Canyoneering Route Description

Upper Stair Canyon - 3A II
North Wash, Utah.

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Pictures 05-22-11

Quick Facts

05-22-11, 4 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 4.75 hours)

Time Required - 3 to 5 hours
Distance - 2.4 miles Total, 0.6 miles Technical
Rappels - 0 Rappels, Longest Rappel N/A --- This is still a technical canyon
Elevation Range - 5970 - 5375 Feet
Shuttle Required -No Vehicle - 4WD - High Clearance Permit Required - No

See the Canyoneer Trip Report Explanation Notes page for an explanation of how the technical mileage or the gear used list is determined.

Gear Used for Canyon

Very small packs for a few snacks, water and other personal items desired.  Think about adding a lanyard to items like cameras.  If these are dropped in some sections of the canyon, you may not get them back.  

A length of about 30 feet of webbing or rope is also recommended.  Confident up climbers will not need this.  The start of the exit route out of the canyon is a moderately challenging up climb.  Weaker up climbers may want a hand line dropped to them by a stronger up climber already to the top of the climb out.

General Comments

Upper Stair is a fun partial day out on a route that will grab your attention as you stem between the walls about 40 or 50 feet above the floor.  There are a few exit points allowing you to explore all or part of the canyon.  

The Upper Stair route travels along the upper part of Stair Canyon in the Navajo layer.  Shortly down canyon of this route the canyon drops down into the Wingate layer and the features change substantially.  The Wingate layer does not offer the same narrow technical challenges as the Navajo layer.  Down canyon of this route the canyon is more of a hike with ropes to conquer a few rappels along the way.  

The Upper Stair Canyon route has three sections of narrows that are narrow enough to require people to stem between the walls above the floor.  The first two of these narrows are less challenging than the third and are a good warm up.  The third section requiring high stemming is the most challenging and most sustained.  The third section is just before exiting the canyon.  

If after doing the first narrows you notice a lot of water in the canyon, you may want to consider exiting the canyon before the second or before the third narrows.  Excess water in the canyon can make things a muddy mess in areas and make the high stemming more dangerous.  

While in the area it is well worth the time to take a scenic walk along the road about 0.4 miles east of the first parking spot.  You should not try to drive this section of the road.  There is a sand hill that most vehicles will not be able to get back up.  By walking the 0.4 miles east of the first parking spot you will be greeted with a magnificent view down onto part of the Dirty Devil River.  The views are very Grand Canyon like and worth the time to sit and enjoy the view.    

Warning:
Like Chambers Canyon, Upper Stair Canyon is a technical route that does not require ropes or rappelling gear.  However this is still a technical route.  This route involves sustained sections of high stemming (stemming between walls at significant height).  The sustained sections of stemming are both physically and mentally challenging.  A moderately difficult up climb of about 10 feet is required to begin the exit route out of the canyon.  At least one person in the group needs to be a confident up climber.

Getting to the Trailhead and Exit Vehicle (Escape Pod) Parking

To get to the Trailhead

From the junction of highway 95 and highway 276 (about 25.5 miles south of Hanksville), drive north on highway 95 about 0.7 miles to a dirt road turn off (extCedarPntRd).  The dirt road is called Cedar Point Road on some maps and is known by some as Turkey Knob Road.  Turn right (east) onto Cedar Point Road.  The first few miles of Cedar Point road are graded making it passable for passenger cars although heavy rains might change that from time to time.  

Drive east on Cedar Point Road about 3.9 miles to a junction known to some as “The Four Way” (extTheFourWay).  You will pass a few turn offs to other dirt roads along the way to “The Four Way” (one at 1.8 miles, another at 1.9 miles and another at 2.8 miles).  Just stay on the obviously large better maintained road and pass these turns.  

From “The Four Way”, continue north east on Cedar Point Road about 1.5 miles to a junction where another dirt road crosses (pkShenaniganTp).  This junction is where you would park to start the Shenaningans route.  

From the parking spot for Shenanigans, continue north east on Cedar Point Road.  Again you will pass a few minor dirt roads that tee into the Cedar Point Road and you should pass each one to stay on the larger more obvious road that is Cedar Point Road.   

About 1 mile beyond the parking spot for Shenanigans, the road will bend right and begin to go east.  

About 2.4 miles beyond the parking spot for Shenanigans, will be a road that forks (wCdrPntDP-04) off to the left (north).  Stay right to continue on the Cedar Point Road.  

The road leading off to the left goes up and over a hill and rejoins the Cedar Point Road at another point.  This side road can be difficult for some vehicles and should be avoided.  This road is labeled on some topo maps as “Poison”.  

The road up to this point should be passable by most (not all) passenger cars if the road conditions are good.  Beyond this point the road degrades and becomes rougher and has sections of sand where 4WD is recommended.  

About 0.3 miles farther is a sharp corner in the road (wCdrPntDP-05) where there is a Y intersection.  Turning right (south) here would lead down to the start of the Foolin Around route.  To continue to Upper Stair Canyon  drive around the sharp corner to the left and continue north.  

About 0.2 miles north the Cedar Point road will intersect (wCdrPntDP-06) with the other end of the road labeled as Poison on some maps.  Turn right (east) at this tee to continue toward Upper Stair Canyon.  

About 1.5 miles farther the Cedar Point Road crosses over one of the forks of Upper Butler Canyon (wCdrPntDP-07).  

About 0.6 miles farther the is an intersection (pkUprStair1Tp).  This intersection is where you can park to start the route for Upper Stair Canyon.  The road running to the right (southwest) from here will lead about 0.5 miles to an alternate parking spot to start the route but the road is not always open.  The road going right (northeast) from here goes only about 0.5 miles to a cliff with great views down into the Dirty Devil River.  If you are looking for the parking spot on maps it is about 0.4 miles southwest of Cedar Point.  

Warning:
It is recommended you WALK if you decide to follow the road left (northeast).  There is a sand hill that most vehicles will have trouble getting back up the steep sand.  Even some 4WD vehicles will not be able to get back up the road.  With that said it is well worth the walk over to enjoy the view.

To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod

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

Maps

Map showing the drive in.
Map Lo Res Version
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Map showing the entire route.
Map Lo Res Version
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GPS Waypoint Information

A list of GPS waypoints with Coordinates and descriptions are listed at the bottom of this route description.

Details

The Approach:
From the parking spot (pkUprStair1Tp), walk southwest down the dirt road going southwest from the intersection.  

About 700 feet from the parking spot turn left (southeast) and leave the road (wUprStairRP-01).  There is no land mark to use and the point does not have to be exact.  This is an arbitrary point about 700 feet from the vehicles.  

From where you left the road walk southeast along the desert.  This area is very sandy and looks like a desert beach.  About 650 feet from the road you will come to the top of a ledge about 20 feet high (wUprStairRP-02).  

Find a comfortable spot to down climb the ledge and into the wide drainage below.  The drainage you drop into is the very upper part of Stair Canyon.  Stair canyon runs to the right southwest from here.  There is also a large canyon to the left that is fun to walk to the edge and look down into.  

After you have dropped down the ledge continue southwest down the Stair Canyon drainage.  As you go down canyon you will need to traverse and route find your way down to the bottom of the drainage.  

Almost 400 feet after dropping off the ledge or shelf is another ledge to route find your way down (wUprStairRP-03).  Drop down this shelf and continue southwest down canyon working toward the bottom center of the drainage.  

About another 750 feet down canyon the terrain changes (wUprStairRP-04).  The upper part of the canyon to this point was a mix of dirt and rock.  This is where the canyon begins to be almost entirely slick rock.  There is also a drop here that is bypassed down the slick rock slope on the LDC side.  

A little over 300 feet farther down canyon the slick rock starts to drop faster and has a few potholes (yUprStairTp).  This is marked as the top of the canyon.

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
At the top entry of the canyon (yUprStairTp) look down canyon to get an idea of where you are headed.  About 0.5 miles down canyon on the RDC side is a ravine or slick rock gully that will be used to exit the canyon.  On the wall of that gully that you can see from here at the top entry is a large section of dark desert varnish on the wall.  If my be difficult to pick out since most of it is blocked by other features but you can see a small portion of the desert varnish patch sticking up over a feature enough to see it.  

From the top of top entry of the canyon (yUprStairTp) travel down the water course and scramble through a short narrow but not deep section about 100 feet long.  Next is a large patch of dirt.  

On the other side of the dirt patch is where the canyon starts to get deeper and drops into a narrow section that starts to make you think a little (wUprStairRP-05).  This is the beginning of the first narrow section that requires sections of stemming and is about 350 feet down canyon of the top entry.  The height above ground while stemming is only a few feet in this section.  

This narrows is only about 300 feet long.  The first drop into here is bypassed LDC down the slick rock slope.  After bypassing the drop you will need to stem between the walls to continue down canyon.  A down climb of about 10 feet over a large choke stone with some overhang below it will give a short break from the stemming.  

If you see a lot of water in this first narrows you might want to consider exiting between the first and second narrows.  Lots of water down canyon of here can be a muddy mess and make the high stemming a little dangerous.

The end of the first narrow section the requires stemming (wUprStairRP-06) gets you to a gentle slope on the RDC wall that would allow escape if desired.  If you escape scramble up the slope and route find your way back up canyon and to the vehicle.   The second narrow section that requires stemming starts immediately after the first (wUprStairRP-06). 

The second narrow stemming section starts with a high stemming section where you will be about 40 feet above the canyon floor stemming down canyon.  The walls are too close together to allow easy travel on the canyon floor for about 150 feet.  

After the initial 150 feet of the second narrow section the walls separate a little more and allow travel down on the floor.  Slide down to the floor avoiding a couple choke stones along the way. After dropping to the floor you will have about 40 feet of relatively easy travel before it begins to get very tight again.  For the next 100 feet or so thin people can stay on the canyon floor and squeeze their way down canyon while larger people will need to stem back up and continue high stemming to complete the second narrows.  The last 100 feet of the second section is wide enough to allow you to easily walk along the floor between slanted walls.   

As the second stemming narrows ends (wUprStairRP-07), the canyon opens up dramatically to allow easy hiking down canyon.  It is also possible to escape the canyon here on the LDC side.  Escape would be to scramble up and over a series of sandstone domes and route find your way back up canyon then to the car.  

About 300 feet after the second narrows you will find a large area of boulder debris from a rock fall (wUprStairRP-08).  This is in a semi narrow area of the canyon but is not narrow enough to require stemming to travel down canyon.  Down climb through the boulders which cover about 100 feet of canyon then walk down canyon in a long corridor like area after the boulders.  

About 350 feet down canyon of the boulder debris is the start (wUprStairRP-09) another narrow section.  This narrow section is not narrow enough to force stemming.  There is also an option to exit the canyon here.  

Note:
There is also an option to exit the canyon here.  Some portions down canyon of here involve longer sustained and more challenging high stemming.  If you are not feeling good about your abilities this is a good point to bail.  If only some in the group want to bail they can scramble about 250 feet up the slope on the RDC side to an area on the rim with trees (wUprStairRP-16) and hang out for a while.  The trees are part of the exit route so those that continued down canyon will rejoin the bailers on the exit.  

Note:
Since the trees on the rim are part of the exit route and are so close, it is a nice option to take your packs up and drop them in the area with the trees.  Then drop back down to the canyon floor to continue down canyon.  

From the start of the next section (wUprStairRP-09) squeeze down canyon along the floor.  Larger people may need or want to stem over this section but for most, stemming will not be required.  This segment is a little over 300 feet long and ends (wUprStairRP-10) where the canyon opens up for about 200 feet.  It is also possible to exit the canyon here on the RDC side before entering the last high stemming section.  

About 200 feet down canyon is the start (wUprStairRP-11) of the third narrows that will require high stemming to continue down canyon.  The third narrows starts immediately with stemming.  As you continue down canyon, the floor will continue to drop while you are forced to stay high.  Most of the time, you will be about 40 or 50 feet above the canyon floor.  Some sections below are wide enough to squeeze down canyon on the floor and other parts are just too narrow.  

Note:
This section is the most challenging portion of high stemming on the route.  You should be confident about your stemming abilities and be physically fit enough to deal with sustained stemming.  

About 50 or 75 feet after entering this section there is a small arch on the canyon floor to check out.  This last section of high stemming is the most challenging part of the route.  If you are confident about your stemming skills and physically fit enough this section is not extremely difficult.  

The last section of high stemming continues for about 250 feet to where a chute (wUprStairRP-12) drops in from RDC (north).  The chute can be up climbed for an exit but will involve a short section of approx 5.9 climbing.  

Continue down the narrow section down canyon of the chute.  Down canyon of the chute the canyon is widens out a little and you can travel on the canyon floor but you will be sliding sideways between tight walls.  If there is water and mud in this area it might be easier to stem over this section (you will only be about 10 feet above the floor here).  The last part of the narrows below the chute gives way to a sandy floor and a corridor like area before the canyon opens up to a wide wash.  

About 90 feet down canyon in the wider wash is where you will exit the canyon (yUprStairBt).  There will be a wide gully like slick rock drainage RDC (north west).  There is a vertical wall of about 10 feet in the wash that will need to be climbed to get into the drainage.  

As a helpful land mark there is a tree at the exit point that is large enough to semi block travel down canyon.  The exit is on the RDC (west) side of the canyon.

The Exit:
After exiting the last narrow section (yUprStairBt), you will need to start up the wide gully or drainage RDC (right).  It will be necessary to climb up about 10 vertical feet of slick rock to start up out of Stair Canyon and get into the slick rock gully.  

There are two options to start the climb up out of the wash.  The first option is where some people have placed a log here on the wall to assist with the climb up out of the wash.  This log is just before (up canyon) of the tree that blocks travel down canyon.  It would be very difficult to climb out here if there were no log.   

The other option is about 40 feet down canyon of the tree blocking travel.  This other option may be more attractive to some or may be needed if the log is ever washed away.  Look up the gully you need to climb up and locate a dark vein of rock running along the left (south) side of the slick rock gully or drainage.  The vein offers hand holds (some kind of small) to assist climbing up out of the wash.  Using this vein you can traverse and up climb out of the canyon.  This will be difficult for some people and does require some hand and arm strength.  This is the spot that make it necessary to have at least one confident up climber on the team.  

After climbing up into the drainage, scramble about 175 feet up from the wash (wUprStairRP-13) to a point where you can safely scramble to the right (northeast) side of the drainage.  Traverse northeast along the sandstone.  

About 100 feet after exiting the canyon will be a survey marker stake pounded into the slick rock (wUprStairRP-14).  

Continue northeast along the slick rock roughly following the rim of the Upper Stair Canyon you were just in.  About 400 feet after the survey marker will be a drainage to cross over (wUprStairRP-15).  This drainage to cross is also the top of the climb out for the optional exit that would involve approximately 5.9 climbing.  

Continue northeast along the slick rock.  A little more than 600 feet after crossing the drainage you will be back to the pack hanging tree (wUprStairRP-16).  This is well over half way through a large area of dirt in the slick rock with rock debris and a few trees.   

Note:
If you scrambled up out of the canyon before the last narrows to hang your pack in a tree, this is where you will get it back.  If you decided to scramble up out of the canyon just before the last narrows and exit, this is where you will begin to follow the exit description out.  

At this point the exit route no longer parallels the canyon.  From the back hanging tree spot (wUprStairRP-16) veer left and start up the slick rock to the north.   

About 250 feet up from the pack hanging tree you will begin to get a view (wUprStairRP-17) of the rest of the exit route.  Looking up the side of the canyon you should be able to see a light wispy patch of white on the cliff band.  A couple hundred feet right (east) of that you should be able to see another patch of white in the sandstone that is much brighter and solid white.  These white spots will be about 400 feet from here.  

Travel up to the brighter more solid white patch and scramble up to just over it.  From the top of the white spot (wUprStairRP-18) look up the side of the canyon wall for an obvious sand and dirt pile leading up the canyon wall to the top.  Travel up the right (east) side of this sand slope to get to the rim.  The sand slope is covered in crypto biotic soil so try to stay off of that.  

A little over 500 feet from the top of the white patch will be the top of the climb out where it meets a dirt road (wUprStairRP-19).  Turn right (north east) and walk the road about 0.7 miles back to the vehicles.

GPS Waypoint Information

In the future I may start to have GPX files for down load but not quite yet.

Most GPS units and mapping software use the common gpx file format including Google Earth.

National Geographic TOPO! hides the feature to import GPX files.  To find the feature........
1.  Click on "Handhelds" in the menu at the top. 
2.  Select the option for "Import (from GPS or .txt) Wizard..
3.  Select "In a .gpx file....... and click on Next
4.  Use the window that opens to navigate to the GPX file you wish to open.

Garmin MapSource will open a GPX file in the same way it opens other formats by simply using the File then Open.

If you wish to convert between formats to get your data from one software title to another you can use the free GPSBabel software.

Elevations are approximate.  Waypoints with no elevation data will display NaN in place of the elevation.  Elevations are in meters so multiplying by 3.28083 is necessary to get elevations in feet.

The first letter of a waypoint denotes the type of point.  Rappels start with d.  Technical top and bottom of canyons start with y.  the letter w denotes a generic point.  Scenic spots start with s.  Trailheads start with t.  Junctions of trails or canyons start with j.

Notes for GPS information:
Waypoint coordinates are listed with WGS84 datum and in Lat/Lon hddd.ddddd° format.
Waypoints are  listed alphabetically by waypoint name (not in order on the route).

BEFORE entering coordinates from this website, please ensure your system (GPS or mapping software) is set to the same datum used here (WGS84).  Entering coordinate information with inconsistent datum's can result in the waypoints being off by hundreds of feet.  It is important to keep this in mind when entering waypoints from any source.

extCedarPntRd
  • Exit for Cedar Point Road. Some refer to it as Turkey Knob Road since it is not singed and is near Turkey Knob.
    • N38.033749982714653  W-110.57509995996952
      Elevation 1,429.51 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
extTheFourWay
  • A spot where roads cross Cedar Point Road. This spot is known to some as "The Four Way"
    • N38.048516632989049  W-110.51810000091791
      Elevation 1,606.91 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
lCedarPointCmp
  • IF you have a VERY sand capable 4WD you can get to this spot and it woudl be an INCREDIBLE VIEW while you camp on slick rock.
    • N38.066065991297364  W-110.4249376617372
      Elevation NaN Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
pkMonkeyBuisTp
  • Spot to park for the start of Monkey Business.
    • N38.059346806257963  W-110.50406978465617
      Elevation NaN Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
pkShenaniganTp
  • A spot where a road crosses Cedar Point Road. This is where you park to start the route into Shenanigans.
    • N38.064411738887429  W-110.50025853328407
      Elevation 1,658.11 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
pkUprStair1Tp
  • Park here for Upper Stair. An alternate parking spot for Upper Stair is 0.5 miles south of here but the road is sometimes closed off to prevent travel to the alternate park spot.
    • N38.064354993402958  W-110.43009102344513
      Elevation 1,819.66 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
pkUprStair2Tp
  • Park approx here to start Stair Canyon.
    • N38.057757513597608  W-110.4380242433399
      Elevation NaN Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
pPoisinPeak
    • N38.074772777035832  W-110.46178886666894
      Elevation NaN Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
sCedarPoint
  • Great views down over the Dirty Devil. The view here is very Grand Canyon like.
    • N38.066310994327068  W-110.42422503232956
      Elevation 1,804.42 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wCdrPntDP-01
  • Small road spur leaves Cedar Point Road to the south.
    • N38.043652614578605  W-110.54988669231534
      Elevation NaN Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wCdrPntDP-02
  • Dirt road leaves Cedar Point road to the north.
    • N38.045058511197567  W-110.54855044931173
      Elevation 1,530.10 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wCdrPntDP-03
  • Dirt road leaves Cedar Point road to the south.
    • N38.051524646580219  W-110.53745792247355
      Elevation NaN Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wCdrPntDP-04
  • While driving in on the Cedar Point Road there is a road here that forks off to teh left (north). Continue right (east) on Cedar Point Raod to continue toward Upper Starin Canyon.
    • N38.074001977220178  W-110.46594997867942
      Elevation 1,761.74 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wCdrPntDP-05
  • Sharp corner and a Y in the road here. On the drive in Turn left (north) to continue toward Upper Stair Canyon or turn right (south) to go toward the Foolin Around route.
    • N38.07138598524034  W-110.4630049970001
      Elevation 1,761.74 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wCdrPntDP-06
  • The road labeled Poison on some maps intersects with the Cedar Poiint road agbain here. Turn right (east) to continue toward Upper Stair Canyon.
    • N38.073610039427876  W-110.46141696162522
      Elevation 1,780.03 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wCdrPntDP-07
  • Cedar Point Road crosses over the top of one of the forks of Upper Butler Canyon.
    • N38.069166960194707  W-110.43630695901811
      Elevation 1,767.84 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wUprStairRP-01
  • Arbitrary point along the dirt road about 700 feet south of the parking spot at the intersection.
    • N38.063101982697845  W-110.43181601911783
      Elevation 1,816.61 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wUprStairRP-02
  • Top of a ledge about 20 feet high. Drop down off this ledge travel south down the side of Stair Canyon. Route find your way south down the drainage and work over toward the center of the draiange.
    • N38.061346979811788  W-110.43111403472722
      Elevation 1,805.94 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wUprStairRP-03
  • Anotehr shelf to route find your way down. Continue southwest down canyon working toward the bottom center of the drainage.
    • N38.060404015704989  W-110.43166296556592
      Elevation NaN Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wUprStairRP-04
  • THis is where Upper Stair Canyon turns from a mix of dirt and rock in the upper section to mostly slick rock down canyon of here. Also a drop here to be bypassed LDC down the slick rock.
    • N38.058789996430278  W-110.43295503593981
      Elevation 1,754.12 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wUprStairRP-05
  • Start of the first narrow section. This is where the canyon drops into a narrow section just after a large patch of dirt.
    • N38.057452915236354  W-110.43425062671304
      Elevation NaN Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wUprStairRP-06
  • End of the fisrt narrows and beginning of the second narrows. Slope RDC that would allow escape if desired.
    • N38.05688202381134  W-110.43487901799381
      Elevation NaN Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wUprStairRP-07
  • End of the second narrow section. The canyon widens out here for easy hiking down canyon. It is also possible to escape the canyon here if desired by scrambling up the sandstone domes on the LDC side.
    • N38.055891953408718  W-110.43559382669628
      Elevation NaN Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wUprStairRP-08
  • Rock fall area where you will need to down climb through a large area of boulder dbris from a rock fall.
    • N38.055207654833794  W-110.43613001704216
      Elevation NaN Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wUprStairRP-09
  • Start of a narrow section but is not narrow enough to force high stemming. You can escape on the RDC side here if desired.
    • N38.053986243903637  W-110.43654760345817
      Elevation 1,633.73 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wUprStairRP-10
  • End of the fourth segment. The canyon opens up here for about 200 feet before getting to teh last high stemming section.
    • N38.053190968930721  W-110.43708396144211
      Elevation 1,642.26 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wUprStairRP-11
  • Start of the third narrows that will require high stemming. This is the most challenging and sustained high segment in the canyon. You can escape on the RDC side here if desired.
    • N38.052957784384489  W-110.43737615458667
      Elevation NaN Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wUprStairRP-12
  • Last of the forced high stemming. There is also a chute that drops down from RDC (north) that can be used as an exit but will involve a short section of approx 5.9 climbing.
    • N38.052881425246596  W-110.43823412619531
      Elevation NaN Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wUprStairRP-13
  • This is about where you can safely scramble out of the drainage and begin to traverse along the sandstone to the northeast.
    • N38.051905017346144  W-110.43933399952948
      Elevation NaN Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wUprStairRP-14
  • Survey Marker here. This is a stake in the sandstone with the marker on it. 10 ft Acy.
    • N38.052123030647635  W-110.4391429759562
      Elevation 1,664.21 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wUprStairRP-15
  • Top of a drainage to cross over on the exit route along the slick rock. This is also the top of the ravine that can be used as an optional exit.
    • N38.053024001419544  W-110.4386490304023
      Elevation 1,670.30 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wUprStairRP-16
  • A spot where several trees are growing in a large area of dirt in the slick rock. Optional pack haning trees.
    • N38.054277012124658  W-110.43747497722507
      Elevation NaN Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wUprStairRP-17
  • Good view of teh rest of the exit route up the side of the canyon. Also here you can see the white spot you will be hiking up to.
    • N38.055013697594404  W-110.43764471076429
      Elevation NaN Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wUprStairRP-18
  • On top of the white spot before getting to the sand slope out of the canyon.
    • N38.056047018617392  W-110.43760900385678
      Elevation NaN Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
wUprStairRP-19
  • Top out of the climb up out of the canyon where it meets a dirt road. Turn right (east) and follow the road back to the vehicle.
    • N38.056782027706504  W-110.43895103037357
      Elevation 1,786.13 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
yUprStairBt
  • Bottom exit of Upper Stair Canyon. A short distance after exiting narrow section with sandy floor to walk on. A wide drainage or gully joins here from RDC (northwest). You will need to climb up about 10 vertical feet to get into the drainage to start up the draiange to start the exit route.
    • N38.051718017086387  W-110.43882697820663
      Elevation 1,638.30 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)
yUprStairTp
  • Top entry of Upper Stair Canyon. This is where the slick rock starts to drop steeply with a few potholes here.
    • N38.058107038959861  W-110.43356004171073
      Elevation 1,737.36 Meters - (for feet multiply by 3.28083)

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