Cheerio Canyon
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| | Difficulty:3A III (v3a1 III) Raps:10, max ↨180ft
Red Tape:Closed to entry Shuttle: Vehicle:Passenger Rock type:Sandstone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 2 Feb 2020
"No water. Some snow. Cut off an ugly stretch of webbing coated with flood debris from the two bolts at R7. |
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| Best season: | Any, HOT in summer
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36.6088, -110.9119
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WaterflowIntroduction[edit]
Cheerio Canyon is among the last major slot canyons to become documented in the Southwest United States. While the canyon is technically straightforward, it is unique in that prior expeditions have failed to find an exit route - meaning all ropes must be left in place and ascended in order to exit the canyon.
If you don't have strong ascending skills, or are one of those canyoneers that believes you'll be fine with just a single prusik, you are not ready for this canyon. On the other hand, if you are a vertical caver, and know how to use, say, a frog system, this canyon will make for a fun day.
You need to bring 2 x 200ft ropes and 2 x 50ft ropes.
The first group to document this canyon ate an entire box of Honey Nut Cheerios during their descent and ascent, hence the name.
Approach[edit]
Find a suitable parking space on the road near the drop-in point. There is a large parking area with viewpoint about 1 mile east on the highway. Drop in down a 100ft hill, coming out above a metal wash tunnel. You are in the main wash. Follow it down for about 20 minutes.
Descent[edit]
Follow the wash. You will shortly pass several easy downclimbs, and the canyon will slot up. Put on your harness at the first rappel. If you haven't read it yet, DON'T PULL YOUR ROPES ON ANY RAPPEL. You will be ascending all of your ropes. It is recommended to tie a figure-8 knot into each anchor. No double stranding/toss-n-go here, kids.
R1: 30 feet. Single bolt on right side. No friction points. Don't pull your rope.
R2-R5: A four-stage rappel: 50 feet, 10 feet, 10 feet, 30 feet, all close together. One 200 foot rope will cover all of these (tied into the first anchor). Bolts for a rebelay at the tope of last stage. Did I mention that you must not pull your rope?
R6: 15 feet. No bolts, no webbing. We built a bollard anchor, then disassembled it afterwards. Could be downclimbed, but likely not upclimbed - which means you will not escape this canyon. By the way, don't pull your rope.
R7-10: Another four-stage rappel: 30 feet, 40 feet, 20 feet, then 60 feet. One 200 foot rope, figure-eighted to your anchor, single strand, will reach the bottom. There are bolts at the top of the last stage to create a rebelay. If you don't know what a rebelay is, please don't do this canyon yet. PS. Don't pull your rope...
After this last rappel, 10 minutes of walking will bring you to The Great Intersection, an area where four slots converge! There is a keeper pothole only a minute upcanyon you can look at. Downcanyon continues for maybe 30 minutes. For about 20 minutes, you can follow the canyon down, past easily reversible downclimbs. Here, the canyon hits its narrowest point, where both your shoulders may touch the opposing walls. The canyon has been documented until the point marked on this page's map, a left curve with a shelter/sandstone cave on the right. Beyond this the slot continues briefly before opening - it is not yet documented what lies in this mysterious section of slot.
Satellite maps and Google Earth offer no hope of an exit from these lower reaches of this slot canyon complex. Fixing a rope before running the canyon might allow for an exit, but walls easily exceed 200 feet, are totally vertical, and filled with loose rock. By far the easiest and safest option is to retrace your steps and ascend all the ropes that you have left in place. You didn't pull your ropes, right?
Exit[edit]
Ascend your ropes using your excellent frog system that you purchased and practiced with well in advance, of course, and follow your steps back to your car. Keep in mind that ascending is significantly slower than descending, and your exit will probably take twice as long as your descent.
Red tape[edit]
Navajo Nation canyons are closed, and several that are open (Waterholes, West Canyon, Big Canyon, etc.) require permits. This canyon is apparently closed to non-native persons.
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
Background[edit]
The first descent is unknown. The author's party's first descent, which is the first documented descent, discovered bolts at each rappel which were presumably placed by the first descenders. Bolting is illegal on the Navajo Reservation, as is descending canyons (mostly).
Canyons are closed on the reservation partially because, decades ago, there were several costly rescues of canyoneers. Currently, rescues are less common, but many Navajo believe that outsiders are responsible for throwing trash on the reservation's hiking trails and slot canyons. While frustrating, there are plans by Navajo to require permits for ALL forms of hiking on the reservation. Please be a respectful hiker/canyoneer, and don't throw your trash. You can support your canyoneering community's representation to the good people of the Navajo Nation by picking up trash from hiking trails and slot canyons.
