Pueblo Canyon
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| | Difficulty:3B IV (v3a2 IV) Raps:15, max ↨140ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:Optional 150 min Vehicle:4WD - High Clearance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 9 Apr 2022
"Absolutely INCREDIBLE trip!!!. Drove out Friday night and camped a few hundred feet from Pueblo Canyon TH.. Cherry Creek RD is not challenging |
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| Best season: | winter, spring, fall
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33.8345, -110.8969
33.8227, -110.9046
33.8438, -110.8742
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WaterflowIntroduction[edit]
An interesting, wild, and remote canyon route deep in the Sierra Ancha Mountains, featuring long narrow hallways, incredible layered rock landscape, and a huge, well-preserved archaeological site to explore.
As always, ruins, archaeological resources and artifacts should never be tampered with, removed or defamed. Please respect, preserve, and protect this special historical place.
Approach[edit]
The access trails listed here are accessible via a stock high clearance 4x4. Good AT/MT tires are highly recommended as is airing down to prevent tire damage. Cherry Creek Road conditions change frequently with the season and washouts can occur. In the wet season, Cherry Creek is often IMPASSABLE due to extreme flow. Cherry Creek Rd is fairly well maintained up until Ellison Ranch but then gets much rockier from there. After Devil's Chasm there is a small boulder field with a large rock in the middle. This is no problem for a skilled driver with a stock high clearance 4x4.
Approach From Below:
Requires a long hike/scramble, with an elevation gain of roughly 3000 feet; a good amount of which is off trail and through a steep drainage gully. (unless only doing lower section)
Follow Cherry Creek Rd quite a ways until eventually turning off on to the spur trail that leads up to Pueblo Canyon TH (33.84071, -110.87279) There are a few small places to camp nearby on this spur trail. Option to set up a short shuttle at next pocket forest drainage down the road, (See Shuttle Coordinates) to cut out 45min exit hike on Cherry Creek Rd.
Hike up the Pueblo Canyon trail until you come to a rocky, brushy drainage at a switchback in the trail. (See Map) Leave the trail here to begin the long ascent up this drainage. The worst of the brush can be avoided by scrambling RUC in the drainage, taking advantage of fields of large boulders to ease the climb. There are one or two steep sections of smaller very loose rocks that are a bit more challenging, but other than that the way up the gully isn't as bad as it might look from afar.
Once you top out, head South to hike around the first minor drainage before continuing West to eventually arrive at the entry drainage shown on the map.
If you wish to ONLY complete the lower section of this canyon, you may simply follow Pueblo Canyon Trail all the way to the bottom of rappel 8 picking up the descent from there.
Approach From Above:
Requires less hiking, and is basically all down hill, but requires a long (2.5 hour, one way) shuttle to complete. HOWEVER, Workman Creek Rd is often closed in the winter months making shuttling not an option!
Follow Cherry Creek Rd quite a ways. Park shuttle vehicle at NEXT pocket forest drainage down from the turn off to Pueblo Canyon Trail. (See Shuttle Coordinates) If you intend on only completing the upper section with shuttle, park shuttle at Pueblo Canyon TH. (33.84071, -110.87279) There are a few small places to camp near Pueblo Canyon TH however the exit drainage has no good camping and only room for 1-2 vehicles.
Take other vehicle back down Cherry Creek Rd and out to SR288. Follow SR288 North until reaching Workman Creek Rd. Follow dirt trail up the mountain, (lots of great camping opportunities along the way) turning right at the fork just before Aztec Peak. Drive down trail and park before reaching Murphy Ranch gate. Follow hiking trails over to start coordinates.
Descent[edit]
UPPER SECTION
R1: 40' Small broken tree at mouth of canyon into tight slot under boulder. Pull rope then downclimb in.
R2: 20' Pine tree DCL or downclimb
R3: 25' Rock pinch DCL
R4: 50' Tree canyon center
R5: 50' Tree DCL
R6: 30' Bush DCL
Downclimb and rock-hop quite a ways, eventually meeting up with water course. Follow watercourse to next rappel
R7: 110' Large blackened tree DCR
R8: 140' Large boulder RDC in water course, directly below 1st ledge. Large waterfall when flowing!! Watch for potential hikers below!!
Option to hike out here, staying RUC following Pueblo Canyon Trail (See Map)
LOWER SECTION
Continue down water course, downclimbing a series of small waterfalls.
R9: 20' Rock pinch RDC
R10: 50' Rock Pinch RDC
R11: 60' Rock cairn, into "The Great Hallway"
R12: 15' Rock cairn in water course
Downclimb crack RDC
R13: 50' Rock cairn
Downclimb crack LDC
R14: 70' Tree RDC
Rock-hop quite a ways, following creek.
R15: 30' Rock pinch RDC in watercourse
Exit[edit]
Continue following drainage, rock-hopping and downclimbing until reaching Cherry Creek Rd. Any parked shuttle vehicle will be found here, otherwise hike down Cherry Creek Rd back to Pueblo Canyon TH.
Red tape[edit]
Beta sites[edit]
OnRopeCanyoneering.com : Pueblo Canyon- ToddsHikingGuide.com : Pueblo Canyon
