I’m sure I’m like most people that when we find something, or someplace, that we find invigorating and incredible we tend to go back time and time again. In the last year I’ve tried my hardest to break that trend and to discover as many new places as I possibly can. Sure, I keep in mind the places I’ve been and go back when I feel the need, but finding new places is what has been my driving motivation.

My friend, Peter, who plans pretty much all of our canyoneering trips, had a trip in mind that was in an area that I had never been before. He had been holding off on this trip for quite some time as he needed his friends to finally purchase wet suits before going down to these particular canyons. After years of slowly introducing his friends to canyons and convincing them to buy wet suits it was time for us to head down to Cedar Mesa.

Every time I take this exit I start getting pretty excited for what’s to come.

The canyons we were going to be jumping into were between Hite, Utah and Bears Ears National Monument. As we drove down highway 95 South of Hanksville, Utah and past some familiar landscape in the North Wash where I’ve camped and explored a bit before, I started to feel that exciting feeling for something new, and also the excitement of getting out of the back of the car where I was sitting with all of our gear. Slowly the colors of the rock formations started to change from an orange and brown color to a deep red almost purple hue.

Just watching the Colorado River meander downstream.

I was entering a new area, an area full of Anasazi dwellings and mesa walls all around us. You just got that feeling that adventure was everywhere. On our way down we decided to stop by the Hite Overlook a which gives you an incredible view of the meandering Colorado River below as it slowly snakes it way down towards Lake Powell. The Scorpion Weed wildflowers were blooming all along the cliff edge adding a lovely carpet of purple to the normally dark red rocks.

With the days getting longer we knew we still had enough daylight to go and hop into a mini slot. Down the road was the upper section of Fry Canyon which is just off the highway. You literally drive over the slot when crossing the bridge to the pull off!

As we got our gear together, Peter made sure to tell us to grab our wetsuits as it holds a bunch of water according to the beta. We packed our gear (and a beer) and started the 2-minute approach. As we got down into the canyon, we realized that maybe the beta wasn’t very accurate as the entire section was bone dry and much shorter than Peter remembered reading.

It didn’t matter, we dropped our packs and hung out for a little while watching the light change while Peter crashed his drone into the sides of the canyon. It was a peculiar feeling standing in the bottom of a canyon, and looking up to see the bottom of a bridge that was glowing orange from the light radiating off the canyon. One area of rock measured, calculated and precise, the other slowly sculpted through randomness and time. One will last longer than the other though.

After we climbed out of the canyon on a shady ladder we headed towards where we were going to camp, but not before we took a little detour to see some incredible Anasazi ruins. As we drove over a slickrock bench to the edge of the canyon, you could still see the houses where they Anasazi once lived. I’m wondering if when they built them, they would imagine we would be able to see the structures millennia later. I’m guessing probably not but hey it’s a thought worth pondering.

The ruins themselves were impressive, but even more impressive was where they were situated. As we stood on the canyon rim, we had a hard time understanding how exactly the Anasazi got in and out of this dwelling. I’m sure the landscape looked a bit different 12,000 years ago but the dwellings were still a solid 60 feet off the canyon floor. We decided there must be some Moki steps carved into the canyon walls somewhere in the area to allow for easier access.

Covered from the elements, these ruins have lasted for thousands of years.

The next morning, we got up at the crack of 9 and got all our gear together to head to our adventure for the day which was Cheesebox Canyon. Sharing the name with The Cheesebox mesa located nearby. There were definitely some areas in the canyon however that looked had all the characteristics of Swiss Cheese so it is an appropriate name.

The approach to the canyon isn’t bad but it was enough to remind me of how out of shape I am. A short cross desert hike leads to the rim where you skirt around the edge of the canyon. Cairns mark the crack in the rock where you carefully navigate the exposed rock edges. Once you get down to the bottom, the slot is filled with water, greeting us coolly, making it a good spot to stop and put on our wet suits.

We soon came to our first rappel which was a short one but it was absolutely stunning. The start is nestled in amongst large boulders that have fallen from above. Once you get done with the first stage you pass through a small natural bridge before dropping another 10-15 feet to the bottom. We hit this section perfectly as the light was leaking through the cracks amongst the overhanging boulders causing the canyon to glow with a bright orange light. This is the section where you really thought you were in the middle of a block of cheese.

Moving forward in the canyon we encountered a lot of down climbs that had us wedging our bodies into cracks and elevator-ing ourselves down with our shoulders into pools and beautiful slot sections that had us swimming on our packs. There was even a section that made you think you were at a rave as the light reflected off the water and danced on the walls.

The canyon decided to put on a light show for us.

The beta said that there was only 3 rappels and you can downclimb them if you want... Well we ran into 4 and none of them were really that downclimb-able. The last 2 were 60-80 feet and were absolutely impossible to downclimb. The second to last rappel had 2 possible anchors. One was bolted on the side of the wall just down canyon. The other option is a section of boulders that has a rabbit hole you lower yourself off of and down through a fluted dry fall. We definitely opted for the second option.

The last of the narrow slots was the best lit in the canyon.

We didn’t bring enough rope for the longest rappel to be done without a pull chord which we also didn’t bring. Luckily, we were able to use webbing from an old anchor to help us create a pull chord to get us all safely through the canyon. At the bottom of this rappel you walk and downclimb through a beautiful hallway with pools going throughout. Once we got through the hallways and came to a turn in the canyon, we saw the clouds were looking a bit darker than earlier in the day and we decided we needed to book it to the exit just in case they decided to open up and rain down on us. Last place you want to be in a rainstorm is in the bottom of a tight slot!

Walking down the short hallway of Short canyon.

Once we hiked out, we headed back to camp to celebrate our buddy Chris’ birthday. There’s no better way to spend a birthday than being out in the desert doing cool stuff. After an evening of shooting a BB gun, eating pasta, and indulging in some libations it was time for me to head to bed as Peter had told everyone I would definitely be getting up early. I had planned on it, but having it now be prophesized by Peter, I knew I needed to go to bed sooner than later so I could actually get up in the morning.

Waking to the unwelcome sound of my alarm clock on my phone I stepped out of my tent just as the surrounding canyon walls started to light up with the early morning sun. The plan was to get a group together to go into Short Canyon which was right near camp. The group ended up turning into a duo instead of a boy band as Peter and I were the only ones who got up to jump into the canyon.

Short Canyon is stunningly beautiful but also very appropriately named. It was short. We were expecting it to take us 2-3 hours, instead in 45 minutes we were done with the slot section. This canyon normally holds a lot of water as there is a natural spring that slowly leaks out of cracks in the canyon walls. For some reason though it was completely dry. The only constant in canyons is change. With it being dry and not taking much time we decided to hang out down there for a few minutes so Peter could once again crash his drone into another canyon wall (how that thing is still able to fly is beyond me at this point).

The few clouds were quite welcome on the hike in.

Hiking out the “climbers” exit we were back at camp in just under 2 hours. Everyone else was packed up sitting back and enjoying the warm morning sun. Once we got some breakfast camp pizza in us, we headed back towards the North Wash to do Hogwarts Canyon.

We were going to do another canyon in the area but they say if water is flowing in the river DO NOT go into the canyon. There had been quite a bit of ran the previous few days in the surrounding areas and some spots in the canyon can have a flash flood 2 days after it rains due to the massive size of the drainage system, and there was also water flowing in the river. So instead of flipping a coin with our lives we decided Hogwarts was a good short option that has a lot of bang for its buck with four rappels, one right after the other. The approach isn’t long but we were all definitely feeling the midday sun as we hiked up to the head of the canyon.

It didn’t take us long to do the whole canyon, which was good because hanging out under the midday sun was still beating down on us like a stubborn mule. Not only were we getting the sun from overhead, it was radiating off the rock like an easy bake oven. The second of the four raps goes through a beautifully sculpted arch and the last one is an 80’ free hang rappel that drops you into a stunning grotto that is right next to a nice stream to cool off in and the highway.

Before we all got hangry at each other (which, ask Lauren, I’m quite prone to), we stopped by our favorite burger joint in Hanksville for some much-needed greasy deliciousness. It was a quick weekend jaunt, but as is always the case with Utah, incredible to explore the gorgeous canyons of a new area. I know we will definitely be back to this spot because there are so many more incredible things down in that area of the desert to explore.

Trip Report: Cedar Mesa

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