Drummond Waterholes
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| | Difficulty:3B II (v3a2 I) Raps:1-3, max ↨130ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle: Vehicle:4WD - High Clearance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Best season: | April-May or October
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42.4650, -117.2110
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Introduction[edit]
Drummond Waterholes can be done as a loop with another unnamed canyon to the South we could call 5-Bar Canyon since it's right next to 5-Bar road. Some of the road to get here is quite gnarly. Bring a big rig such as a Jeep, Tundra or the like (No, a Subaru will not do unless you've lifted it like four inches and put light truck tires on it!). The pay to play ratio is relatively high for this canyon. Adding some of the other amazing things to do in this area is highly suggested if you're headed out this way.
Approach[edit]
Descent[edit]
There are at least two rappels into pools in the upper narrows if you want to do them. They can be avoided if you choose. These drops would be fun if you did this loop in the spring, the canyon is flowing and have wetsuits. This canyon is a 3A in the fall and assuredly a 3B or even 3C depending on how you get it in the spring. We saw signs of it sometimes flowing quite high. Make sure to bring highly protective clothing. There is a fair amount of sharp bushes that will snag wetsuits or really anything other than thick carhartt type pants. The mandatory big rappel in the lower section can be done from three different places. We chose the RDC option and still think that is the best option. It is around 120 to 130 feet and comes after dropping into a little cave like section of the canyon. This rappel is mostly free hanging. Be careful not to get your rope stuck in some of the rocks in the last 15ft of the rappel. We had to climb back up that little bit and unstick it even though it fell what appeared to be cleanly.
Exit[edit]
Follow up the Owyhee River 1.5 miles until you get to where 5-Bar Canyon comes in. Another option is to skip the second canyon and hike up the obvious ATV track that comes down to the river and links into 5-Bar road at the rim. If choosing to do the second canyon, there is a wall that cannot be scaled a little ways in. Turn around and head up the first obvious opening to the North. We dropped back into the canyon just above this section and explored the rest of the canyon. It was worth the time in my opinion. There were a couple potholes, the likes of I've never seen in the Owyhees before.
