Ringbolt Canyon (South Fork)
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| | Difficulty:3A III (v3a1 III) Raps:2-4, max ↨40ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:Passenger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 1 Jan 2018
"This route is not done very often, plan on building anchors and problem solving. The canyon itself is mediocre - nice enough, but others in the area |
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| Best season: | winter
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35.9590, -114.7257
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Introduction
An okay canyon with a few short rappels with an exit up through Ringbolt Canyon and Arizona Hot Springs.
The hike begins and ends at the Arizona Hot Springs trailhead which is 8.5 miles south of Hoover Dam on the Nevada/Arizona border. This trailhead is closed from May 15th to September 30th in order to curb heat related injuries and/or fatalities.
Approach
Follow the Arizona Hot Springs trail southeast for about .6 miles to then turn left where the trail splits between the Arizona Hot Springs and White Rock Canyon/Liberty Arch trails. Follow the good, obvious trail down to Ringbolt Canyon by going up and over a saddle, then down a minor drainage (more elevation, but shorter) or going left at a trail junction at .9 miles (less elevation, but longer). Hike down Ringbolt Canyon, then at 2.3 miles (mileage taken from the saddle route) go up through a break on the left, then down the other side wherever it is easiest to reach the bottom of the drainage below.
Descent
The first drop of consequence is either a 15 foot rappel or a somewhat tricky (and fun) downclimb down through a rabbit hole through a pile of chockstone boulders. Between this first drop and the next is a horrible thicket of tamarisk where a spring seeps into the canyon. After the tamarisk is another rappel of 15 feet that can be anchored from a small bush or two, our group body belayed all but the last, who then rappelled off of a hook. Shortly after is the third drop in the canyon of around 40 feet, anchored from a pinch point in the watercourse that drops you into a very short, scenic hallway. There is one more drop at the end of this hallway that can either be overcome by rappelling about 15 feet or traversing and downclimbing on canyon left.
Exit
After the last drop in the canyon head north to the mouth of the main arm of Ringbolt Canyon and the gravel beach at the Colorado River. Head up Ringbolt Canyon through the hot springs following the trail for 2.9 miles back to the parking area.