Conditions:Jackpot Canyon (Lake Mead NRA)-20240117000811

Latest:	13 Jan 2024 (1 yr, 5 mos ago)

Reported by:	RFontaine (276 reports)
Quality:	Great
Waterflow:
Wetsuit:
Water temperature:
Difficulty:
Time:	8 hours

Team: 4 people with experience level Brand new to Advanced

Trip report URL:

Comments: This is a really great, worthwhile route with lots of memorable features, beautiful narrows scattered throughout, lots of slightly spicy downclimbs, good raps and 1 really nice big drop!

I can confirm the big 2 stage drop is definitely no more than 200'. It is mostly on wall with a bit of free hang. It is a lovely rap with big views!

The cave below the big rap is small, featureless, and will fill your shoes with sand!

All raps were straightforward and enjoyable. No water encountered.

We decided to paddle down to Willow Beach, enjoying the sights along the way. The paddle took us exactly 4 hours.

Really nice route definitely recommend!

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
13 Jan 2024	Great				8 hours	4 people Brand new to Advanced	RFontaine (276 reports)
Comment: This is a really great, worthwhile route with lots of memorable features, beautiful narrows scattered throughout, lots of slightly spicy downclimbs, good raps and 1 really nice big drop! I can confirm the big 2 stage drop is definitely no more than 200'. It is mostly on wall with a bit of free hang. It is a lovely rap with big views! The cave below the big rap is small, featureless, and will fill your shoes with sand! All raps were straightforward and enjoyable. No water encountered. We decided to paddle down to Willow Beach, enjoying the sights along the way. The paddle took us exactly 4 hours. Really nice route definitely recommend!
6 Oct 2023	Good	Dry	None	Normal	8 hours	8 people Brand new to Advanced	Lukemurray2016 (7 reports)
Comment: Buzzard Canyon, as it was originally named in Rick's book and a name which I prefer, was a very pretty canyon. This run was for a canyoneering rendezvous and therefore was a little slower than what might be the usual expected time. We replaced some webbing, but left others where we ghosted the raps. The beta for this canyon is pretty lacking, but a few things to note: 1) there is no way the first rappel, with both stages combined, is 210 feet. We had a 230' rope and had in excess of 30 feet of spare rope on the ground. Firmly believe this could be done with a 200' rope. 2) There are not 8 rappels in this canyon. We did 5 rappels. 3) The exit out of bighorn was atrocious. It has overgrown tremendously in the last six months, and we had a rattlesnake encounter. Next time I do this I will place a shuttle at cranes nest, and float the 2ish miles down there. Rather spend an hour in the car retrieving the shuttle than 1.5-2.5 hours exiting bighorn in its current state. 4) with the winter river level drop, the final rap does not drop you into the river but to a small beach where the 8 of us were able to inflate our rafts no problem.
1 Apr 2023	Great	Dry	None	Special challenges	14 hours	5 people Brand new to Advanced	Brdn.gonzales (44 reports)
Comment: Start Time: 10:30AM Saturday // End Time: 12:30AM Sunday Jackpot canyon lives up to the name! Wonderful scenery, nice rappels, and a beautiful final sequence. Despite the bolts being chopped, there were plenty of options to build natural anchors at every rappel. (Minus the first rappel which I posted beta for.) Our initial plan was to paddle upstream 2 miles and exit through the Arizona Hot Springs, to a shuttle we set up earlier in the day. Unfortunately, despite no wind and no current, one of the members in our party could not figure out how to paddle (first time) and so after 3 hours, we were only able to get him to Big Horn. If you are a good paddler AND conditions are good, getting to the AZ Hot Springs should be an easy and much better exit than Big Horn if you're willing to put up the initial extra mileage. If you haven't done the Big Horn exit before, please be sure to pack out enough water! I would suggest AT LEAST 1 liter and even with that, we each ran out close to the end. The exit alone took us about 5 hours, with a ton of breaks.
24 Mar 2023	Unknown
Comment: I have information that, due to NPS policy on fixed anchors in the Lake Mead NRA-Wilderness Areas. The bolts in this canyon are now gone.