Conditions:Cookstove Draw-20241014205525

Latest:	13 Oct 2024 (6 mos ago)

Reported by:	AZ Advocate (51 reports)
Quality:	Good
Waterflow:	Dry
Wetsuit:
Water temperature:
Difficulty:	Normal
Time:	4 hours

Team: 4 people

Trip report URL:

Comments: Beautiful day escaping the unusual fall heat as routes in Sedona proper were still in the 90s this day. Took 2 people down their first ever canyon and this route proved to be a great choice. Low rappels with reasonably easy edge transitions help folks get comfortable on rope quickly. It also helps that it's beautiful and has enough downclimbs to keep more experienced individuals engaged and enjoying the day.

Pothole towards the end was almost empty and was very easy to avoid.

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
13 Oct 2024	Good	Dry		Normal	4 hours	4 people	AZ Advocate (51 reports)
Comment: Beautiful day escaping the unusual fall heat as routes in Sedona proper were still in the 90s this day. Took 2 people down their first ever canyon and this route proved to be a great choice. Low rappels with reasonably easy edge transitions help folks get comfortable on rope quickly. It also helps that it's beautiful and has enough downclimbs to keep more experienced individuals engaged and enjoying the day. Pothole towards the end was almost empty and was very easy to avoid.
24 Aug 2024	Good	Very Low	None	Easy	3 hours	4 people Advanced to Brand new	Reallimbic (12 reports)
Comment: Easy trail with some elevation gain quickly gets you to the top. View off trail at the top is a quick detour worth the view. Fun rappels. Lots of scrambling throughout the canyon. Will bring back the kids to do this canyon. Last rappel water level was avoidable. If higher, it would be hard to climb around as the beta suggests. This pothole with its shape could hold plenty of water where you'd have to be waist deep or deeper but plenty of ledges to get out even with various water levels. Don't see too much of a need for pothole escape gear. Lots of scrambling out but nothing too challenging. Great canyons with plenty of shade and beautiful views.
9 Aug 2024	Good	Dry		Normal	2 hours	1 people	Nclegg (398 reports)
Comment: Made some adjustments to R2 and R3 anchors. Webbing was all in fine condition. Pothole at the first stage of (optional) R4 was nearly completely dry. Some relatively fresh deadfall has been added to the accumulation of not-so-fresh deadfall.
25 Jul 2024	Good	Dry	None	Normal	4 hours	2 people	AZ Advocate (51 reports)
Comment: This is a great half day outing; fun scrambling, easy approach and short exit. Many of the rappels can be downclimbed if that's what you like more than being on rope. If you rappelled everything that had webbing set, there would be 5 in total. All webbing looked in good condition except for the last one into the pothole; we replaced that webbing. The pothole was very low and easy to avoid. All-in-all, a great descent of a lush and wild feeling drainage.
23 Jul 2023	Good	Dry	None	Normal	3 hours	2 people	Nclegg (398 reports)
Comment: Replaced webbing at R2. Other anchors in good shape. Pothole was driest that I've seen it, downclimbed and walked around water on the right. Almost stepped on a large rattlesnake that was coiled and hidden under a pile of rocks.
23 Apr 2023	Good	Deep pools	None	Normal	3 hours	2 people Advanced	EMoorcroft (448 reports)
Comment: King Snake/ cookstove combo. 3 hours each. Cookstove was flowing. A team ahead of us got slowed down bc they could not find the r3 anchor. In current conditions it can be hard to locate as it is in the watercourse. Last pool was a jumper, then a downclimb. R3 anchor may need new webbing soon.
11 Oct 2022	Great	Very Low	None	Easy	2 hours	1 people Intermediate	Coalemus (160 reports)
Comment: Moist and slippery with dew in places. Anchors were good. I tried really hard to avoid the water but slipped in and got wet to mid-thigh. Tons of yellow and purple asters up top. Loved the complimentary sling!
1 Oct 2022	Great	Very Low	None	Normal	3 hours	6 people Intermediate to Beginner	HHays (5 reports)
Comment: Steep but short approach on a maintained trail, then a walk out to the drop in. We couldn’t locate the anchor for the first rap, so we built one on an obvious tree right at the GPS pin close to the edge. All other anchors looked great. We did 4 raps, because we rappelled the pothole as well. The pothole was thigh deep on my tall husband, and he piggy backed the rest of us across so we could stay dry! Anyone who can climb around to stay dry in an absolute ninja. The thing that shines in this canyon is the fun and interesting downclimbs. Many notable ones. Nothing too insanely difficult though- we had an 11 and 12 year old with us (though they have a good amount of canyon experience.) The rocks and cliffs and vegetation in this canyon made it a treat for the eyes. Beautiful.
28 Oct 2021	Good	Deep pools	None	Normal	2 hours	2 people Intermediate to Advanced	EMoorcroft (448 reports)
Comment: Great new route in OCC for all levels. Fragile and beautiful terrain so trad lightly especially on rappel. Help preserve the moss and plant life. Ran across a lightning caused fire on the approach, it had been contained by Usfs. Last anchor at pothole may be useful for downclimbing for beginners or if wet. Last belly deep pothole is tricky to avoid, but it's a short wall to the car after.
24 Oct 2021	Great	Deep pools	None	Normal	2 hours	2 people Beginner to Advanced	Nclegg (398 reports)
Comment: Done same day as King Snake. Fall foliage in both canyons was spectacular. Shallow pools by each of the rappels, with a very light trickle at R2. Pothole was chest deep. Anchors are in good shape.
19 Oct 2021 Trip report	Great	Very Low	None	Normal		1 people	Rlebfrom (27 reports)
Comment: Beautiful canyon. I ended up getting wet to my chest. I was glad that I put some warm clothes in a dry bag. I did not get any footage of the wet section of the canyon. Unfortunately, the camera battery died at the wet section. I did manage to get some good footage that shows the beauty of the canyon here: https://vimeo.com/641761084
24 Sep 2021	Great	Very Low	None	Normal	2 hours	1 people Advanced	Nclegg (398 reports)
Comment: Three anchors built, downclimbed all other obstacles. Really enjoyed some of the downclimbs. Was somehow able to traverse rdc around the pothole to avoid getting wet. There was a dead king snake decaying in the water. Lots of ferns, moss, vines and other plant growth that give this canyon a wild / raw feel. Surprisingly clean drainage compared to other OCC canyons we have explored, hardly cleared any brush. Painless approach and exit IMO makes this one a worthwhile loop.
16 Jun 2012	Good	Dry					Vaporman (8 reports)
Comment: Lots of fun down climbs with a few rappels on old anchors