Conditions:Stegosaur Slot-20241227233222

Latest:	28 Sep 2024 (12 mos ago)

Reported by:	DU5TY317 (8 reports)
Quality:	Good
Waterflow:	Dry
Wetsuit:	None
Water temperature:
Difficulty:	Special challenges
Time:	7 hours

Team: 10 people with experience level Beginner to Expert

Trip report URL:

Comments: Fairly long approach to rappel ratio in my opinion. Also approach is a bit exposed, so an early start (not at 1030am like we did) would likely be better since it might've gotten into the 80s temp wise.

We ended up NOT going around the horn at the top and just going straight over the hump. It was super easy (and shorter) to do that (even though the GPX went around the horn). The first rap seemed like a must to us. It was a long ways down and I didn't see any direct ways to scramble down.

About a 300 ft. long stemming slot canyon towards the end, which was really fun. Some tight spots. One person in our party got stuck around his belly (couldn't reach the floor with his left foot). Once we got him unstuck, he tried stemming over, but was a bit out of shape, so ended up getting a piggy back (with his feet on our leader's shoulders) to get past that part, which was no easy task.

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
15 Mar 2025	Good				2 hours	2 people Beginner to Intermediate	Nolimitfez (10 reports)
Comment: 3rd time running the slot. Dumped snow until the final rap so walls were slick during stemming but 100% manageable for anyone fit. Approach/Exit is long for length of technical section so fiddling down to hickman bridge can be the move sometimes. (Checkout the granary on hickman bridge trail to make area more worthwhile) Cryptobiotic soil everywhere!!!!!!!
28 Sep 2024	Good	Dry	None	Special challenges	7 hours	10 people Beginner to Expert	DU5TY317 (8 reports)
Comment: Fairly long approach to rappel ratio in my opinion. Also approach is a bit exposed, so an early start (not at 1030am like we did) would likely be better since it might've gotten into the 80s temp wise. We ended up NOT going around the horn at the top and just going straight over the hump. It was super easy (and shorter) to do that (even though the GPX went around the horn). The first rap seemed like a must to us. It was a long ways down and I didn't see any direct ways to scramble down. About a 300 ft. long stemming slot canyon towards the end, which was really fun. Some tight spots. One person in our party got stuck around his belly (couldn't reach the floor with his left foot). Once we got him unstuck, he tried stemming over, but was a bit out of shape, so ended up getting a piggy back (with his feet on our leader's shoulders) to get past that part, which was no easy task.
12 May 2024	Great	Dry	None	Normal	5 hours	8 people Beginner to Intermediate	Ryandc (9 reports)
Comment: We took the south fork route. Approach was straightforward if somewhat steep; the trail is cairned in places. Do note that on your way up, you may have a variety of fins to ascend; follow the cairns and GPX tracks (you can end up in a few spots where going from fin to fin requires backtracking or downclimbing). The south fork entry rappel is anchored off a tree, with fairly new webbing as of May 12 2024. Webbing and rapide are of good quality and didn't concern anyone in our group. The first rappel *can* be downclimbed (this is the south route), but it's 170 feet on mixed/broken terrain with fairly high penalty points in a couple places. The first 20 or 30 feet is definitely the most difficult. I would not recommend this unless in truly dire straits. First rappel can also be done as a multi-pitch for a cleaner pull and you've got enough rope to make it go; there's an additional anchor station about 80 feet down, right up-canyon. We did it as a single pitch and the rope pulled just fine. No major dangers on rappel one. The narrows section is going to feel downright roomy if you're used to North Wash, or very tight if you've never been in a slot before. I'm 6-1 and 170 and always had room to turn my head around or alternate how my feet were pointing. Stemming is straightforward. There are a couple places with some low-penalty high-stemming (like, 6 or 8 feet off the deck). There's a log with some webbing wrapped around it in the bottom of the slot; I'm guessing this was once sitting higher up in the canyon and got pushed down. In any case, the log doesn't serve any further function now, lest you wonder if you need to anchor anything off of it. Exit the slotty part, and you'll hit a final rappel. Contrary to the opinions expressed here, I would not say this is downclimbable. The rappel is two-stages; the first stage can be downclimbed, but the second is about 20 feet of slab with very few holds. This rappel is anchored off of a tree, downcanyon left. Webbing is new, properly tied, etc. Trees are about 3 or 4" in diameter and rooted in a crack in the rock, so check the trees before you get on the rope - when they die, the next person on rappel is going to have a bad time. Exit is straightforward, out of a fairly well established trail downcanyon right. Is this a good canyon? Hard to tell. It's a really great introductory canyon - straightforward approach with a couple mild scrambles, some interesting rappels, some narrow but not claustrophobic slots, some great views. Perfect morning canyon, perfect introductory canyon. Took our group of 8 about 5 hours to do this, including some people who'd never been on rope before. Like with any other canyon, your time is largely going to be a function of time spent bottlenecked on rap.