rcwild
10-15-2009, 11:05 AM
An absolute classic wet canyon descent within 2 hours drive of Denver, near the town of Vail.
Rating: 3C II
Time Required: Four to six hours round trip.
Longest Rappel: 110 ft.
Permit Information
No permits required.
Camping/Lodging
You can backpack overnight in the wilderness area. Vail has camping and lodging.
Preferred Season
August/September. July in low water years.
Water Concerns
High water, slick rock and big drops are be a concern. Wet canyon experience is a must! The stream gauge for Booth Creek is available on the internet at:
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/co/nwis/uv/?site_no=09066200&agency_cd=USGS
The gauge is known to be a few cfs off - there is usually 4 or 5 more cfs running than what the gauge says. In general, most experienced canyoneers will be fine if the gauge reads 5cfs or less. Intermediate canyoneers can descend up to 10cfs. Advanced canyoneers can go higher, though anything higher than 15cfs (if even that) is likely suicidal. You can also gauge the water levels from the trailhead.
Special Challenges
Equipment Suggestions
220 feet of rope (biggest drop is 110 feet). Full wet suit. Quicklinks. 30-50 feet of webbing.
Topographic Maps
USGS Vail East Quad
Directions to Trailhead
To get there, take I-70 to Vail and take the East Vail exit - number 180. Turn left (west) onto the frontage road on the north side of the highway. Drive for approximately one mile to Booth Creek Road, and turn right. Drive to the end of the road and park. If the lot is full, there is a large parking lot where you turned onto Booth Creek Road. Do not park along the street.
Trailhead UTM Grid Coordinate
Approach
Hike for two miles or so through spectacular aspen forest. Notice the fault where the limestone ends and the Precambrian granite of the Eagle's Nest Wilderness area. The forest opens into a willow-lined valley, and you get a glimpse of one of the falls. Continue steeply up the trail to various overlooks at the top of Booth Creek Falls. This is a great spot to scope the water levels - if it looks too high then do not enter! The trail passes by the top of the falls. From the top of the falls, continue up the trail for another 10 or so minutes until the valley opens. You should see Booth Creek below, and the sides of the valley are talus slopes. Scramble to the level of the creek, don your wetsuit and technical gear, and head down canyon.
Canyon Entry UTM Grid Coordinate
Description: Standard Route
This upper gorge makes a great warm up. It includes several small drops which, in low enough water, can often be downclimbed. Trees are abundant anchors if the water is too high or if the downclimb is too sketchy for your group. The upper gorge ends at the top of Booth Creek Falls by the trail. Exit here if the water levels are too dangerous or if your group is having problems. Otherwise, sling a boulder and head down the falls. The drop is 110 feet from the nearest anchors, and the pool at the bottom is a deep swim. Be sure to set the rope length before descending as the hydraulic could be dangerous with loose ropes. The rope pull is difficult here, and ropes have been stuck before. Beware of falling rock when pulling the rope.
If your rope does get stuck, you can climb out from here but it is a dangerous rock climb over loose rock. Or, you can continue down canyon to the next drop and exit on the west and hike back around to the top of the falls. This can be a long, steep hike, but it is much safer than climbing directly out.
Continue down a deep gorge until you reach the next drop, which is a two-tier drop nearly as long as the main falls. The nearest anchor is a tree on canyon right (looking downstream), but beware, the rope will run over a sharp edge. Additionally the trees are surrounded by bushes that will be trampled on if you rappel from here. If you use the trees as an anchor please tread lightly and avoid any erosion or damage to the vegetation. Rappel down the two tiers into a beautiful amphitheatre. Scramble down canyon over a logjam and down short drops. Use a rope if you need it. All too soon the gorge ends and willows take over.
Description:
You can skip the upper gorge and begin your descent from the top of Booth Creek Falls.
Exit
Follow faint trails on the east side of the creek back to the main trail. As a courtesy, when you have finished descending the canyon, hike back up and retrieve your webbing - particularly the webbing at the top of Booth Creek Falls. This spot is very accessable to hikers so please keep it clean. A network of social trails on both sides of the gorge facilitates this.
Canyon Exit UTM Grid Coordinate
Rating: 3C II
Time Required: Four to six hours round trip.
Longest Rappel: 110 ft.
Permit Information
No permits required.
Camping/Lodging
You can backpack overnight in the wilderness area. Vail has camping and lodging.
Preferred Season
August/September. July in low water years.
Water Concerns
High water, slick rock and big drops are be a concern. Wet canyon experience is a must! The stream gauge for Booth Creek is available on the internet at:
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/co/nwis/uv/?site_no=09066200&agency_cd=USGS
The gauge is known to be a few cfs off - there is usually 4 or 5 more cfs running than what the gauge says. In general, most experienced canyoneers will be fine if the gauge reads 5cfs or less. Intermediate canyoneers can descend up to 10cfs. Advanced canyoneers can go higher, though anything higher than 15cfs (if even that) is likely suicidal. You can also gauge the water levels from the trailhead.
Special Challenges
Equipment Suggestions
220 feet of rope (biggest drop is 110 feet). Full wet suit. Quicklinks. 30-50 feet of webbing.
Topographic Maps
USGS Vail East Quad
Directions to Trailhead
To get there, take I-70 to Vail and take the East Vail exit - number 180. Turn left (west) onto the frontage road on the north side of the highway. Drive for approximately one mile to Booth Creek Road, and turn right. Drive to the end of the road and park. If the lot is full, there is a large parking lot where you turned onto Booth Creek Road. Do not park along the street.
Trailhead UTM Grid Coordinate
Approach
Hike for two miles or so through spectacular aspen forest. Notice the fault where the limestone ends and the Precambrian granite of the Eagle's Nest Wilderness area. The forest opens into a willow-lined valley, and you get a glimpse of one of the falls. Continue steeply up the trail to various overlooks at the top of Booth Creek Falls. This is a great spot to scope the water levels - if it looks too high then do not enter! The trail passes by the top of the falls. From the top of the falls, continue up the trail for another 10 or so minutes until the valley opens. You should see Booth Creek below, and the sides of the valley are talus slopes. Scramble to the level of the creek, don your wetsuit and technical gear, and head down canyon.
Canyon Entry UTM Grid Coordinate
Description: Standard Route
This upper gorge makes a great warm up. It includes several small drops which, in low enough water, can often be downclimbed. Trees are abundant anchors if the water is too high or if the downclimb is too sketchy for your group. The upper gorge ends at the top of Booth Creek Falls by the trail. Exit here if the water levels are too dangerous or if your group is having problems. Otherwise, sling a boulder and head down the falls. The drop is 110 feet from the nearest anchors, and the pool at the bottom is a deep swim. Be sure to set the rope length before descending as the hydraulic could be dangerous with loose ropes. The rope pull is difficult here, and ropes have been stuck before. Beware of falling rock when pulling the rope.
If your rope does get stuck, you can climb out from here but it is a dangerous rock climb over loose rock. Or, you can continue down canyon to the next drop and exit on the west and hike back around to the top of the falls. This can be a long, steep hike, but it is much safer than climbing directly out.
Continue down a deep gorge until you reach the next drop, which is a two-tier drop nearly as long as the main falls. The nearest anchor is a tree on canyon right (looking downstream), but beware, the rope will run over a sharp edge. Additionally the trees are surrounded by bushes that will be trampled on if you rappel from here. If you use the trees as an anchor please tread lightly and avoid any erosion or damage to the vegetation. Rappel down the two tiers into a beautiful amphitheatre. Scramble down canyon over a logjam and down short drops. Use a rope if you need it. All too soon the gorge ends and willows take over.
Description:
You can skip the upper gorge and begin your descent from the top of Booth Creek Falls.
Exit
Follow faint trails on the east side of the creek back to the main trail. As a courtesy, when you have finished descending the canyon, hike back up and retrieve your webbing - particularly the webbing at the top of Booth Creek Falls. This spot is very accessable to hikers so please keep it clean. A network of social trails on both sides of the gorge facilitates this.
Canyon Exit UTM Grid Coordinate