East Labyrinth (Dinosaur)
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| | Difficulty:3A III (v4a1 III) Raps:9, max ↨140ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:4WD - High Clearance Rock type:Sandstone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Best season: | april, may, august, september, october
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40.5799, -109.0673
40.5786, -109.0992
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Introduction[edit]
East Labyrinth (Dinosaur) is one of three canyons that feed into Ely Creek Canyon, located in the Jones Hole area, about 5 miles downstream from the confluence of the Yampa and Green rivers. We didn’t know what to expect from this canyon, and were surprised by the number of rappels, although the first 6 were tightly spaced giving the canyon a “wedding cake” feel. The canyon has nine rappels to 140 feet and multiple downclimbs, to 20 feet, with plenty of natural anchors. I probably wouldn’t repeat the canyon unless doing all three Labyrinths at one time due to the long, rough approach roads and remote trailhead.
Approach[edit]
Approach Drive (from Diamond Mountain Road – Vernal, UT) Leave the paved road at 40.6038, -109.3089. Head towards Diamond Mountain on well-maintained Rim Road (dirt). Stay on Rim Road for approximately 7 miles until making a right turn at 40.6107, -109.2091. Follow a series of rough roads for the next 10.7 miles, making multiple turns to eventually reach the trailhead. While this section of road is only 10.7 miles, expect an hour or more of driving. CAUTION - Once you leave Rim Road, the roads become successively more rugged, steep, rocky and remote. A high clearance 4x4 vehicle is required. You should be self-sufficient and well prepared; this is a remote trailhead and a long walk if you have problems. Consider traveling this road with multiple vehicles. There’s reasonable camping at the trailhead.
Approach Hike From the trailhead hike east 1.7 miles to gain the ridge above the start of West Labyrinth Canyon. The hiking is generally easy with multiple small canyon crossings. Once on the ridge, continue hiking east for another 0.7 mile to the start of East Labyrinth Canyon. You will pass above the start of Middle Labyrinth Canyon.
Descent[edit]
Canyon Leave the ridge, dropping down to reach 40.5799, -109.0673 which is the start of the canyon. The first rappel is only 5 minutes down canyon.
- R1: 25’ from a tree.
- R2: 70’ from a tree in a crack.
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- Note: Rap 2 through 6 are tightly spaced, one right after another.
- R3: 140’ from a tree.
- R4: 120’ from a tree. This rappel is free hanging and the amphitheater below has fantastic mineral staining.
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- R5: 100’ from a tree.
- R6: 60’ from a tree.
- R7: 100’ from a 10' diameter boulder.
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- R8: 60’ from a tree. Rap into the slot. There is approximately 50’ of slot section after this rap.
- R9: 35’ from a tree.
- Note: We fiddled all of the rappels with no problem retrieving gear. Canyon was dry.
After the last rappel, it’s 15 -20 minutes to the canyon end at 40.5690, -109.0656.
Exit[edit]
Exit From the canyon end, hike south east 0.4 miles staying up above and on the north side of the creek to avoid the worst of the brush, until intersecting the faint trail to Island Park at approximately 40.5644, -109.0628. There’s an old trail sign here. Follow the Island Park trail south (crossing the creek, faint trail) and then head 0.8 miles west on the trail to reach the canyon rim. The Island Park trail is faint, brushy and lightly traveled in spots. Follow the Island Park trail until you have climbed out of the canyon and traversed the rim to 40.5608, -109.0728. From here head NW about 2 miles overland along the canyon rim to reach the parking area.
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Red tape[edit]
None
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
Background[edit]
Background We found old webbing at R4 and R8. Scott Patterson explored the area in 2004 and did one of the three canyons. It’s possible he did this canyon, as we didn’t find any evidence of previous exploration in West or Middle Labyrinth canyons. First recorded descent on October 7, 2024 by Jim Rickard, Wayne Herrick and Rob Demis.
