Inlaw Canyon
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| | Difficulty:3B IV (v4a2 V) Raps:8, max ↨170ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:4WD - High Clearance Rock type:Sandstone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Best season: | Sep-Oct
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40.4940, -108.8968
40.4815, -108.9414
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Introduction[edit]
The approach for Inlaw Canyon scrambles up a tributary near the end of Outlaw Canyon and descends back to the Yampa River down a steep, stunning cliff side with many good rappels. This canyon is largely visible from the Yampa River below on the approach.
The canyons north of the Yampa River accessed from Red Rock Canyon are big days in a wonderfully remote location. Plan for September or October when temperatures are better, the Yampa River is lowest and the Peregrine Falcon closure north of the river is over.
Approach[edit]
Drive East of Dinosaur, CO turning north at the Canyon Visitor Center onto Harper's Corner Rd for 25.5 miles on pavement. Along the way, a bathroom is available at the Plug Hat Butte parking and dispersed camping is available down Blue Mountain Road.
Late arrivals beware the many deer and black cows on the open range along Harper's Corner Road.
Turn right toward Echo Park at Sand Canyon Road, which is easily passable with 4WD HC in dry conditions. Drive Sand Canyon Rd 7.5 miles to the intersection with Yampa Bench Road. Echo Park is to the Left. Turn right on Yampa Bench Road for 3.9 miles. Yampa Bench Road is also easily passable with 4WD HC in dry conditions to where it intersects Red Rock Canyon.
Park next to Yampa Bench Road just before Red Rock Canyon. Kelsey details a few other approaches and parking options in his 2nd Edition Technical Slot Canyon Guide to the Colorado Plateau.
Hike: 1.9 miles -400' down Red Rock Canyon to the Yampa River. The north side of Red Rock Canyon seems to offer better cattle trails to follow.
At the end of Red Rock Canyon just before a barbed wire cattle fence are some petroglyphs in a sandstone alcove on the north side of the canyon with an inscription from Bert Hadfield in 1919.
Round the corner to the north after Red Rock Canyon opens on the west side of the Yampa River following worn cattle trails. The bench above the river provides quicker travel.
As the bench runs into a tall sandstone cliff and the Yampa turns to the east, either:
- hug the west bank to avoid a full swim, but be careful of thick poison ivy or
- swim directly across the river, which is too deep to touch (as of 2022 and 2023). Inflate dry bags for floatation.
Note this location on the map to most easily transition between the river bank and quicker trails on the bench. On return, if staying low by the river too long another upstream swim or a short unprotected cliff climb will be required.
Enter the bottom of Outlaw Canyon and scramble up boulders for the lower 0.25 miles of Outlaw Canyon. Depart Outlaw Canyon to the East when a large East-West tributary enters. Scramble up the tributary 0.4 miles +700' to the rim above. This is a short, but consistently steep approach that is luckily mostly in shade most times of the day.
If backpacking and preparing to overnight to do more of the canyons in this area, camp options exist on the South side of the Yampa before Tiger Wall or across the Yampa North of Tiger Wall.
Descent[edit]
When the sandy wash turns into carved sandstone, easily bypass the first small keeper pothole.
R1: 40' with fiddlestick from tree on Canyon Left
DC two tiers
R2: 60' from a stand of willows into a two stage pothole sequence
DC 10' just downstream of a tree in the drainage
R3: 170' from a deadman, free hanging to a shelf below
R4: 70' from a tree on Canyon Right
R5: 140' from a tree on Canyon Left, can walk off at 100'
R6: 160' from a slung arch next to a narrow faultline
R7: 95' from a tree in Canyon Center; beware a narrow pinch for the pull and consider using a chockstone below to reset the rope
R8: 65' from a tree on Canyon Left over a 90 deg edge down to the river below
Exit[edit]
Cross the Yampa River and return back to Red Rock Canyon, hiking back a total 3 miles to the Red Rock Canyon Trailhead.
Red tape[edit]
The North side of the Yampa is closed to access March 1 - August 15 for Peregrine Falcon nesting. This coincides with the Yampa being in a better state for crossing in the Fall avoiding the higher river levels during Spring melt.
A National Park's pass or a Dinosaur National Monument entrance fee is required.
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
Aug2018: No evidence of previous descent, explored by Gunnar Olson and team
29Sep2023: Descended and beta added to ropewiki; Ira Lewis, Andrew Tanasescu, Kati Wright, Wayne Herrick, Jim Rickard, Rob Demis