Lobo Canyon
| Rating: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| | Difficulty:3A IV (v3a1 IV) Raps:2-3, max ↨105ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:4WD - High Clearance Rock type:Sandstone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Condition Reports: | 17 Jun 2017
"Day one descended Lobo from alternate park, then hiked up Woods Canyon to overnight at the Supai pools in about 7 hours. One chest deep pool in Lobo. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best season: | September-November
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Regions: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
34.8334, -111.6825
Search nearby locations
Weather forecast
Waterflow
Introduction[edit]
Lobo Canyon, IE Eva's entry is one of a few technical canyons that provide access to the spectacular pristinity of upper Woods Canyon. Upper Woods Canyon is a beautiful area visited by few that protects itself topographically from crowds as coming from the bottom requires a long hike over boulder strewn terrain, and coming from the top requires scrambling and swimming freezing cold pools.
Approach[edit]
The roads along the drive to the trailhead are very rocky in spots and may be impassable when wet. Come with a good 4x4 with good clearance and a hearty tolerance for driving on very slow, very rocky terrain.
From I17 south of Munds Park, take exit 320 west for Schnebly Hill Rd; resetting your odometer at the cattle guard. Continue southwest on Schnebly Hill Rd for 3.4 miles, then turn left onto forest road 801, then turn right at a T intersection at 4.9 miles to stay on FR801. At the 5.7 mile mark stay straight at Oak Tank (may feel like stay right) where the road turns into FR9495F. At 5.9 miles bear left at a split in the road where, confusingly enough, both directions of the split are signed 9494F, though they do not go the same way. At 6.5 miles you can turn left onto 9469T and drive south only another few hundred feet to the alternate parking area or continue for another .7 miles (7.2 miles total) to park at the trailhead at the end of the road. The reason for the alternate parking area is that it saves both driving and hiking distance and since cross country travel in this area is scarcely any different than hiking on the Hot Loops Trail, I think it makes sense to have a shorter alternative.
Hike the Hotloop trail from the top near Schnebly Hill Road to where it crosses Lobo Canyon. Follow the drainage to the first rappel.
If using the alternate parking area, hike due south for about .5 mile from the end of the road to where you meet with the Hot Loops Trail - large cairns help lead the way. Follow the trail as it meanders south, then west before dropping off of the rim to begin a few long switchbacks down the slope. As of June 2017, this part of the trail is completely overgrown with New Mexico Locust and Scrub Oak and is somewhat difficult to follow in a few spots.
Descent[edit]
A short walk down canyon from where the trail meets the main drainage will bring you to the first vertical challenge. Walk the exposed ledge towards canyon left, be careful here.... to the pine tree and first rappel of 80 feet - this first drop can also be climbed around on canyon left. Either take the exposed, sloped ledge left or scramble around more safely above the ledge through the brush to then downclimb through a crack and one steep, eight foot vertical downclimb to get to the same spot as the ledge would take you. I did not find a suitable anchor at this spot on the left to drop down in the watercourse (future parties may want to construct an anchor directly at the top of this drop - 100 feet of rope should do it - to avoid having to fuss with going left at all), so did the easy climb around through the brush to then trend back to the right to get back to the main drainage at the second rappel. The next rappel is upon you straight away, rappel 105 feet from a deadman anchor (check anchor carefully since flowing water may compromise it) in a pothole at the top of the drop. Shortly thereafter, rappel down a scenic, sloping drop 50 feet from an anchor at the base of a small tree on the right, then through a single, short, possibly chest deep pool and hike another .5 mile before reaching upper Woods Canyon. Now the real journey begins. Although non technical, getting up Woods Canyon from here proves the main adventure.
Exit[edit]
Once into Woods Canyon, follow Woods up canyon until you enter the Basalt geology. You will climb up a few class 4ish sections of basalt in the watercourse direct. Look canyon left for a steep weakness to head towards rimtop, and navigate from that rimtop cross country to your car. The hike up Woods Canyon is why I feel this loop is worth doing. Woods proved as a local resident one of the most beautiful creeks to hike along that I have experienced in Sedona hands down. Slots within the Red Rock cut by the main flow are beautiful, as are the many large clear pools, and slots through the Coconino geology were awesome as well. You will swim some really cold pools, climb and scramble a ton of nasty bouldery terrain, and route find around these amazing slotted sections within the Red Rock that are hard to describe, so it proves a long day mostly because of the non technical canyoneering up Woods Canyon itself.
An earlier, alternate exit is also possible by hiking up Woods Canyon for just under one mile from the confluence with Lobo Canyon, then hiking up a slope and ridge to the west to meet back up with the trail. The bad news is that the route is steep and miserably brushy, so you might save three or four miles, but you won't enjoy it. If choosing this route (wear a long shirt and pants), follow the GPS track labeled "alt exit" as closely as you can, as being slightly off route can cliff you out. If you don't like the looks of this route right away, you may be better off with the longer exit, as the brush hardly ever eases. As you get higher you will encounter some minor class 2 scrambling, but no major climbing. Stay on top of the ridge as you work your way up to meet up with the trail above the minor drainage on your left you will be hiking past.
- Special note about the alternate exit:
By far the most impressive part of any hike in Woods Canyon are the pools in the Supai sandstone; if you only do Lobo Canyon and the alternate exit you will not pass these pools, but they are only about another .5 mile up Woods Canyon from the point where the alt exit breaks off from the canyon. Consider a side trip to view the pools before tackling the exit.
Red tape[edit]
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
Background[edit]
The first known descent was made in 2012 by Melissa Philibeck and Garrett Bennett.