Canyoneering Route Description
Friends With Bennies Canyon - 3(4)A(B) III
Ticaboo Mesa, Utah
03-18-17, 11 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 8.3 hours)
Lots of extra time spent looking various things in the area.
Time Required - 6 to 7 hours
Distance - 5.3 miles Total, 0.5 miles Technical
Distance includes a mandatory lake swim of about 0.2 miles
Rappels - 1 Rappels, Longest Rappel 20 feet.
(Bring 60 foot rope, rap length will change with lake level -
see notes)
Elevation Range - 4130 - 3590 Feet
Shuttle Required - Yes 2 Miles Vehicle - High Clearance, 4WD if bad road conditions
Permit Required - No
Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up
to 60 feet and 40 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement. Wet
suits may be needed for a 0.2 mile swim in the lake. If the
lake levels are low you may need some advanced anchor building know
how to set and anchor for the last rap. If lake levels are
high enough you can lower the first person to check water and the
rest can jump. See general comments.
A few names for the canyon were tossed around during the
day, but nothing seemed to stick. We were all looking forward to a good nights
sleep and the Benadryl got passed around as a sleep aid. Most of us were taking
the Benadryl and joking about how we were all out doing drugs to get a good
night sleep. Tracy yelled out the canyon should be called Friends With Bennies!
A rush of laughter filled camp and the name stuck!
Friends With Bennies, has only a short technical
section, but is a very fun adventure with a little out of the ordinary
variety. The approach route drops down into then out the other side of Smith
Fork, around the top of lower Pothoez Canyon crosses over Psycho D Canyon
then over to Downward Spiral Canyon. Once at Downward Spiral Canyon the
route continues 2 drainages south to the Friends With Bennies drainage. The
upper 0.7 miles of the Friends With Bennies drainage is shallow with a few
potholes and drops to walk around before getting to the final 0.2 mile
portion of the canyon.
The final portion of the canyon has a a few obstacles
before reaching the only rappel, or should I say jump down into the lake /
Smith Fork. The rappel can be jumped if the lake level is high enough (check
the lake level prior to your trip!). After getting down into Smith Fork, you
will need to swim about 0.25 miles to where you can exit Smith Fork on the
other side. The exit is also lake level dependent, (be sure to check the
level first). From there you hike back up the exit used for Grease Monkey
Canyon back to your car.
A great round trip route that crosses a few canyons,
has short technical section, may have a jump to the water and will have a
long swim for an exit. See what I mean about out of the ordinary variety?
When navigating to Friend With Bennies Canyon, a GPS or
good map reading skills are recommended. The terrain is forgiving and mostly
easy to travel, but still convoluted enough where people may mistakenly drop
into the wrong drainage. Easy to follow directions for the later part of the
approach are made difficult due to the rolling slickrock with almost no
distinct landmarks. Bring your route finding skills!
Friends With Bennies Canyon itself is dry and would be
rated as a dry canyon, but you will need cold water protection and
floatation for the long swim in Smith Fork. This is the reason for the A(B)
rating. A rope may be needed to assist people across a deep pothole / silo
near the end of the canyon which can be a tricky spot for some people. A
rope also should be provided for the first person down the final drop to
confirm it can be jumped or not. If the final drop needs to be
rappelled, finding a good anchor will be a real challenge. This is the
reason for the 3(4) rating in technical difficulty.
The only rappel in the canyon is at the end and drops
down into Smith Fork. If the lake level is high enough the final drop can be
jumped into water so no rope is needed. However if the lake level is too
low, the drop will need to be rappelled. There are no good anchor points for
the final drop and a solid choke stone may need to be farmed from up canyon
IF one can be found. Optionally a JellyFish Anchor works very well in the
crack, if you happen to have one. If jumping, send one person down on
rope first to be sure the water is deep enough and free of obstacles. Bring
a rope even if you think you will be able to jump.
Warning:
The final drop in
Friends With Bennies Canyon and the exit up out of Smith Fork are both lake level
dependent. Check the lake level prior to descending Friends with Bennies. If
the lake level is at 3591 feet, the route can be done as described here. If the lake level is lower than 3591 feet, the drop at the end of Friends
with Bennies may not be able to be jumped. If this is
the case it will be important to send people down the final part of the
canyon to confirm the final drop can be negotiated safely before committing
the entire group. You may need to farm rocks from above to
make a chokestone anchor.
I have been told a group of 6 did the Friends
with Bennies route in May of 2019 with a lake level of 3577 feet and the
exit out of the water was still easy but the final rap was measured at about
45ft and too daunting to jump. A choke stone anchor was used but was
fragile and may not be there in the future.
It may be a good idea to spend an extra hour or two at
the start of the day and hike from the exit vehicle down to where the route
exits Smith fork near Grease Monkey Canyon. This will confirm if you can easily
exit Smith Fork prior to starting the route.
Lake level on 2017-03-18 was 3591 feet and we were
able to jump about 20 to 25 feet down to deep water.
Check here for
Lake Powell
Water Data. The
highest the lake has been was 3708.34 feet on 07-14-83.
To get to the Trailhead
Note:
There is a maze of roads on Ticaboo Mesa making it a good idea
to study the map ahead of time and keep a close eye on the map
as you drive.
From Hanksville, UT., drive south on highway 95 for 26 miles to
the junction of highways 95 and 276.
From the junction, drive south on HWY-276 for 25.6 miles then
turn left (east) onto BLM dirt-road 13400 between mile markers
25 and 26 (extTicaboo1).
About 1.5 miles down the dirt road is a junction (TicabooDP-01)
to a side road on the right going south. Turn right at
this junction and drive south on a dirt road.
About 1 miles down the road will be a side road (TicabooDP-50)
that leaves the main road on the left (east) then loops back to
rejoin the main road about 350 feet farther. Continue
south on the main road.
About 1.2 miles farther is a side road (TicabooDP-51) that joins
in from the left (east). Continue south.
About 2.4 farther the road turns sharp left (TicabooDP-52) and
goes from traveling south to now traveling southeast then east.
About 1.2 miles farther will be a side road (TicabooDP-53)
joining from the right (south). This is just before
reaching Danish Knoll. Continue east toward Danish Knoll
to get to the Smith Fork area.
About 0.5 miles farther is a fork in the road (TicabooDP-54).
To get to the lower section of Smith Fork veer right and continue
south east.
Note:
If you were going for canyons in the upper portion of Smith Fork
you would veer left at this fork and travel east.
About 0.8 miles farther is a fork in the road (TicabooDP-55). On
the way into the lower portion Smith Fork staying right is said
to be a smoother drive. Either fork can be taken as they
rejoin about half a mile ahead.
About 0.5 miles farther is where the forked roads rejoin
(TicabooDP-56). Continue past this junction.
About 0.6 miles farther is another fork (TicabooDP-57).
Either fork can be taken since the road rejoins about 0.2 miles
farther (TicabooDP-58)
About 0.2 miles the road drops down to cross a low point (pkSmithForkLwr).
There is a wide shallow wash crossing the road here running down
to the north east. Park here where there is plenty of
level space to park off to the side of the road.
About 0.2 miles farther is a low point in the road with a wide
shallow wash (pkSmithForkLwr) crossing the road. Park here
to start the route for Friends With Bennies Canyon. Continue
driving south to go to Grease Monkey or Heckle and Jeckle
Canyons.
To set the exit vehicle you will drive farther south.
To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod
From where you start the Friends With Bennies route (pkSmithForkLwr)
continue driving south on the road.
About 1 mile farther is a road junction on the right (west) at
the apex of a sharp left hand bend (almost u-turn) in the road. Continue around
the left hand bend and continue east along the main road.
Note:
The exit to the right (west) is a road
to a large watering pond about 0.25 miles away.
About 0.5 miles farther the road makes a right bend to travel
south again.
About 0.4 miles farther is where you park to start the Grease
Monkey route (pkGMonkey). There is a shallow drainage
crossing the road but no major landmarks to use for navigation.
As a navigation aid for the drive in, this spot is about 380
feet before reaching a sharp right hand bend in the road.
If you you go too far and get to the bend you can also park
there and to start.
Park here (pkGMonkey) to set the exit vehicle for Friends with
Bennies.
Note:
This is also where you would start and
end the route for Grease Monkey which is why it makes a good
combination with Friends With Bennies if you want a slightly
longer day with more fun packed in.
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 of the entire route.
Map of the technical section and swim exit.
Map of the exit.
The Approach:
From the parking spot (pkSmithForkLwr),
leave the dirt road and
walk north east down the
wide shallow drainage.
About 0.4 miles from the
parking spot will be a
drop in the wash of
about 40 feet
(wSmithLwrRP-01).
From the top of this
drop walk up onto the
rim to the left (north)
to get to a ridge
running north east.
About 0.25 miles north
east is the end of the
ridge you have been
following out on a point
(wSmithLwrRP-02).
While in this area take
a moment to walk over to
the north side of the
ridge for a good view
over a large bend in
Smith Fork below.
From the point route
find your way down the
ledges on the right
(south east) side of the
point. You may
find a faint path
running over to a good
place to start down.
To get down off the
point find your way down
a couple of down climbs
descending the ledges
down to the slick rock
below.
After getting down off
the point walk south
east down the slick rock
toward a pot hole filled
drainage about 450 feet
away. Cross over
the drainage
(wSmithLwrRP-03)
After crossing the pot
hole filled drainage,
route find your way down
the slick rock and into
Smith Fork near the
bottom of the drainage
(jSmithFkLwr1).
When you get down into
Smith Fork turn right
and walk south down
stream in Smith Fork.
About 0.25 miles down
Smith Fork is where the
bottom of the Psycho D
and Pothoez drainage (yPsychD-Bt)
meets Smith Fork.
To exit up out of Smith
Fork and continue the
approach to Psycho D, Pothoez and other slots
in the area, look for
the point / ridge that
drops down to Smith Fork
just north of the bottom
of the Psycho D /
Pothoeze drainage.
This is the ridge that
divides Smith Fork from
the Pothoez drainage.
Route
find your way up onto
the ledge running along
the Smith Fork (west)
side of this ridge and
follow it north for
about 200 feet to find
the bottom of a slope
leading up to a rocky
saddle on the ridge.
Scramble up the dirt
and rock slope up to the
saddle on the ridge
(wPsychoD-RP-01).
This saddle is about 200
feet north of the Psycho
D / Pothoez Drainage.
From the saddle / notch
on the ridge
scramble north up the
steep slick rock ridge.
The first 50 or 60 feet
of this are very steep
and you will need hands
and feet for traction.
After the first steep
part the route levels
off a bit to allow easy
travel on rolling slick
rock.
As you top out on the
slick rock, veer right
and route find your way
north east roughly
following the rim of
Pothoez which is now on
your right (south east).
About 400 feet along the
rim you will find a spot
where you can drop into Pothoez
(jPothoezPosEx1)
if you would enjoy
looking at a small
section of it.
Continue walking
northeast roughly
following Pothoez for
about 1200 feet to a wide
sandy spot in the Pothoez drainage (yPothoez-Md).
This sandy spot is where
you could drop down into
lower Pothoez if you only
wanted to do the lower
section.
To continue over to
Downward Spiral cross the Pothoez drainage here
and continue south up the
slick rock to
for about 500 feet to a
top out
(wPsychoD-RP-02).
The drainage just south
of this top out is the
lower portion of Psycho
D. From this top
out is where you choose
to go south toward
Downward Spiral or east
to continue up to the
top of Psycho D.
Note:
If you were traveling
to the top of Psycho D
you would turn left and
travel east and follow
the side of Psycho D.
To continue over to
Downward Spiral and
other canyons, continue
south and drop down the
large cross joint going
down into Psycho D.
A little over 500 feet
will be the bottom of
the cross joint where
you will be down in
Lower Psycho D (jPsychoPosExt).
Once down in lower
Psycho D scramble up the
cross joint on the other
side to continue south.
As you scramble up the
cross joint the terrain
gets more forgiving and
travel is easy.
Continue south about .35
miles and descend down
the slick rock slope
down into a wide open
sandstone wash area in
Downward Spiral
(jDwnSprlMid).
After dropping into the
wide open wash of
Downward Spiral
(jDwnSprlMid) cross over
Downward Spiral and
continue south.
About 0.2 miles farther
is a sort of pass like
spot (FriendsWB01) with
a flat sandy area to the
north and a huge flat
sandy area to the south.
To go to Friends with
Bennies Canyon continue
south.
About 0.3 miles farther
the route crosses over
(FriendsWB02) a drainage
running down to the
west. To go to Friends
with Bennies cross this
drainage and continue
south.
About 0.4 miles farther
the route enters the
Friends With Bennies
drainage. Travel
southwest down the
drainage. About 70
feet down canyon of here
are a few potholes to
easily walk around.
Note:
The start of the
technical portion is
about 0.7 miles down the
drainage from here with
multiple potholes and
drops to easily walk
around.
About 500 feet down the
drainage is a drop of
about 15 feet
(FriendsWB03) followed
by a drop of about 6
feet down to a large
pool with a sandy exit.
All of which is easily
walked around.
About 150 feet farther
is a side drainage
(FriendsWB04) on the LDC
side has about a 200
foot series of potholes.
Down canyon of hear the
drainage begins to
narrow up a little but
all of the obstacles are
still easily walked
around.
About 250 feet farther
is the start of a short
section (FriendsWB05) of
shallow V-slot to
galumph through or can
be easily walked around.
A little over 200 feet
farther is a sloped
downclimb (FriendsWB06)
in a V-slot down to a
pool. All of which is
easily walked around.
About 250 feet farther
are a few potholes
(FriendsWB07) with a
couple drops of about 8
then 12 feet. All of
which is easily walked
around then an easy
scramble back down to
the canyon floor.
About 250 feet farther
is a pothole
(FriendsWB08) that may
be a little difficult to
get out of with a drop
of about 8 feet on the
other side to a pool
with a sandy exit to
more wash. This section
is easily walked around
on the LDC side for
about 300 feet to where
you can walk back down
innto the sandy wash
below.
About 1000 feet farther
are two large potholes
(FriendsWB09) to easily
walk around on the RDC
side.
About 400 feet farther
is a 10 foot drop (yFriendsWB-Tp)
marking the start of the
canyon.
The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
From the start of
the canyon (yFriendsWB-Tp
) bypass the 0 foot drop
and two large potholes
below by scrambling
around on the RDC side
then scrambling down a
steep slope into the
wide trough shaped
canyon about 80 feet
away. Continuing down
canyon is a long chain
of smaller step over
potholes along the
nearly level trough for
170 feet around slight
right hand bend.
Just around the bend is
a larger pothole
(FriendsWB10) near the
end of the long chain of
smaller potholes that is
easily traversed on the
LDC side.
About 200 feet down
canyon is a downclimb
(FriendsWB11) of about 8
feet at the start of a
series of potholes
dropping down a slope.
After the downclimb, the
other potholes and be
walked around.
About 150 feet farther
is a very large water
filled pothole
(FriendsWB12) with a
drop of close to 20 feet
to get down to it. With
very careful movement
you can downclimb and
traverse diagonally down
along the RDC side to
bypass pothole. This is
a spicy slab traverse
and may be an issue for
some. Large sandy open
area just down canyon.
About 80 feet down
canyon is are a couple
small potholes
(FriendsWB13) to step
over followed by a deep
pothole / silo that can
be jumped or matrixed
over on the RDC side.
Taller people can bridge
over it. Once the first
person is across a rope
can be set up to get
others down through the
pothole. If there are
those who can not cross
on their own and need
rope here, this spot can
chew up a little time.
Just after the pothole /
silo is deep, narrow,
fluted slot dropping
down toward Smith Fork.
Warning:
The final
drop in the canyon can
be jumped to water IF
the lake level is high
enough. If the lake
level is too low the
drop will need to be
rappelled. There are no
good anchor points for
the final drop and a
solid choke stone may
need to be farmed from
up canyon IF one can be
found. Optionally a
JellyFish Anchor works
very well in the crack,
if you happen to have
one.
The final drop in the
canyon (dFriendsWB-R1)
is the only rap for
Friends With Bennies
Canyon. There are no
solid anchor spots in
the slot above the
rappel. Send down a
couple people to be sure
the final drop is able
to be jumped to the lake
before committing the
entire group. If jumping
send one person down on
rope first to be sure
the water is deep enough
and free of obstacles.
If the drop can not be
jumped people up canyon
can look for rocks to
use for an anchor.
After getting down the
drop, swim about 190
feet out to Smith Fork
then turn right and swim
north up Smith Fork.
Note:
Lake level on 2017-03.18
was 3591 feet and we
were able to jump about
20 to 25 feet down to
deep water.
The total swim is about
0.2 miles and wetsuits
are a good idea.
About 300 feet after
turning up into Smith
Fork may be a rock
debris ledge
(FriendsWB14) exposed
where you can take a
break from swimming
(exposed when the lake
is around 3590 feet of
elevation. From here
swim northwest crossing
Smith Fork as you
continue to swim up
Smith Fork. Aim
for the sloped slick
rock about 650 feet away
that is just down stream
of Grease Monkey Canyon
on the west side of
Smith Fork.
The Exit:
From
where you exit Smith
Fork just down stream of
Grease Monkey
(GMonkey10Ex) you will
be on a shelf that
sticks out of the water
at about lake level 3591
ft. Go up steep
slickrock which
eventually gives way to
more gentle slopes, then
rim walk along Grease
Monkey Canyon to near
the head. About 225
feet up from the lake
you can find a section
of faded steps cut into
the rock if you look
close.
Note:
Lower lake levels may
make this more difficult
or impossible to exit.
With higher lake levels
the shelf will not be
visible but the sloped
slick rock can be used
to exit the water.
From the faded steps
(GMonkey11Stp) cut into
the rock continue west
up steep slickrock.
Continue up to the west
roughly rim walking
along Grease Monkey
canyon (which will be on
your right, north) for
about 0.3 miles to the
base of a ravine
(GMonkey04) about 250
feet south of Grease
Monkey.
From the base of the
ravine (GMonkey04)
scramble up a short
steep section of
slickrock to the left
(south) of the ravine
then scramble your way
into the across the
other side of the
ravine.
After getting to the top
of the ravine
(GMonkey03) route find
northwest over into then
follow up the shallow
drainage back to the
road (pkGMonkey)about
0.33 miles away.
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........
| Friends With Bennies (1) - Drive to Trailhead |
- extTicaboo1
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.69720
W -110.67138
Elev: 4,520 Feet
Exit off of highway 276 onto BLM road 13400 to get to the Ticaboo Mesa area. Turn east and leave the highway on a dirt road. Near Mile post 25.
- TicabooDP-01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.68607
W -110.65188
Elev: NaN Feet
Continue straight for the main area of Ticaboo Mesa. Or Turn right (south) here for an alternate route over toward the Smith Fork Canyons.
- TicabooDP-50
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.67376
W -110.65978
Elev: NaN Feet
A road that makes a small loop off of the main road and rejoins about 350 feet farther. Continue south.
- TicabooDP-51
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.65940
W -110.66933
Elev: NaN Feet
Side road joins in from the left (east). Continue south to continue to the Smith Fork area.
- TicabooDP-52
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.63310
W -110.69364
Elev: NaN Feet
Road into Smith Fork area turns sharp left from south to east.
- TicabooDP-53
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.62164
W -110.68041
Elev: NaN Feet
Side road joins in from the right (south). Continue east to get to the Smith Fork Area. Turning right (south) will take you down toward Hansen Creek on a road marked as 13410.
- TicabooDP-54
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.62069
W -110.67088
Elev: 4,212 Feet
Fork in the road. On the drive in veer left and drive east toward the upper portion of Smith Fork or veer right and drive southeast toward the lower poriton of Smith Fork.
- TicabooDP-55
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.61251
W -110.66280
Elev: NaN Feet
Fork in the road. Eitehr works but staying right at the fork is smoother travel toward Psycho D.
- TicabooDP-56
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60612
W -110.66243
Elev: NaN Feet
Junction where the roads that forked on the way in - rejoin.
- TicabooDP-57
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60168
W -110.65488
Elev: 4,178 Feet
Fork in the road where the road splits for a short distance then rejoins shortly after.
- TicabooDP-58
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60169
W -110.65166
Elev: 4,118 Feet
Road rejoins here after the previous fork on the drive in.
- pkSmithForkLwr
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59944
W -110.64949
Elev: 4,130 Feet
Low point in the road with a wide shallow wash crossing the road.
Park here to start Pothoez, Psycho D, Downward Spiral, Friends With Bennies and other canyons.
Continue driving south to go to Grease Monkey or Heckle and Jeckle Canyons.
|
| Friends With Bennies (2) - Set Exit Vehicle |
- pkSmithForkLwr
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59944
W -110.64949
Elev: 4,130 Feet
Low point in the road with a wide shallow wash crossing the road.
Park here to start Pothoez, Psycho D, Downward Spiral, Friends With Bennies and other canyons.
Continue driving south to go to Grease Monkey or Heckle and Jeckle Canyons.
- exTicaOasis
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59049
W -110.65421
Elev: NaN Feet
Road junction on the right (west) at the apex of a sharp left hand bend (almost u-turn) in the road. Continue around the left hand bend and continue east along the main road.
Exit to the right (west) is a road to a large watering pond about 0.25 miles away.
- pkGMonkey
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58551
W -110.64553
Elev: 4,130 Feet
Park here for Grease Monkey Canyon or to set an exit vehicle for Friends With Bennies Canyon. There is a shallow drainage crossing the road but no major landmarks to use for navigation. As a navigation aid for the drive in, this spot is about 380 feet before reaching a sharp right hand bend in the road. To go to Wet Monkey Canyon walk east following down a shallow drainage.
|
| Friends With Bennies (3) Approach |
- pkSmithForkLwr
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59944
W -110.64949
Elev: 4,130 Feet
Low point in the road with a wide shallow wash crossing the road.
Park here to start Pothoez, Psycho D, Downward Spiral, Friends With Bennies and other canyons.
Continue driving south to go to Grease Monkey or Heckle and Jeckle Canyons.
- wSmithLwrRP-01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60073
W -110.64329
Elev: 4,030 Feet
Drop in the wash about 40 feet. Leave the wash here and walk up onto the LDC (north) side to follow a ridge going northeast,
- wSmithLwrRP-02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60223
W -110.64059
Elev: 4,025 Feet
End of the ridge out on a point.
- wSmithLwrRP-03
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60148
W -110.63932
Elev: NaN Feet
Cross over the drainage here to continue on the south east side and drop down toward Smith Fork.
- jSmithFkLwr1
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60231
W -110.63674
Elev: 3,720 Feet
This is where the route down into the lower portion of Smith Fork meets Smith Fork.
- wPsychoD-RP-01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60031
W -110.63647
Elev: NaN Feet
Saddle on the ridge that devides Pothoeze and Psycho D.
- yPothoez-Md
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60393
W -110.63251
Elev: 3,850 Feet
Entry to Pothoez if you only wish to do the lower portion of the route. This is in a sandy spot just before the lower part of Pothoez slots up.
- wPsychoD-RP-02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60306
W -110.63142
Elev: NaN Feet
Top out on the route between Pothoez and Psycho D.
- jPsychoPosExt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.60142
W -110.63144
Elev: 3,777 Feet
A cross joint crosses Psycho D here allowing entry or exit from the canyon on either side. Corssing Psycho D is also easy here and used to cross over Psycho D to go south toward Downward Spiral.
- jDwnSprlMid
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59577
W -110.63012
Elev: 3,790 Feet
A spot where it is easy to drop into a very wide open area of Downward Spiral down from the north side. If going over to Friends with Bennies Canyon, cross over Downward Spiral and continue south.
- FriendsWB01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.59355
W -110.62733
Elev: NaN Feet
A sort of pass like spot with a flat sandy area to the north and a huge flat sandy area to the south. To go to Friends with Bennies Canyon continue south.
- FriendsWB02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58953
W -110.62494
Elev: NaN Feet
Crossing over a drainage running down to the west. To go to Friends with Bennies cross this drainage and continue south.
- jFriendsWB
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58412
W -110.62379
Elev: 3,880 Feet
Enter the Friends With Bennies drainage. Travel southwest down the drainage. About 70 feet down canyon of here are a few potholes to easily walk around.
Note: The start of the technical portion is about 0.7 miles down the drainage from here with multiple potholes and drops to easily walk around.
- FriendsWB03
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58361
W -110.62522
Elev: NaN Feet
Drop of about 15 feet followed by a drop of about 6 feet down to a large pool with a sandy exit. All of which is easily walked around.
- FriendsWB04
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58352
W -110.62575
Elev: NaN Feet
A side drainage on the LDC side has about a 200 foot series of potholes. Down canyon of hear the drainage begins to narrow up a little but all of the obstacals are still easily walked around.
- FriendsWB05
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58332
W -110.62659
Elev: NaN Feet
Start of a short section of shallow V-slot to galumph through or can be easily walked around.
- FriendsWB06
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58312
W -110.62726
Elev: NaN Feet
Sloped downclimb in a V-slot down to a pool. All of which is easily walked around.
- FriendsWB07
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58301
W -110.62813
Elev: NaN Feet
A few potholes with a couple drops of about 8 then 12 feet. All of which is easily walked around then an easy scramble back down to the canyon floor.
- FriendsWB08
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58309
W -110.62904
Elev: NaN Feet
Pothole that may be a little difficult to get out of with a drop of about 8 feet on the other side to a pool with a sandy exit to more wash. This section is easily walked around on the LDC side for about 300 feet to where you can walk back down innto the sandy wash below.
- FriendsWB09
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58109
W -110.63079
Elev: NaN Feet
Two large potholes to easily walk around on the RDC side.
- yFriendsWB-Tp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58048
W -110.63184
Elev: 3,730 Feet
Top of Friends with Bennies Canyon. 10 foot drop down to two large potholes here that are bypassed by scrambling around on the RDC side then scrambling down a steep slope into the wide trough shaped canyon about 80 feet away. Continuing down canyon is a long chain of smaller step over potholes along the nearly level trough for 170 feet around slight right hand bend.
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| Friends With Bennies (4) - The Canyon |
- yFriendsWB-Tp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58048
W -110.63184
Elev: 3,730 Feet
Top of Friends with Bennies Canyon. 10 foot drop down to two large potholes here that are bypassed by scrambling around on the RDC side then scrambling down a steep slope into the wide trough shaped canyon about 80 feet away. Continuing down canyon is a long chain of smaller step over potholes along the nearly level trough for 170 feet around slight right hand bend.
- FriendsWB10
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57980
W -110.63195
Elev: NaN Feet
Larger pothole near the end of the long chain of smaller potholes that is easily traversed on the LDC side.
- FriendsWB11
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57937
W -110.63225
Elev: NaN Feet
Downclimb of about 8 feet at the start of a series of potholes dropping down a slope. After the downclimb, the other potholes and be walked around.
- FriendsWB12
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57910
W -110.63269
Elev: NaN Feet
Down canyon side of a very large water filled pothole with a drop of close to 20 feet to get down to it. With very careful movement you can downclimb and traverse diagonally down along the RDC side to bypass pothole. This is a spicy slab traverse and may be an issue for some. Large sandy open area just down canyon.
- FriendsWB13
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57891
W -110.63286
Elev: NaN Feet
A couple small potholes to step over followed by a deep pothole / silo that can be jumped or matrixed over on the RDC side. Taller people can bridge over it. Once the first person is across a rope can be set up to get others down through the pothole. If there are those who can not cross on their own and need rope here, this spot can chew up a little time. Just after the pothole / silo is deep, narrow, fluted slot dropping down toward Smith Fork.
Warning: The fnial drop in the canyon can be jumped to water IF the lake level is high enough. If the lake level is too low the drop will need to be rappelled. There are no good anchor points for the final drop and a solid choke stone may need to be farmed from up canyon IF one can be found. Optionally a JellyFish Anchor works very well in the crack, if you happen to have one.
- dFriendsWB-R1
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57867
W -110.63300
Elev: NaN Feet
Only rap for Friends With Bennies Canyon. There are no solid anchor spots in the slot above the rappel. Send down a couple people to be sure the final drop is able to be jumped to the lake before committing the entire group. If jumping send one person down on rope first to be sure the water is deep enough and free of obstacles.
After getting down the drop, swim about 190 feet out to Smith Fork then turn right and swim north up Smith Fork.
Note: Lake level on 2017-03.18 was 3591 feet and we were able to jump about 20 to 25 feet down to deep water.
- yFriendsWB-Bt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57831
W -110.63359
Elev: 3,590 Feet
Exit of Friends With Bennies Canyon where it meets Smith Fork. At lake level 3591 ft, the water is very deep and the canyon is exited by swimming. Swim
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| Friends With Bennies (5) - Exit |
- yFriendsWB-Bt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57831
W -110.63359
Elev: 3,590 Feet
Exit of Friends With Bennies Canyon where it meets Smith Fork. At lake level 3591 ft, the water is very deep and the canyon is exited by swimming. Swim
- FriendsWB14
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.57892
W -110.63437
Elev: 3,590 Feet
At lake level 3591 ft, a rock debris ledge is exposed where you can take a break from swimming. From here swim northwest crossing Smith Fork as you continue to swim up Smith Fork. Aim for the sloped slick rock about 650 feet away that is just down stream of Grease Monkey Canyon on the west side of Smith Fork.
- GMonkey10Ex
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58049
W -110.63513
Elev: 3,591 Feet
Shelf that sticks out of the water at about lake level 3591 ft. Go up steep slickrock which eventually gives way to more gentle slopes, then rim walk along Grease Monkey Canyon to near the head. About 225 feet up from the lake you can find a section of faded steps cut into the rock if you look close.
Note: Lower lake levels may make this more difficult or impossible to exit. With higher lake levels the shelf will not be visible but the sloped slick rock can be used to exit the water.
- GMonkey11Stp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58084
W -110.63575
Elev: NaN Feet
Faded steps cut into the rock that you may see if you look close for them. Continue west up steep slickrock.
- GMonkey04
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58402
W -110.63941
Elev: NaN Feet
Bottom of a ravine providing a weakness in the cliff band.
When approaching turn left and walk north about 250 feet to enter the upper portion of Grease Monkey Canyon. Note: Optionally you can walk east about 0.2 miles along the rim of the canyon and enter farther down canyon where the fun begins.
When exiting scramble up a short steep section of slickrock to the left (south) of the ravine then scramble your way into the across the other side of the ravine.
- GMonkey03
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58391
W -110.63978
Elev: NaN Feet
Weakness in the cliff band at the lower end of a ravine allowing access down to rolling slickrock below.
When approaching Grease Monkey scramble along the RDC (south) side to find and scramble down a steep section to the the next lower level.
When exiting, route find northwest over into then follow up the shallow drainage back to the road about 0.33 miles away.
- GMonkey02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58450
W -110.64049
Elev: NaN Feet
Drop of about 30 feet. To continue to Grease Monkey Canyon exit the RDC (south) side of the shallow wash and walk about 300 feet south over to a ravine providing a weakness allowing access down to rolling slickrock below.
- GMonkey01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58450
W -110.64226
Elev: NaN Feet
First of a few small shelves in wash on the way down canyon. Continue down canyon about 500 feet over other small shelves to get to a drop of about 30 feet.
- pkGMonkey
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.58551
W -110.64553
Elev: 4,130 Feet
Park here for Grease Monkey Canyon or to set an exit vehicle for Friends With Bennies Canyon. There is a shallow drainage crossing the road but no major landmarks to use for navigation. As a navigation aid for the drive in, this spot is about 380 feet before reaching a sharp right hand bend in the road. To go to Wet Monkey Canyon walk east following down a shallow drainage.
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