel
across open desert
southwest on a bearing
of 237 degrees (true)
for about 0.46 miles
toward the bottom of a
rubble pile going up a
steep sandstone band.
From the bottom of the
rubble pile
(wHalls-SC-RP04) it is
an easy scramble slash
walk up the slickrock
slope for about 500 feet
(horizontal distance) to
the top of the slope
where you are once again
greeted with wide open
desert (wHalls-SC-RP05).
Once at the top of the
slickrock slope travel
southwest on a bearing
of 232 degrees (true)
across open desert.
About 0.71 miles from
the top of the slickrock
slope you should drop
down into a large
drainage at the
confluence of two forks
(wHalls-SC-RP06).
From the confluence do
not follow down the
drainage. Instead, cross
over and continue
southwest across desert
westish on a bearing of
230 degrees (true).
As you walk you will
start to notice a
whitish sandstone cliff
band in the distance
slightly left (south) of
your course. Aim
slightly right (north)
of it to where it looks
like you can scramble up
onto it. About 0.4
miles after leaving the
drainage at the
confluence will be a
short easy scramble up
to the the top of the
whitish cliff band
(wHalls-SC-RP07).
After you are on top
continue west for about
0.25 miles on a bearing
of 255 degrees (true)
down to a confluence /
fork in a large
drainage. From
that confluence
(wHalls-SC-RP08) travel
up the fork of the
drainage that goes west
(not the ones that go
south or north).
About 1000 feet up the
west fork the drainage
will make a sharp bend
right (north) then about
400 feet farther north
up the drainage will be
a large cairn in the
wash (wHalls-SC-RP09).
The large cairn in the
wash signifies where to
leave the drainage and
scramble up and west to
the open desert above.
Note:
At this point you are
just over a mile from
the top of the rubble
pile allowing access
down the side of the
cliffs running along
Halls Creek. Also
of note is that this
later half of the route
is difficult to explain
verbally or written.
With that in mind good
navigation skills are
helpful and a GPS is a
big asset here.
After getting to the top
of the scramble up out
of the drainage
(wHalls-SC-RP10) route
find your way southwest
on a bearing of 248
(true). While
traveling on this
bearing you will be
traversing along a
sloped area slowly
working to a wide top
out area
(wHalls-SC-RP11).
From the wide top out
area continue southwest
on a bearing of 230
degrees (true) about
0.17 miles to where you
will cross over a small
drainage
(wHalls-SC-RP12).
After crossing the small
drainage continue
southwest on a bearing
of 240 degrees (true)
for about 0.3 miles to
where you will drop down
into another large
drainage
(wHalls-SC-RP13).
This large drainage
(wHalls-SC-RP13) has
several large drainages
/ ravines traveling up
to the and northwest and
southwest.
Choosing the proper
ravine will get you to
where you need to go.
This area is a little
convoluted but if you
look around you should
notice 4 ravines /
drainages. The
ravine / drainage you
want to go up is the one
traveling southwest at a
bearing of about 245
degrees (true). Of
note there is also
another drainage to the
left (south) of the
drainage you want
running roughly the same
direction and parallel.
Both Ravine / drainages
will get you pretty much
to the same place.
The actual bottom of the
correct ravine /
drainage is
(wHalls-SC-RP14).
Travel southwest about
850 feet to what feels
like the top of the
ravine (wHalls-SC-RP15).
As you are traveling up
the ravine you will be
pointed directly at a
white sandstone peak
ahead. The peak
you will be pointed at
is the middle peak of
three small peaks in the
area.
As you get to the top of
the ravine continue up
the slickrock slope up
toward that center peak
which is now about 500
feet away. As you
get close to the peak
contour around the left
(south) side of it and
walk over to the cliff
edge looking down into
Halls Creek.
As you get around to the
west side of the peak
and over to the top of
the cliffs
(wHalls-SC-RP16) be on
the look out for various
cairns marking the way
down over the side of
the cliffs down toward
Halls Creek. Next
is the descent down the
rubble pile area.
There are a few cairns
on the route down but
they are widely spaced
and not always obvious
so be prepared to figure
out your own way down.
The route down the side
of the cliffs into Halls
Creek will work its way
down the rubble pile
section, while at the
same time traversing to
the right (north)
eventually getting to a
dirt slope that will
allow easy walking down
into Halls Creek.
The distance from the
top (wHalls-SC-RP16) of
the cairned route down
the rubble pile and
traversing down to the
top of the dirt slope
(wHalls-SC-RP17) is
about 0.22 miles.
When you get to the top
of the dirt slope,
simply walk down to a
use trail about 500 feet
away.
Note:
It is also possible to
begin traversing south
on the rubble pile and
work over to a ramp near
a side drainage to drop
down to the bottom.
However this route
involves a little more
route finding, a little
more scrambling and
doesn't seem to safe
significant effort over
the route traversing
down to the north.
But if you are feeling
adventurous it does go
and may be a fun
alternative for you.
A point for the top of
the ramp (wHalls-Opt-2)
is shown on the map but
no waypoint info is
added to the route
description.
When you get down onto
the use trail
(wHalls-SC-RP18) turn
left (south) and follow
the trail as it stays
roughly along the top of
a cliff running along
Halls Creek.
Follow the trail about
0.65 miles south until
you see a very large
obvious slickrock half
dome shaped fin.
Just before reaching the
huge half dome shaped
fin (wHalls-SC-RP19),
LEAVE the use trail and
follow down the slope on
the north side of the
half dome shaped fin
down into the Halls
Creek water course.
About 700 feet down
along the slope you will
be down in Halls Creek
(jHalls-SC-Bot).
After getting down into
Halls Creek walk south
down the creek about 0.3
miles to where Millers
Creek joins
(wHalsCrsMilers) in from
the right (west).
Note / Basecamp:
Once you have found your
way to Miller Creek it
is a good time to look
around for a good spot
to set up basecamp and
drop all your overnight
gear. From your
basecamp you can grab
your tech gear and head
out for trips though the
local canyons. Of
note Millers Creek has
water flowing as well as
Halls Creek. There
have been reports of
beaver activity in Halls
Creek and reports of
people getting sick from
the water. Millers
Creek is where we
typically get our water
and have not had issues
with it. Your
mileage may vary.
Continuing the
Approach from a Basecamp
somewhere near Millers
Creek..........
About 0.25 miles down
from Millers Creek the
trail crosses over to
the east side of the
Halls Creek (wHallsHappyCrs)
about 250 feet before
reaching the bottom of
Happy Dog Canyon.
To continue toward
Baboon Laughs and
Smiling Cricket cross
over Halls Creek (wHalsHappyCrs)
and go up the steep bank
on the other (east) side
following the trail high
up on the bank on the
east side of Halls
Creek.
Note:
If you were going to do
Happy Dog you would not
cross Halls Creek here
but instead walk west up
the slope on the north
side of the Happy Dog
drainage.
About 0.2 miles farther
the trail drops down
into then crosses over
Halls Creek again (jBaboonLaughs)
back to the west side.
This is between the
Happy Dog and Baboon
Laughs drainages.
Cross Halls Creek here
and scramble up onto the
west bank.
Note:
If you were going to do
Baboon Laughs you would
leave the trail here and
walk west about 600 feet up toward the
sandstone slopes on the
north side of Baboon
Laughs Canyon.
To continue toward
Smiling Cricket
follow the trail south a
little over 400 feet to
where the trail crosses
a side drainage
(wKingdomRP60).
This side drainage is
spring fed so it has
water and a lot of thick
vegetation. The
crossing I have marked
on the map is a spot
where you can cross and
might be able to keep
your feet dry by
stepping in the right
place. But the
dense vegetation makes
it difficult to see
where to put your feet
so you will likely end
up with wet feet here.
There is also poison ivy
here to avoid.
About 400 feet farther
south is another side
drainage to cross
(wKingdomRP61).
The point marked on the
map is a spot where it
is easy to cross and
avoid thick vegetation
and water.
About 0.3 miles south
the trail crosses over
the lower portion of the
Baboon Laughs drainage (wBaboonLwrCrs).
Crossing here is over a
wide sloped slickrock
section with water
trickling over it.
The crossing is easy
walking but there are
slick spots to be very
careful of.
Just after crossing over
the lower portion of the
Baboon Laughs drainage,
begin veering right and
start traveling
southwest up toward the
slick rock slopes on the
way up to Smiling
Cricket. As you
start to veer southwest
look for a small dirt
and rock peak about 450
feet away (it had a
cairn on the peak on our
first visit which will
likely always be there).
Work your way up to the
the peak and follow up
the slope to the right
(west) side of it.
From where you walk by
the small peak
(wSmCriketRP01) look
southwest to see a ridge
line about 950 feet away
that goes west running
up parallel to Smiling
Cricket. Continue
southwest about 950 feet
over to that ridge
(wSmCriketRP02).
When you get onto the
ridge (wSmCriketRP02)
travel west route
finding your way along
the ridge. The
drainage on the left
(south) as you go up the
ridge is not Smiling
Cricket or Jiminy
Cricket. It is
just a minor drainage
running along the
sandstone slopes here.
Also of note this ridge
does not have a well
defined crest and you
will need to route find
your way through
slightly convoluted
terrain.
About 2.8 miles up the
ridge is what feel like
a top out just past an
area with vegetation
(wSmCriketRP03).
As you get to this point
you see it is a false
top out.
Continue west up the
ridge about 0.24 miles
to where the route dips
down into a large
recessed area with some
junipers
(wSmCriketRP04).
As you get into this
recessed area continue
west for about 200 feet
then begin to veer left
and travel more south in
this large recess and
work your way up to a
semi obvious saddle
(wSmCriketRP05) about
200 feet away.
From the saddle go south
about 300 feet dropping
into a large drainage
(yJiminyCriktTp) which
is Jiminy Cricket
Canyon.
Note:
If you were going to do
Jiminy Cricket Canyon
you would turn left and
travel east down Jiminy
Cricket.
To continue to Smiling
Cricket scramble up the
other (south) side of
Jiminy Cricket and
continue south.
After you get up out of
Jiminy Cricket Canyon
and are traveling south
look for a small shallow
dirt area going south
and follow its gentle
slope about 700 feet to
its top out
(wSmCriketRP06).
Continue about 200 feet
south down the gentle
slope to an edge
(wSmCriketRP07) where
you can have a view into
Smiling Cricket.
When you get to this
edge looking down into
Smiling Cricket / Poe
Canyon you have two
options for entry.
One entry is a short
rappel off of a small
tree / bush and the
other option is to
traverse a ledge system
and downclimb into the
canyon.
Option 1 -
Rappel Entry:
From this edge scramble
down the slope going
left (east) down canyon for
about 200 feet over to a
few small bushes.
The small bushes are
used to anchor rap 1
which will get you down
into the canyon.
On the way down the
slope toward rap 1 is a
spot to downclimb about
10 feet that a partner
assist is helpful for.
Rap 1 (dSmCriketR1) is
anchored from some small
trees and allows a
rappel down to the
canyon floor of about 60
feet that starts down a
sloped wall then goes
vertical near the end.
Rap 1 is the entry for
option on.
Option 2 - Ledge
Traverse Entry:
From this edge scramble
down the slope going
right (west) up canyon
for about 350 feet to a
spot where you can
downclimb in. Most
of this ledge traverse
is pretty easy
scrambling / walking.
One spot however is
narrow and made more
difficult with some
bushes. There is a
crack running along that
part where you can stick
your fingers in to help
hold on. A fall
here would be very bad
so be sure to at least
throw your helmet on.
After walking /
scrambling the 350 feet
along the ledge will be
a spot you can downclimb
into the canyon which is
where the Mid Entry
point for the canyon is
marked (ySmCricketMd).
The downclimb is about
10 feet and is wide
enough that a partner
assist will be desired
by most.
About 400 feet up canyon
of here the canyon
becomes wide open wash
for a long long way
which is why this mid
point entry is the
standard route.
The rap in entry option
drops in the canyon
about 500 feet down
canyon of this point.
The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
If you dropped in using
option 2 (the ledge
traverse entry) you have
about 500 feet of canyon
to travel to get to the
bottom of the rap in
entry using rap 1.
The first part of that
section has a couple
downclimbs of about 8
feet and a few potholes
that are swimmers when
full. I have not
seen these potholes dry
so I am not sure what
challenges they might
hold when dry.
Then the canyon opens up
to a wash walk down to
the bottom of rap 1
which is the side entry
rap.
From the bottom of
rap 1 (dSmCriketR1)
that was used to
complete the approach
and drop into the
canyon, walk down canyon
in a flat sandy area
with some vegetation for
about 400 feet to a pile
of boulders where rap 2
is.
Rap 2 (dSmCriketR2) is
anchored from pinch
point between rocks and
drops about 30 feet to a
pool that would be about
waist deep if full.
Rap 3 (dSmCriketR3) is
about 50 feet down
canyon of rap 2, is
anchored LDC from a
pinch point and drops
about 15 feet over a
boulder to a pool that
will be a swimmer if
full. The pool has
a sloped exit that may
be slick to get out of.
Be careful of rope
placement on rap 3 to
avoid sticking the rope
in pinch points.
Rap 3 can be downclimbed
as well.
Between raps 3 and 4
there are multiple
downclimbs of 6 to 8
feet into potholes that
are waist to chest deep
and sections of wading
through narrow canyon
with beautiful
undulating walls.
One of the drops will be
the exception and is
about 15 feet where the
last 5 will likely need
a partner assist.
Rap 4 is about 500 feet
down canyon of rap 3.
Just before rap 4 is a
slide down into a
pothole that will be a
little more difficult to
get out of than those
before. The exit
is about chest high but
is awkward and smooth.
The sand was also sloped
in such a way it
appeared it could easily
be scoured out in the
future. This pot
hole may require a
potshot toss to get out
of. On the other
side of the pothole is
the top of rap 4.
Rap 4 (dSmCriketR4) is
anchored from a single
bolt in the water course
and drops about 40 feet
to a pool that is about
waist deep. Rap 4
can also be anchored by
placing a choke stone in
the water course if the
bolt becomes compromised
or undesirable.
There are a lot of rocks
up canyon of here to
gather if needed but
water may make them
harder to find.
After exiting the
pothole below rap 4 is a
right leaning narrow
slot that leads to
another pothole about 80
feet down canyon.
The narrow crack you are
in leads into the side
of the pothole where you
can make a very awkward
leap of a few feet over
to the other side but
this will be difficult
for most people.
If you get one person
over to the other side
it is easy to assist
others to swing around
the corner over the
pothole. Most
people will need to
downclimb into the
pothole and partner
assist up the 8 to 10
foot exit. After
exiting the pothole is
the top of rap 5.
Rap 5(dSmCriketR5) is
anchored RDC from a
single bolted hanger and
drops about 30 feet down
a sloped ledge that
undercuts and goes free
hanging before getting
down to the water of a
major pit below rap 5.
The bolted anchor for
rap 5 has the rock under
it very worn away making
the bolt a little
sketchy. A chokestone anchor can be
used by farming rock but
will take some work to
find a good placement.
Also if the pothole
behind rap 5 is dry a
sand trap can be used.
The pit below rap 5 is
the Major Pit 1 in
Smiling Cricket.
It will be a swimmer
with any significant
water. On our
first visit we were
lucky enough to find it
waist deep at the bottom
of rap 5 but it quickly
got deep and we had to
swim the length of the
pool. The pit
below rap 5 is 30 or 40
feet long and will be
difficult to exit if not
completely full.
The exit is up a sloped
crack about 12 feet that
is made difficult to
climb by the slick mud
and algae growing on the
walls. A partner
assist is very helpful
to get the first person
out. If you are
able to toss a potshot
far enough up there are
good features for it to
catch on. On the
next visit we had almost
full water here and swam
over the monster pit
then a few easy feet up
the crack to get out.
Down canyon of Major Pit
1 is a pothole with an 8
foot partner assist
exit, then another
pothole with an 8 foot
downclimb and an easy
exit out then a short
walk to the top of rap 6
which drops into the
Major Pit 2 in Smiling
Cricket.
Rap 6 (dSmCriketR6-8)
drops about 25 feet down
into the Major Pit 2
which will be swimmer
and has a huge arch in
it. Rap 6 can be
anchored with a sandtrap,
potshots or pack anchor.
If you have someone
willing to carefully
shimmy down a steep
slope and jump the last
8 feet into the water
you can save the effort
of setting up an anchor.
After dropping into the
water swim under the
arch to get to the other
end of the pool / pit.
The arch is surprisingly
large and a very
interesting feature.
On the other side of the
pool is rap 7.
Rap 7 is on the other
side of the pool at the
bottom of rap 6 and drops about
60 feet down to a chest
deep pool. Both times I
have been here we have
provided a meat anchor
for everyone then have
the last person
downclimb the rap with
a very aggressive partner
assist for the last 10
to 12 feet using
multiple people stacked
up.
Note:
If you do not want to
downclimb rap 7 you may
need to get creative
with a pack anchor a
sandtrap or some other
creation. It would
be possible to use the
arch as the anchor using
a retrievable anchor
(webbing retrievable
anchor, Smooth Operator, FiddleStick,
slick etc). However
there are pinch points
that might make the arch
anchor problematic. If
you do use the arch as
an anchor do not just
pull the entire rappel
rope around the arch,
use a retrievable
anchor.
Rap 8 is on the other
side of the pool below
rap 7. Rap 8 is anchored from
your choice of a sandtrap or pack anchor
and drops about 30 feet
to a chest deep pool.
If you have someone with
mad skills they can run
/ traverse the RDC side
over to a ledge where
they can then jump to
the water from a reduced
height, but this is a
sketchy move and not the
one suggested.
Just after rap 8 is an
easy downclimb of about
12 feet to a waist deep
pool with an easy exit
followed by a long
section of walking and
light galumphing.
About 350 feet down
canyon of rap 8 is a
section where the canyon
gets wide for a couple
hundred feet.
In the wide open section
(wSmCriketRP08) are a
few large keeper
potholes that can be
bypassed by climbing up
to a ledge LDC and
walking around them.
Then climb up is about
15 feet and steep slab
so send up the best
climber to toss a rope
down. Or you can
opt to play in the
keepers if you like.
Note:
This is just up canyon
of where Jiminy Cricket
Canyon
drops into Smiling
Cricket.
As the wide open area
comes to an end there
are a couple minor
potholes to cross over
where you are back in
narrow canyon.
About 150 feet into the
narrower section is rap
9 which drops about 30
feet into a Major Pit 3.
Rap 9 (dSmCriketR9-10)
drops about 30 feet down
into a large pothole
(Major Pit 3) with a
vertical 20 foot wall to
exit on the down canyon
side. A potshot
will need to be tossed
to set an exit rope.
Just on the other side
of rap 9 is rap 10.
Rap 10
is anchored on the LDC
side using rocks piled
in a small pothole a few
feet in diameter and
travels about 90 feet
over two stages. The
first stage drops about
15 feet down into very
large pothole with a
partner assist exit of
about 8 feet. On the
other side of the
partner assist is a drop
of about 45 feet.
Note:
There is an old
bolt in VERY BAD shape that
is in the watercourse on
the lip between the
stages of rap 10.
Also Jiminy Cricket
Canyon joins Smiling
Cricket Canyon here.
Jiminy drops into
Smiling at the mid way
point of rap 10.
Next is a boulder debris
field with awkward
downclimb into a crack.
Shortly after is a
skinny narrows with a
chimney style downclimb
of about 15 feet.
Next is a short walk in
a tight, pretty narrows
for a short distance to
another large deep
pothole.
This large deep pothole
you can downclimb into
but have an almost
vertical exit of about
15 feet on the down
canyon side. A
good climber type can
exit the pothole with a
partner assist. If
you need to throw a
potshot you can do so
from a patio like spot
on the LDC side.
On the output side of
the large pothole is
another pothole that
makes you feel like a
mouse in a bucket when
you are in it. The
pothole is about 10 feet
deep on both sides and
about 10 feet across.
A potshot will need to
be thrown to set an exit
rope here and the toss
is very easy. A
good climber type can
also bypass this mouse
in a bucket pothole by
traversing the LDC side
but this is a very
sketchy move.
On the other side of the
of the mouse in a bucket
pothole is a smaller
pothole with a drop of
about 6 feet with a
sloped exit that is a
little difficult.
Next is a very small
pothole that would be
keeper but can jut
around the RDC side.
Next is a short narrow
section with a couple
small potholes to cross
before getting to Major Pit 4, The Pit of
Despair. Rap 11 is
about 650 feet down
canyon of rap 10 and
drops down into the Pit
of Despair.
Rap 11 (dSmCriketR11) is
anchored from a pile of
rocks in the V shaped
slot leading down into
the Pit of Despair and
drops about 25 feet into
the pit. If the
rocks are washed out
from flooding a sandtrap
or potshot anchor can be
used here. You
will need to toss
potshots to set an
escape line for the
othere3 side.
The Pit of Despair is
about 20 feet across
with a flat patio area
on the other side which
is too flat and slick to
have the potshots do you
any good. To make
the potshots of value
they have to be thrown
about 45 feet over the
pit and beyond the
patio. Mother
nature bumps the level
of difficulty up by
giving you no good place
to stand when tossing
the potshots. You
will need to stem up in
a V slot about 6 feet to
get a good throwing
angle making for a very
awkward stance.
Mother nature bumps up
the difficulty level
once again by giving you
a very narrow window to
aim at by placing the
canyons walls in the
way. This is a
difficult toss and worth
preparing for with lots
of practice! This
toss is as difficult as
stories make it sound.
The pit was about 25
feet deep when we were
there in Sept. 2012 and
was sand filled so it
can be deeper.
Late Aug. 2013 it was
reported to be about 16
feet deep so the levels
here can change a lot.
Our visit in 2013 had
high water levels so it
was water filled and
only about 6 feet down
from the lip. The depth of the pit at
the time you visit and
if it is dry or has
water can greatly change
your perception of the
danger and difficulty to
cross.
Note - Bolted
Traverse over the Pit of
Despair:
There are also old bolt
holes high up on the RDC
side that can be used to
traverse over the Pit of
Despair but this places
you an additional 10 to
15 feet up and would
have bad consequences if
you fell. We did
not explore this option
so I have no details to
give.
I have heard some people
say the bolthole
traverse was scary and
others say it is not too
bad. I tend to
believe the water level
in the pit has a HUGE
impact on your
assessment of the
traverse. With an
empty pit you have the
potential to fall about
40 feet to solid sand
below, which would
likely not end well.
With a mostly full pit
your fall would be 15 to
20 feet into water which
doesn't sound too bad.
After getting up out of
the Pit of Despair,
cross the patio on the
other side then down a
sloped S curve to a
pothole with a downclimb
of about 12 feet into it
and n upclimb of about 8
feet out of it (both can
be partner assisted).
Rap 12 is right on the
other side of the climb
out form the pothole.
Rap 12 (dSmCriketR12) is
anchored using a
sandtrap or potshots and
drops into a pothole
about 30 feet deep where
a potshot will need to
be tossed to set an exit
line. Rap 12 drops
about 20 feet into the
pothole where you can
carefully walk a sloped
ledge in the pothole on
the LDC side then use
the exit rope to ascend
about 15 feet out the
other side.
Down canyon of rap 12 is
a short riparian section
then a pothole that
would be a swimmer if
full but an easy
downclimb in and an easy
exit. Next up is a
long pothole / pool to
swim of about 50 feet
that may need a partner
assist to get out of if
not full. On the
other side of the long
swim is a deep pothole
that can be bypassed on
the LDC side by
carefully traversing the
slopped LDC side wall.
After bypassing the
pothole LDC you get to
rap 13.
Rap 13 (dSmCriketR13) is
anchored from two bolts
(one with a hanger and
the other with a cable)
and drops about 70 feet
down two stages to a very large
pothole about 20 feet
across with an escape
climb out of about 15 feet
if the pothole is dry.
The exit from the
pothole below rap 13 is an aggressive
partner assist if dry
and would be a keeper
with significant water. It is a
good idea to toss a pothshot for an exit
rope if there is water
in the pothole and you
should leave a couple
people at the top of rap
13 until at least one
person has escaped the
pothole. From the
top of the rappel it
would be very difficult
to toss the potshot to
where it needs to be.
Tossing a potshot can be
done by locking off mid
rappel while on the
ledge between stages and tossing the
potshot while on rope.
Sand will need to be
farmed from up canyon
and a partner to help
with rope management on
the ledge is a good
idea.
Note:
If you scramble up on
the LDC ledge from the
top of rap 13 you can
see down toward Halls
Creek and if you look
close you can see the
Wart on the LDC wall a
ways down canyon.
After climbing up out of
the pothole below rap 13
is a short slot over to
a pool about 40 feet
long then to a V shaped
slot leading to a deep
menacing looking
pothole. The
pothole at the end of
the V slot is the Wart
Pothole.
The Wart is an
outcropping feature up
on the LDC wall about 40
feet that sits just over
a menacing pothole to
cross. The pothole
below would be very
difficult to toss a
potshot over and cross
easily. The
pothole is also a deep
tube shape with some
overhang to the edges.
To bypass the pothole in
the V slot, climb up to
The Wart and rappel down
off of The Wart to the
down canyon side of
pothole.
Rap 14 (dSmCriketR1415)
is anchored from The
Wart to bypass the
pothole below and drops
about 25 feet to the
down canyon side of the
pothole then another 25
feet over another small
pothole for a total rap
of about 50 feet.. You have
to climb up to The Wart
which is an easy climb /
scramble but it is
exposed and a little
scary.
Rap 15 is just after The
Wart and anchored from a
single bolted anchor RDC
and drops about 30 feet.
Rap 16 is about about 50
feet down canyon of rap
15 down sloped
sandstone.
Rap 16 (dSmCriketR16)
is the final drop in the
canyon and is anchored
from two bolts (one with
a hanger and one with
just the bolt sticking
up) and drops about 135
feet to the canyon
floor. The last 30
feet of the rap can
easily be downclimbed in
a crack so you could get
away with about 105 feet
for rap rope but will
need a longer pull line.
Note:
Raps 15 and 16 can be
combined if desired.
From the top of rap 15
to the bolts for Rap 16
is about 75 feet of
travel. If you
combine raps 15 and 16
plan on using about xx
feet of rope from the
top of rap 15 down to
the bottom of rap 16 to
complete the drop.
After rap 16 it is about
0.3 miles down to where
the slickrock sides
begin to end (ySmilCrktBT)
and you can scramble up
to the left (north) to
get up onto open desert.
The vegetation in this
0.3 mile section is
dense and difficult
travel.
Both times I have been
here we tried different
way up out of this lower
section and have not
found the best way yet.
If you go all the way to
where the LDC side drops
down low you can find
easy exit up to the open
desert above (ySmilCrktBT).
The Exit:
From
where you climb up out
of the canyon (ySmilCrktBT)
travel north roughly
following the base of
the slickrock and start
looking for a use trail.
After a couple hundred
feet the trail should
become easy to find
shortly before crossing
a small vegetated
draining
(wSmCriketRP09).
Follow the trail north
about 0.25 miles to
where you cross the
bottom of Baboon Laughs
(wBaboonLwrCrs) and
rejoin your approach
route from your journey
in. The 600 feet
or so before reaching
Baboon Laughs the trail
runs through a bunch of
small drainages and is a
little hard to find in
place. Just keep
going almost due north
to Baboon Laughs
drainage.
After crossing the
drainage below Baboon
Laughs Canyon (wBaboonLwrCrs)
follow the trail and
retrace the approach
route back to Millers
Creek where you can
return to basecamp or
plan to hike all the way
out to the cars.
Downloadable GPX files
available at
BG-Gear Store
(easier than manual entry and a great way to support
Bluugnome).
Waypoint naming convention and map symbol information can be found on the Glossary page.
Elevations are approximate.
BEFORE
manually entering coordinates set your system to WGS84 datum and Lat/Lon hddd.ddddd° coordinate format.
Inconsistent datum's and coordinate formats will result in location errors.
Click to show / expand the list of waypoints below........
Smiling Cricket (1) - Drive into the Shortcut Trailhead |
- extBurrTairlS
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57554
W -110.71199
Elev: 3,990 Feet
Exit off of Highway 276 to start onto the south end of the Burr Trail. The Burr Trail is paved here and leaves the highway going west.
- wBurrTrailDP01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57949
W -110.74897
Elev: NaN Feet
Burr Trail is paved here but crosses over a draiange and may be washed out or flooded at times.
- wBurrTrailDP02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59983
W -110.78411
Elev: NaN Feet
Burr Trail is paved here but crosses over Bullfrog Creek and may be washed out or flooded at times.
- pkKingdomSrtCt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61615
W -110.79873
Elev: 4,150 Feet
A large dirt turn-out on the west side of the road. This is where you park if using the shortcut route into "The Kingdom". The Kingdom is the area with the animal named canyons (Smiling Cricket, Babbon Laughs and Happy Dog). To start on the route walk slightly north of due west from the parking area and cross over a small drianage about 450 feet away.
|
Smiling Cricket (2) - Shortcut Route into Millers Creek |
- pkKingdomSrtCt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61615
W -110.79873
Elev: 4,150 Feet
A large dirt turn-out on the west side of the road. This is where you park if using the shortcut route into "The Kingdom". The Kingdom is the area with the animal named canyons (Smiling Cricket, Babbon Laughs and Happy Dog). To start on the route walk slightly north of due west from the parking area and cross over a small drianage about 450 feet away.
- wHalls-SC-RP01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61426
W -110.81002
Elev: 3,910 Feet
A slope that leads down into a large draiange. This is just north of the apex of a sharp horseshoe bend.
- wHalls-SC-RP02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61352
W -110.81020
Elev: NaN Feet
Up on the ridge fromed by the horseshoe bend. Continue west to follow the route into The Kingdom.
- wHalls-SC-Slop
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61359
W -110.81162
Elev: NaN Feet
An optional slope to go up or down rather than scramble up the end of the ridge.
- wHalls-SC-RP03
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61285
W -110.81300
Elev: 3,960 Feet
Ridge formed by the horseshoe bend in the drainage ends as it widens out into open desert. Continue southwest on a bearing of 237 for about 0.46 miles to a rubble pile allowing you to sramble up to the shelf above.
- wHalls-SC-RP04
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60929
W -110.81993
Elev: 4,090 Feet
Bottom of a rubble pile where you start scrambling up the slickrock slope to get to the top.
- wHalls-SC-RP05
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60861
W -110.82161
Elev: 4,150 Feet
Top of the slickrock slope. From here you are greeted with wide open desert to teh west.
- wHalls-SC-RP06
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60226
W -110.83181
Elev: 4,040 Feet
Confluence in a drainage. Cross the drainage here and continue southwest across the desert on a bearing of 230 degrees (true). As you walk you will notice a whitish slickrock cliff band slightly left of your course off in the distance about 0.4 miles. Aim to the right of the cliff band area where it looks like you can scramble up onto it.
- wHalls-SC-RP07
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59838
W -110.83757
Elev: 4,080 Feet
A spot where you can easily scramble up onto the top of the whitish cliff band. This is north of the cliff band you have been seeing on the walk in.
- wHalls-SC-RP08
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59745
W -110.84194
Elev: NaN Feet
Fork in a large drainage. To continue on the shortcut route to The Kningdom follow up the fork traveling west.
- wHalls-SC-RP09
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59753
W -110.84565
Elev: 4,010 Feet
Large cairn in the wash. This cairn notes where you will leave the wash and climb up to the west. Scramble west up out of the draiange to the open desert above. You will need to do a little route finding to scramble up this section.
- wHalls-SC-RP10
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59706
W -110.84680
Elev: NaN Feet
Top of the scramble up out of the drainage. Continue southwest to continue on the shortcut route into The Kingdom.
- wHalls-SC-RP11
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59599
W -110.85002
Elev: 4,125 Feet
Wide top out area shortly after route finding your way up out of the draiange with the large cairn.
- wHalls-SC-RP12
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59444
W -110.85227
Elev: NaN Feet
Cross over a small drainage and continue southwest on a bearing of 230 deg true.
- wHalls-SC-RP13
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59158
W -110.85706
Elev: NaN Feet
Route drops down into a drainage here whre there are several ravines going up to the northwest and southwest. Travel up the drainage / ravine running southwest on a bearing of 245 deg true.
- wHalls-SC-RP14
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59119
W -110.85812
Elev: 4,170 Feet
Bottom of the correct drainage running up to the southwest at a bearing of 245 deg. true.
- wHalls-SC-RP15
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59028
W -110.86071
Elev: 4,310 Feet
A point that starts to feel like the top of the ravine. There is still a slockrock slope continuing toward a sandstone peak. Continue southwest up toward the peak then veer left (south to contour around it to get to the top of the cliff band.
- wHalls-SC-RP16
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58945
W -110.86279
Elev: 4,400 Feet
Top of the cairned route down the rubble pile along the cliff down into Halls Creek. The route down the rubble pile drops down while at the same time traverses north about 0.22 miles to the top of a dirt slope that leads down toward Halls Creek.
- wHalls-SC-RP17
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59212
W -110.86400
Elev: 4,085 Feet
Top of a dirt slope after traversig down the rubble debris area. Walk down this dirt slope west about 500 feet to get to a use trail.
- wHalls-SC-RP18
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59197
W -110.86583
Elev: 3,960 Feet
Bottom of the route down the rubble pile area where you end up on a use trail. This use trail is up out of Halls Creek following along the top of a cliff band. Follow the use trail south for about 0.65 miles until you see a large slickrock fin / half dome shape. Just before the halfdone shape follow the slope down into Halls Creek.
- wHalls-SC-RP19
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58203
W -110.86799
Elev: 3,865 Feet
Top of the slope where you can leave the use trail up on the top of the cliffband and walk down into Halls Creek. On the route in on the shortcut route this slope is just before reaching a huge obvious slickrock half dome shaped fin. This slope is in the north side of the half dome.
- jHalls-SC-Bot
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58020
W -110.86821
Elev: 3,831 Feet
This is where the short cut route into The Kingdom area of Halls Creek drops down into Halls creek water course.
- wHalsCrsMilers
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57711
W -110.86952
Elev: 3,840 Feet
The trail down Halls Creek crosses over Millers Creek here.
|
Smiling Cricket (3) - Approach from Millers Creek |
- wHalsCrsMilers
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57711
W -110.86952
Elev: 3,840 Feet
The trail down Halls Creek crosses over Millers Creek here.
- wHalsHappyCrs
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57440
W -110.87043
Elev: 3,860 Feet
A point where the trail crosses Halls Creek near the bottom of Happy Dog Canyon. Cross Halls Creek here to continue south down Halls Creek on the trail on the east side of the draiange.
- jBaboonLaughs
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57179
W -110.87075
Elev: NaN Feet
Trail crosses Halls Creek here between Happy Dog and Baboon Laughs canyons. Cross over to the west side of Halls Creek and scramble up onto the west bank.
To continue toward Smiling Cricket follow the trail south.
To go up to Baboon Laughs leave the trail here and start walking west up toward the slick rock slopes on the north side of Baboon Laughs Canyon.
- wKingdomRP60
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57075
W -110.87082
Elev: 3,820 Feet
A spot where you can cross a minor draiange with water and a lot of thick vegetation. You will likely get your feet wet here. There is also poison ivy to avoid.
- wKingdomRP61
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.56975
W -110.87124
Elev: 3,840 Feet
Side drainage to cross. Crossing here avoid water and thick vegetation.
- wBaboonLwrCrs
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.56603
W -110.87076
Elev: 3,835 Feet
A spot where you can cross the Baboon Drainage on a slick rock section to avoid the think vegetation and water in this area of the drainage.
- wSmCriketRP01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.56501
W -110.87198
Elev: 3,940 Feet
A small dirt and rock peak about 450 feet southwest up the slopes after crossing the lower portion of the Baboon Laughs drainage. To continue to Smiling Cricket continue southwest for about 950 feet to get onto a ridge that goes up to the west parallel to Smiling Cricket.
- wSmCriketRP02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.56292
W -110.87391
Elev: NaN Feet
Start up the ridge going west from here.
- wSmCriketRP03
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.56291
W -110.87889
Elev: 4,500 Feet
False topout along the ridge.
- wSmCriketRP04
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.56173
W -110.88288
Elev: NaN Feet
Route dips down into a recessed area with junipers. As you get into this area continue west about 200 feet then begin to veer left and travel south in the recessed area then work your way up to a semi obvious sadle about 200 feet south.
- wSmCriketRP05
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.56046
W -110.88371
Elev: 4,685 Feet
A saddle to go up to after crossing the large recessed area. From here continue south down into the the next drainage which is Jiminy Cricket.
- yJiminyCriktTp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.55962
W -110.88375
Elev: 4,650 Feet
Top of Jiminy Cricket Canyon.
To go into Jiminy Cricket turn left and travel east down Jiminy Cricket Canyon.
To continue to Smiling Cricket Canyon scramble up out of the south side of Jiminy and continue south.
- wSmCriketRP06
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.55768
W -110.88393
Elev: 4,785 Feet
Top out of a wide shallow dirt area leading south toward the edge of Smiling Cricket.
- ySmCricketMd
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.55648
W -110.88477
Elev: 4,760 Feet
Mid entry for Smiling Cricket. This is the top of the standard route where the ledge traverse entry drops into the canyon with a 10 foot downclimb. This is about 500 feet up canyon of rap 1 which is the side canyon rap in entry option.
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Smiling Cricket (4) - The Canyon and Exit to Halls Creek |
- ySmCricketMd
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.55648
W -110.88477
Elev: 4,760 Feet
Mid entry for Smiling Cricket. This is the top of the standard route where the ledge traverse entry drops into the canyon with a 10 foot downclimb. This is about 500 feet up canyon of rap 1 which is the side canyon rap in entry option.
- dSmCriketR1
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.55708
W -110.88313
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 1 - Smiling Cricket Canyon. Anchored from some small trees on the LDC wall and allows a rappel down to the canyon floor of about 60 feet down a sloped wall that goes vertical near the bottom. This is the entry rap.
- dSmCriketR2
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.55746
W -110.88185
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 2 - Smiling Cricket Canyon. Anchored from a pinch point between boulders and drops about 30 feet over boulders to a pool that would be waist deep if full.
- dSmCriketR3
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.55754
W -110.88169
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 3 - Smiling Cricket Canyon. Anchored LDC from a pinch point and drops about 15 feet over a boulder to a pool that would be a swimmer if full and has a sloped exit that may be a little slick getting out of. Careful on rope placement on rappel to avoid catching rope in pinch point. This is about 50 feet down canyon of rap 2.
- dSmCriketR4
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.55831
W -110.88052
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 4 - Smiling Cricket Canyon. Anchored from a single bolt in the water course and drops about 40 feet to a pool that is about waist deep. Rap 4 can also be anchored by placing a choke stone in the water course if the bolt becomes compromised or undesirable. There are a lot of rocks up canyon of here to gather if needed but water may make them harder to find.
- dSmCriketR5
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.55855
W -110.88033
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 5 - Smiling Cricket Canyon. Just after crossing a semi difficult pothole. Anchored RDC from a single bolted hanger and drops about 30 feet down a sloped ledge that undercuts and goes free hanging before getting down to the water of a major pit below rap 5. The bolted anchor for rap 5 has the rock under it very worn away making the bolt a little sketchy. A chokestone anchor can be used by farming rock but will take some work to find a good placement. Also if the pothole behind rap 5 is dry a sand trap can be used.
- dSmCriketR6-8
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.55855
W -110.87971
Elev: NaN Feet
Raps 6, 7 and 8 - Smilling Cricket Canyon.
Rap 6 is anchored from a sandtrap, potshot or pack anchor and drops about 25 feet into a huge water filled pit with a big arch in it. The pool has an easy walk out exit. Anchor set up can be avoided if you have someone who is willing to shimmy down a slope and jump the last 8 feet to the water.
Rap 7 is on the other side of the pool and drops about xx feet. The big arch in the pit behind you is used as the anchor with a retrievable anchor. DO NOT PULL YOUR ROPES AROUND THE ARCH! Use a retrievable anchor (webbing retrievable anchor, Smooth Operator, FiddleStick, slick etc). Rap 7 can be downclimbed with a very aggressive partner assist the last 10 to 12 feet using multiple people, but this is not recommended. On the other side of the pothole below rap 7 is rap 8.
Rap 8 anchored using a deadman, potshot, sandtrap or pack anchor and drops about 30 feet to a chest deep pool. If you have someone with mad skills they can run / traverse the RDC side over to a ledge where they can then jump to the water from a reduced height, but this is a sketchy move and not the one suggested.
- wSmCriketRP08
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.55929
W -110.87857
Elev: 4,360 Feet
A wide open section in the canyon a couple hundred feet long. In this section are a few large keeper potholes that can be bypassed by climbing up to a ledge LDC and walking around them. Then climb up is about 15 feet and steep slab so send up the best climber to toss a rope down.
This is also just up canyon of where Jiminy Cricket drops into Smiling Cricket.
- dSmCriketR9-10
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.56016
W -110.87782
Elev: NaN Feet
Raps 9 and 10 - Smiling Cricket Canyon.
Rap 9 anchored using a sandtrap, potshot or pack anchor and drops about 30 feet into a pothole that has a vertical wall of about 20 feet to exit. A potshot will need to be tossed to set an escape line out the other side of the pothole.
Rap 10 anchored LDC using rocks piled in a small pothole a few feet in diameter and travels about 90 feet over two stages. The first stage drops about 15 feet down into very large pothole with a partner assist exit of about 8 feet. On the other side of the partner assist is a drop of about 45 feet.
Note there is an old bolt in bad shape that is in the watercourse on the lip between the stages of rap 10. Also Jiminy Cricket Canyon joins Smiling Cricket Canyon here. Jiminy drops into Smiling at the mid way point of rap 10.
- dSmCriketR11
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.55993
W -110.87587
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 11- Smiling Cricket Canyon, Anchored from a pile of rocks in the V shaped slot leading down into the Pit of Despair and drops about 25 feet into the pit. If the rocks are washed out from flooding a sandtrap or potshot anchor can be used here. You will need to toss potshots to set an escape line for the othere3 side.
The Pit of Despair is about 20 feet across with a flat patio area on the other side which is too flat and slick to have the potshots do you any good. To make the potshots of value they have to be thrown about 45 feet over the pit and beyond the patio. Mother nature bumps the level of difficulty up by giving you no good place to stand when tossing the potshots. You will need to stem up in a V slot about 6 feet to get a good throwing angle making for a very awkward stance. Mother nature bumps up the difficulty level once again by giving you a very narrow window to aim at by placing the canyons walls in the way. This is a difficult toss and worth preparing for with lots of practice! This toss is as difficult as stories make it sound.
- dSmCriketR12
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.56007
W -110.87544
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 12 - Smiling Cricket Canyon. Anchored using a sandtrap or potshots and drops into a pothole about 30 feet deep where a potshot will need to be tossed to set an exit line. Rap 12 drops about 20 feet into the pothole where you can carefully walk a sloped ledge in the pothole on the LDC side then use the exit rope to ascend about 15 feet out the other side.
- dSmCriketR13
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.56051
W -110.87477
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 13 - Smiling Cricket Canyon. Anchored from two bolts LDC (one with a hanger and one with just a cable). Rap 13 drops about 70 feet over two stages to a huge pothole below. Exit from the pothole is a 15 foot difficult partner assist if dry. If wet a potshot of sand can be tossed from the ledge part way down the rap while locked off.
- dSmCriketR1415
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.56042
W -110.87452
Elev: NaN Feet
Raps 14 and 15 - Smiling Cricket Canyon.
Rap 14 (dSmCriketR1415) is anchored from The Wart to bypass the pothole below and drops about 25 feet to the down canyon side of the pothole then another 25 feet over another small pothole for a total rap of about 50 feet.. You have to climb up to The Wart which is an easy climb / scramble but it is exposed and a little scary.
Rap 15 is just after The Wart and anchored from a single bolted anchor RDC and drops about 30 feet.
Note: You can rap from The Wart combining raps 14 and 15 into one singe rappel using about 100 feet of rope.
Note: Raps 15 and 16 can be combined if desired. From the top of rap 15 to the bolts for Rap 16 is about 75 feet of travel. If you combine raps 15 and 16 plan on using about xx feet of rope from the top of rap 15 down to the bottom of rap 16 to complete the drop.
- dSmCriketR16
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.56037
W -110.87433
Elev: 4,020 Feet
Rap 16 - Smiling Cricket Canyon. Is the final drop in the canyon and is anchored from two bolts (one with a hanger and one with just the bolt sticking up) and drops about 135 feet to the canyon floor. The last 30 feet of the rap can easily be downclimbed in a crack so you could get away with about 105 feet for rap rope but will need a longer pull line.
Note: Raps 15 and 16 can be combined if desired. From the top of rap 15 to the bolts for Rap 16 is about 75 feet of travel. If you combine raps 15 and 16 plan on using about xx feet of rope from the top of rap 15 down to the bottom of rap 16 to complete the drop.
- ySmilCrktBT
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.55991
W -110.86933
Elev: 3,830 Feet
Bottom of Smiling Cricket. This is where the sanstone sides begin to drop allowing access to the open desert. From here scramble out of the canyon on the LDC (north) side. Walk north roughly following along the base of the slickrock looking for a use trail.
- wSmCriketRP09
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.56274
W -110.86999
Elev: 3,860 Feet
Shortly after finding the trial it will cross over a small vegetated drainage here.
- wBaboonLwrCrs
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.56603
W -110.87076
Elev: 3,835 Feet
A spot where you can cross the Baboon Drainage on a slick rock section to avoid the think vegetation and water in this area of the drainage.
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