Artist Canyon
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| | Difficulty:3A II (v4a1 III) Raps:2-3, max ↨160ft
Red Tape: Shuttle:Required Vehicle:Passenger Rock type:Sandstone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Best season: | Best in Spring and Fall, Hot in Summer
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39.0697, -108.7292
39.0778, -108.7280
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Introduction
Artist Canyon holds a quick series of downclimbs and decent rappels. The longer return hike is the only downside.
Artist does not have any of the typical awkward starts found in many of the other Colorado National Monument canyons.
Approach
Leave a shuttle vehicle at the Upper Monument Canyon Trailhead.
Drive to Artist's Point or park along the road just beyond Artist Canyon, then hike along Monumnent Rd at least a third of a mile before entering the canyon on DCL.
Descent
bypass a 15' dryfall at the end of a carved drainage flume
DC: 10' or R: 30'
R1: 75' from a tree DCR
DC: 5'
DC: 20' on a lower angle ramp
R2: 160' from a tree near the edge DCR into the bowl below this headwall
Exit
After the last rappel, boulder hop for a thousand feet, then push through the overgrowth in the drainage for another third of a mile until the drainage opens up.
Follow the wash a half mile to intersect the Monument Canyon Trail heading West.
The elevation gain on the Monument Canyon Trail back to the Upper Monument Canyon Trailhead occurs at a comfortable grade on a nicely maintained trail and seemed to go by quickly.
Red tape
A National Park's pass or a Colorado National Monument entrance fee is required
Beta sites
Trip reports and media
June 2019 YouTube Video
March 2025 descended and beta added. Ira Lewis, Wayne Herrick
