Chasm Canyon
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| | Difficulty:3B III (v3a2 III) Raps:2, max ↨205ft
Red Tape: Shuttle:Required 5 min Vehicle:Passenger Rock type:Sandstone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 21 Apr 2024
"Fun lap in chasm canyon. While I certainly wouldnt travel far to run this one, for an afternoon for those of us that live in GJ, it was worthwhile. T |
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| Best season: | Best in Spring and Fall, Hot in Summer
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39.0590, -108.7121
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Introduction[edit]
Chasm Canyon is a technical canyon located in the Colorado National Monument. It features beautiful narrows (some of the longest in Colorado National Monument), a 205ft mostly free hanging final rappel, and a scenic exit through an infrequently visited section of Monument Canyon.
Approach[edit]
Chasm Canyon requires a short shuttle. The exit vehicle will need to be parked at Upper Monument trail head, and the second vehicle at Upper Liberty Cap trail head.From the Upper Liberty Cap trail head, follow the park service trail for approximately 1.5 miles to where the trail takes a sharp turn to the south. Instead of following the hiking trail south, head directly north. Within a few minutes you will come to a drainage, this is the beginning of Chasm. approximately .5 miles from where you exit the main trail you'll come to the first rappel.
Descent[edit]
Chasm's first rappel is 55ft off a tree on canyon right. This rappel can be rigged using a retrievable anchor. The first rappel is onto a bench of a multi-benched slot that can sometimes hold knee deep water in a pool at the bottom. After the first few feet on rope, the potential for fairly easy bridging and stemming down climbing exists down two more benches of about 15ft each but should be evaluated independently by the party. Caution is advised due to the narrow nature of the top of the slot and the possibility for the rope getting stuck on the pull if you use the rope to rappel all the way to the bottom. The possibility of using a meat anchor on the first bench is possible. After the first rappel, continue down canyon for approximately .5 miles to the second rappel. Chasm's second rappel is a 205ft mostly freehang. Make sure you know your ropes actual length. An anchor can be rigged from a large boulder on down canyon right. To locate the anchor for the second rappel, you must leave the drainage and traverse the cliff edge on canyon right, within a few feet you'll locate the boulder. Directly in front of the boulder is a dead pinyon pine. This pine was used as an anchor on the first known descent of the canyon in September of 2018, but on a return trip through the canyon in October of 2019, the Pinyon was found to be dead and ruled out as an anchor. This concludes the technical part of the canyon.
Exit[edit]
From the bottom of the final rappel continue following the drainage. You'll be rewarded by some fun boulder scrambling as you make your way down the rocks to the canyon floor. You'll be in upper Monument Canyon at this point. Keep a lookout for a beautiful large arch on down canyon left. The goal is to connect with upper Monument Canyon trail and hike up and out. Approximately 1.3 miles from the bottom of the last rappel a side drainage comes in from the south (left) follow this drainage for approximately .5 miles to where the Upper Monument trail crosses the drainage. Follow the hiking trail up and out to your vehicle.
Alternate Route: If you want more adventure and scenery, instead of exiting the canyon and heading for the Monument Canyon Trail, you can follow the watercourse all the way down canyon. You will pass through several sections of granite and schist narrows and some scenic pools. There are several interesting downclimbs and maybe a short rappel or two. Your exit will be the Lower Monument Canyon Trailhead.
Red tape[edit]
A National Park's pass or a Colorado National Monument entrance fee is required for parking.
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybY8vDBV3RA&t=336s
Background[edit]
First known descent September 2018 by Bill Szasz and Joshua Ellis
