Blarney Canyon (Left Fork)
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| | Difficulty:3A II (v3a1 II) Raps:3, max ↨50ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:Passenger Rock type:Sandstone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 22 Nov 2025
"Our group did the Blarney Loop. We upclimbed the East Fork of Blarney as our approach and then descended the West Fork. Spent about and hour and a h |
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| Best season: | Any;HOT in Summer
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38.0337, -110.5383
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Introduction[edit]
Classic trade route. Suitable for first-timers and family-friendly with trained leadership.
Approach[edit]
Standard Approach[edit]
The standard approach is to hike up the slick rock rib between the Blarney and Shillelagh drainages and follow the cairns and well-established social trail. The trail leads up to the mesa and there will be a junction where the trail forks left to Shillelagh and right to Blarney. Keep right. The trail will take you to the head of West Blarney first and you can continue on to East Blarney via the same trail.
Blarney Loop Approach[edit]
Alternatively you can upclimb the East Fork of Blarney to a spot were you can climb out of the slot and then traverse over to the top of the West Fork. This requires some skill and that a handline be in place and in good condition mid canyon. It may be possible to up climb the spot without a handline but it would be challenging and somewhat exposed due to the awkwardness of getting around the boulder at the top without a handline to assist.
Top of the West Fork[edit]
No matter which approach you take, once at the top to of the West Fork of Blarney there is a short downclimb. This drop is comprised of white colored sandstone and a well-worn "slide" has begun to form. If you stay in control it is not difficult to downclimb but the penalty points for loosing control would mean going over the edge. I doubt anyone has ever come close to that type of mishap here but it should still be negotiate with care. It looks much more difficult from above than it is.
A handline, or a partner capture midway, may be helpful or necessary for some people.
Descent[edit]
- R1: 40 feet - Anchored from a large boulder about 20 feet back from the drop.
- Downclimb / R2: about 20 feet - This spot is downclimbale though there is often a rappel here anchored with a sling around a big boulder. Note on the other side of the big boulder is the "rabbit hole" which is a fairly easy downclimb. It can be difficult to judge from the top but once you get into it you can see it is not too difficult to downclimb.
- R3: 35 feet - Anchored from a chockstone.
Exit[edit]
Once at the confluence of the East and West forks you simply follow the drainage to the south back to the trail head. There is one small shallow narrows but from the confluence no more technical obstacles remain.
Red tape[edit]
Beta sites[edit]
BluuGnome.com : Blarney Canyon - Left (west) Fork- Chris Brennen's Adventure Hikes (Southwest) : Blarney Canyon
- RoadTripRyan.com : Blarney Canyon
- Super Amazing Map : Blarney Left Fork
- Climb-Utah.com : Blarney Canyon - North Wash
- HikeArizona.com : Blarney Canyon
- ToddsHikingGuide.com : Blarney Canyon
- CanyonCollective.com : Blarney West Fork
Trip reports and media[edit]
- EVEN FURTHER BLARNEY CANYON : Adam Haydock
- https://www.stavislost.com/hikes/trail/blarney-canyon-left-fork
- https://www.facebook.com/pat.winstanley.7/media_set?set=a.696757610382939.1073741910.100001461198708&type=3
- Candition.com : Blarney Canyon; North Wash
- Epic Blarney (up East Fork, down West Fork) http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?77257-Epic-Blarney-09-24-2017
- YouTube.com: Gerald Murphy, Blarney Canyon with Kid (Left Fork) movie
- YouTube.com: Richard Pattison, Blarney Canyon (Main / Left Fork) movie