Memorial Day 2020 Trip Report
I have been traveling to the desert of southern Utah for almost 20 years, mostly to scale the iconic sandstone towers. I quickly realized that the desert has so much more to offer than splitter cracks and towering red walls. Now every time I make a trip to the desert I make sure to take advantage of all the other adventures it has to offer.
The drive from Boulder to Moab can take roughly 6 hours depending on which area you intend to visit first. Sometimes I like to break the drive up. Especially if we are getting off work late on Friday which we both did. After 4 hours we decided to stop in the McInnis National Conservation area. There are several places to camp in this vast area. My favorite is Knowles Canyon overlook. Since we needed to meet our shuttle driver at Lions Park in Moab at 10:00 am we decided to cowboy camp just a few miles down Rabbit Valley Road near the Jouflas campground.
We woke to a beautiful sunrise, stretched out our bodies after the long drive the night before and decided to forgo the morning ritual of coffee, and just get back on the road. The 90-minute drive went by super fast and we were in Moab in no time.
We had arranged to meet our shuttle at Lions Park in Moab at 10 am. We arrived a little before 9 am with plenty of time to eat breakfast and make sandwiches and snacks for the day. Our friends, Nick and Lisa, showed up just before 10 am as well. They camped in nearly the same spot as us and we somehow just missed them. Our shuttle driver showed up right at 10 am and after a quick conversation about our SUP skills we were loaded up and headed to Rocky Rapid.
Rocky Rapid is a put-in point on the Colorado river in Castle Valley, Utah about 18 miles up River Road from Lions Park. A very scenic drive, one that we would be enjoying at a leisurely pace of 4 mph once we were on our boards. The drive only took 35 minutes. Another 15 minutes to get our dry bags with our food and water clipped to our boards and we were in the water.
The first rapid of the day is upon you in less than 60 seconds. I wasn’t feeling particularly brave this early in the trip so I decided to stay seated on my board. Especially after watching a raft go through the rapid just before us. The raft gave us some perspective on how big the waves really were. This stretch of the river is meant to be a casual float but there are a couple of spots where you get to ride some waves and this was the first. The river was also running at 13,000 CFS. The river is so wide and flat that this isn’t really a big deal. But in the first two rapids, it made for some early morning excitement.
Everyone made it through the first rapid fine. We all decided to stay seated on our boards. Which was smart considering the rest of the crew didnt have any experience SUPing down a river. The next mile we enjoyed the morning sun, blue skies, and calm water as we approached Sorel River Ranch and our second and last set of white water. I was feeling a little more confident with my balance at this point so I started to think I might try to ride this rapid standing. There is a sharp bend in this section of the canyon and you can’t really see the rapid as you approach. But you can hear it. The sound got me a little puckered and my confidence quickly faded. As I approached the rapid I tried to turn my board to get a straight shot at it. When I first got my eyes on the size of the waves I dropped to straddle my board and dug in with my paddle for a wild ride. I was able to just miss the first hole and punch through the next few big waves safely. Better than a cup of coffee. The water was cold, the waves were big, and the seriousness was high. Once through I looked back to see the team and not a single person was still on their boards.
I pulled over as quickly as I could to be in a position to help, if necessary. The first head bobbing in the water was Laura. She also tried to punch down the center of the rapid only to be quickly expelled from her board. Riding the rest of the waves while desperately holding on to her hat, sunglasses, and paddle. The next head I saw was Lisa. I was not sure the line she picked but she also went swimming and made it back to her board safely. Finally, there was Nick. He drastically misjudged the line and went straight into the wall the water was forced to bend around. Unfortunately, Nick went swimming but also lost his paddle. Not good for only being 4 miles into a 17 mile SUP adventure. Nick and Lisa pulled off to a sand bar hoping to spot the paddle float by but no such luck. After some time we carried on.
The next 4 hours we paddled leisurely while enjoying the sun, towering red walls, and occasional casual wave train. The afternoon winds picked up in the second leg of our trip giving us a solid workout for the day. Some sections the wind blew so strong you had to fight to not go backwards. We stopped and had lunch on a sandy beach. Flipped off a rope swing. Occasionally we floated never putting our paddles in the water simply lying on our backs enjoying the quiet of the river. During the final 2 miles to the take out spot the wind was relentless. 30 minutes of hard paddling and we made the take out around 3:30 pm. A total of 17.5 miles and 4.5 hours of river SUP adventure.
We returned our SUP boards to Paddle Moab around 4:30. You can rent your boards and a shuttle there for $50 per board and $10 for the shuttle. They even give you the straps you need to tie the boards to your car for the return.
After the drop off, we headed south of Moab about 30 miles to Looking Glass Rock. This is where we camped for the night and start our adventures for the next day. Looking Glass Rock is an enormous sandstone dome that is about 200 ft tall. One side is smooth and round all the way to the desert floor. On the opposite side, the dome is hollow forming a massive arch with a 50 ft window you can look through on the opposite side. To get to the top you climb three pitches of sandstone slab. The climbing is very casual at 5.6 ratings. The hardest move is right off the floor. The rest of the way up is just a smooth slab with bolts every 15-20 feet. Laura and I decided to simul-climb the route. Simul-climbing is where both climbers climb at the same time with a rope between you for protection. We climbed to the top in about 10 minutes. Once at the top there is a small cleft in the dome with a hole you can squeeze through where you perform a 100-foot free-hanging rappel. One of the more exciting rappels you can do anywhere. Once on the ground, you are now set up for the “King Swing”
The King Swing is amazing and I try to do it every trip I make to the desert. You can casually scramble up loose talus to reach the back of the arch. Either keeping the rope you rappeled on in your ATC device with a backup or tie into one end of the rope and have a friend belay you on the swing. From there you can scoot along a little ledge that is just 12 inches wide until it abruptly ends and you are standing above a cliff as the ground gives way below you. From here all you need to do is take the leap. The swing is nothing short of amazing. As you swing out under the arch the landscape opens up and you feel like you are hundreds of feet above the ground. Which you are because the ground continues to drop away from you. We each took turns swinging until it was time to move on to the next adventure, the Medievil Chamber Slot Canyon
After lunch we shuttled our car to Grandstaff trailhead. The Grandstaff trailhead is just 3 miles from lions park. The trail is a beautiful 5 mile out and back hike to Morning Glory Arch. Our plan was to do Medievil Chamber, a short slot canyon that begins in the slick rock above Moab. We met back up with Nick and Lisa we left one car at the Grandstaff trailhead and headed up to the trailhead for Medieval Chamber. We started our adventure by descending down a short wash before entering the canyon. The hike takes about an hour and is mostly in a low canyon with slick rock and a couple of short fun down climbs as you descend further.
About an hour of casually strolling through the desert, we found the first rappel. The first rappel is 80 feet and drops you into a chamber. You can slide through a narrow slot that opens up to a bigger canyon.
About 100 yards from the chamber you will be standing on top of Morning Glory Arch. On top of the arch you get a great view of the hike out and the other hikers coming and going. If you have two ropes you can rap off the Arch itself. I have done this before and it is really fun. The skill level of the group was not very experienced so we did the standard rappel off a juniper about 15 feet back from the arch. This rappel is a super fun free-hanging rappel for about 100 feet. During the rappel you are looking up at the canyon walls and the arch, it is pretty amazing. Especially when the other hikers ask you how you got up there. Most are super impressed by your rappel. The hike out of Grandstaff Canyon from Morning Glory Arch is 2. A beautiful hike under cotton wood and willow trees that crosses a creek a dozen times. Once we arrived back at the trailhead we had to make the 30-minute drive back up to the slick rock to retrieve the second car.
I couldn’t stop thinking about salty french fries so we decided to brave the Corona virus and head into town to grab some greasy food. Moab restaurants were completely shut down at this point. Every restaurant was closed save for one food truck. Turns out they had fantastic burgers and fries. I wish I could remember their name. Worth a stop if you are in town.
After a short break for food, we were back in the whip headed to find our camp spot for the night. Our mission for the following day was to climb Independence Monument in the Colorado National Monument about 90 minutes away. We decided to only drive 30 minutes to just past Dewey Bridge to find a spot.
Once past the bridge, you will find loads of BLM land with free dispersed camping. There were plenty of people already there but we found a great spot overlooking the Colorado River and a beautiful ranch. The sunset and our dinner were perfect and we slept deep after a good day of adventuring in the desert.
We woke with the sun and quickly broke camp after coffee and breakfast. On the road by 8:30 am, we pulled up to the monument just before 10:00 am. The hike into the tower is barely 2.5 miles and very scenic. You get your first look at the tower just a mile in and you get to stare at the surrounding towers as you approach. We made the 2.5-mile hike in just under an hour only to find a group of 3 racking up for the climb at the base of our intended route. With a second party already up the first pitch.
We milled around in the shade a bit thinking about plan B when I decided to chat with the group of three. I asked if this was their first time here and they said “Yes.” I told them that this route is classic and they will have a blast. The leader of the group asked if I had climbed it and I responded yes a couple of times. This trip would actually be my third. He graciously offered us to climb ahead of them as they were a group of three and would be slow. I started racking up as quickly as I could. I noticed that the group already on the route was in a safe place for Laura and I to pass them. So I immediately started climbing to catch up to the first group. Which I did in a couple of minutes and they graciously let us pass them as well. I linked the first two pitches in one 70 meter rope stretcher. Laura cruised up to me and we were on our way to the summit. Two more short pitches put you on the summit. Such a great little summit. From here you can see most of Grand Junction and you can wave to all the drive-through tourists on the rim of the park. We had the summit all to ourselves for about 10 minutes. I noticed that the second group we passed were headed up to the last pitch. We needed to get going so as to not be in their way on the rappels. With one 70 meter rope you can rappel the whole route in 3 rappels. Once on the ground, we weren’t really that hungry yet so we just guzzled down some water, mostly to make the packs lighter and set off on the 2.5-mile hike out. This went by fast as it is mostly downhill. Finishing the climb in 4 hours car to car.
Super classic desert tower.
Once back at the car we got some cold beverages at the local store and went to the park to have some lunch before hopping in the car to make the 4-hour drive back to Boulder. The drive home went by pretty quick as it usually does. Once home we couldn’t stop talking about the many highlights of the trip and how much we love the desert and all the possibilities for adventure there. Nearly every trip we say we are going to quit our jobs and move to the desert. Maybe one of these days…