84x4bronco
01-03-2012, 11:07 AM
Backyard Canyon 3 B II/III Backyard Canyon 3 B II/III
A surprising technical canyon dropping north from the northwest corner of the Goldfield Mountains, just south of the Salt River at Blue Point Bridge.
Rating: 3 B II/III
Time Required: 7-10 Hours
Longest Rappel: ~120'
Permit Information
Gate access codes are required to drive into the Bulldog Recreation Area, and can be acquired at the Tonto national forest dept in Mesa.
Camping/Lodging
Your house.
Preferred Season
Winter, Spring, Fall. Summer is hot hot, but it can be done if you wish.
Water Concerns
There is one pothole that i guarantee holds water year round.
Special Challenges
Advanced anchors in place for a decent portion of this canyon. the use of basic anchors will require up to 60' of webbing for decent pulls.
Equipment Suggestions
Edge protection and a pack with a load supporting handle.
Topographic Maps
Stewart Mtn 7.5
Directions to Trailhead
From US60, drive north on Power or north on Ellsworth. Power becomes Hunt Hwy, and Ellsworth reaches Hunt Hwy. Continue towards Saguaro Lake until you see a gate on the right side of the road. If you cross Blue Point Bridge, you've gone too far. Head south through this gate towards Bulldog Canyon. when the road drops into a large wash (power lines overhead) cross the wash and follow the road with the power lines. This can be your vehicle spot, or you can easily stash a mountain bike around here if you shuttled in from the gate.
Approach
Head south on the road with power lines. You will hike past a small steep closed road and up a small hill. A large pronounced ridge will be on your left. As you round this ridge on the road, pay attention, as you will want to pass one drainage on your left. At the next small drainage (on your left) veer off of the road and begin your route-find uphill. keep to the central ridge and not to the drainages, as you will pass technical drops and massive thrashes. one point on this entry is very steep with decaying rock the size of marbles. Use caution. Once atop the ridge, walk downhill into Backyard Canyon :)
Description: Standard Route
Once in the canyon, youll be presented with a couple small downclimbs sparsely planted throughout the wash. an unexpected technical band in this wash contains a 15' downclimb, followed by a 40' rappel from a camming gift wrapped rock in a crack on canyon right. Use caution and back up your first rappel if you do not understand the physics behind this anchor. after a bit of a creek hop, you'll pass through a small set of narrows and into Backyard Canyon's true features. After a brief thrash, the canyon dives into a technical slot, with three drops visible immediately. your first drop in this section is about 70' from a pinch point underneath a car sized boulder in the center of the drainage, and you must downclimb into a small chute to reach it (NOTE: a meat anchor is not a bad idea for all but LAMAR.) the next rappel is from a knot chock on canyon left, over a large boulder chokestone with a nasty edge on the rappel side. in colder weather, this drops you into a swimmer about 25' long. It is possible to build a deadman anchor out on a ledge to complete this rappel dry, but the effort and risk to get a decent deadman on said ledge seemed unworthy. the next small drop of 15' has four solutions. 1, extend your rope from the last rappel; 2, meat anchor everyone down and pack rappel LAMAR; 3, meat anchor and provide a spot for the last guy to slide; 4, bring a talon and rappel using one of the many solid lips at the top of this drop. the choice is yours, but permanent anchor potential is slim. downclimb around the next few obstacles on canyon right, and you are at the top of the last drop, a two stage 120' rappel from a skinny but stout catclaw on canyon left. at the bottom of this drop you can gear down.
Exit
hike downstream until it is reasonable to bail out on the left and traverse through the desert towards your car. getting lost at this point should be impossible :)
4007
A surprising technical canyon dropping north from the northwest corner of the Goldfield Mountains, just south of the Salt River at Blue Point Bridge.
Rating: 3 B II/III
Time Required: 7-10 Hours
Longest Rappel: ~120'
Permit Information
Gate access codes are required to drive into the Bulldog Recreation Area, and can be acquired at the Tonto national forest dept in Mesa.
Camping/Lodging
Your house.
Preferred Season
Winter, Spring, Fall. Summer is hot hot, but it can be done if you wish.
Water Concerns
There is one pothole that i guarantee holds water year round.
Special Challenges
Advanced anchors in place for a decent portion of this canyon. the use of basic anchors will require up to 60' of webbing for decent pulls.
Equipment Suggestions
Edge protection and a pack with a load supporting handle.
Topographic Maps
Stewart Mtn 7.5
Directions to Trailhead
From US60, drive north on Power or north on Ellsworth. Power becomes Hunt Hwy, and Ellsworth reaches Hunt Hwy. Continue towards Saguaro Lake until you see a gate on the right side of the road. If you cross Blue Point Bridge, you've gone too far. Head south through this gate towards Bulldog Canyon. when the road drops into a large wash (power lines overhead) cross the wash and follow the road with the power lines. This can be your vehicle spot, or you can easily stash a mountain bike around here if you shuttled in from the gate.
Approach
Head south on the road with power lines. You will hike past a small steep closed road and up a small hill. A large pronounced ridge will be on your left. As you round this ridge on the road, pay attention, as you will want to pass one drainage on your left. At the next small drainage (on your left) veer off of the road and begin your route-find uphill. keep to the central ridge and not to the drainages, as you will pass technical drops and massive thrashes. one point on this entry is very steep with decaying rock the size of marbles. Use caution. Once atop the ridge, walk downhill into Backyard Canyon :)
Description: Standard Route
Once in the canyon, youll be presented with a couple small downclimbs sparsely planted throughout the wash. an unexpected technical band in this wash contains a 15' downclimb, followed by a 40' rappel from a camming gift wrapped rock in a crack on canyon right. Use caution and back up your first rappel if you do not understand the physics behind this anchor. after a bit of a creek hop, you'll pass through a small set of narrows and into Backyard Canyon's true features. After a brief thrash, the canyon dives into a technical slot, with three drops visible immediately. your first drop in this section is about 70' from a pinch point underneath a car sized boulder in the center of the drainage, and you must downclimb into a small chute to reach it (NOTE: a meat anchor is not a bad idea for all but LAMAR.) the next rappel is from a knot chock on canyon left, over a large boulder chokestone with a nasty edge on the rappel side. in colder weather, this drops you into a swimmer about 25' long. It is possible to build a deadman anchor out on a ledge to complete this rappel dry, but the effort and risk to get a decent deadman on said ledge seemed unworthy. the next small drop of 15' has four solutions. 1, extend your rope from the last rappel; 2, meat anchor everyone down and pack rappel LAMAR; 3, meat anchor and provide a spot for the last guy to slide; 4, bring a talon and rappel using one of the many solid lips at the top of this drop. the choice is yours, but permanent anchor potential is slim. downclimb around the next few obstacles on canyon right, and you are at the top of the last drop, a two stage 120' rappel from a skinny but stout catclaw on canyon left. at the bottom of this drop you can gear down.
Exit
hike downstream until it is reasonable to bail out on the left and traverse through the desert towards your car. getting lost at this point should be impossible :)
4007