Forgotten Canyon (aka Secret Mesa Canyon)

A short, deep, and rarely visited canyon in the western part of the San Rafael Swell. Named "Secret Mesa Canyon" in Michael Kelsey's San Rafael book after nearby Secret Mesa, and called "Forgotten Canyon" elsewhere, this is a fun adventure that visits a beautiful sandstone where solitude is all but guaranteed. In addition to the main canyon, there are several interesting side canyons to visit, and a large natural arch to see.

Getting to Forgotten Canyon is kind of a pain in the butt. Take I-70 west or east and take Exit 116 ("Moore"). Go north on the Moore Road for approx. 3.2 mi, until you come to a road taking off to the right (east). You WILL need HC 4WD for this road. Turn onto this road, and follow it as it first roughly parallels the Moore Road, then turns, crosses a drainage, and climbs back uphill, again roughly paralleling the Moore Road but in the opposite direction this time. After a slow 3 miles, you will (gradually) come to a high point in the surrounding terrain, and the road will make a sharp turn back to the west. This is your cue to park.

Begin hiking by angling east-northeast, until you come to a large gully. Work your way down, bypassing a dryfall, until you come out onto a toe of slickrock that juts into the Eagle Canyon drainage. Follow this to it's northeast-most point, where you can 3rd class route find into the bottom of the canyon. Timid hikers may want to have a handline here just in case. Hike upstream for less than half a mile and Forgotten Canyon will quickly show itself.

You are immediately in the narrows once in Forgotten Canyon, so hike upstream at a leisurely pace. Soon the first two problems with show themselves in the form of boulder jams, one quickly after another. If it has rained fairly recently there could be pools of water here, which will make going up much more difficult. However, if it is dry, the obstacles are very easily defeated. The narrows continue on for a couple of bends, never slotting up but always maintaining it's deep and narrow character.

The third obstacle lies just around the bend, a small boulder jam leading to a dryfall above. There is a bypass on the right (LUC) that involves scrambling up the slope and traversing around the top. It's easier than it looks. Above here the narrows begin to open up, although the walls stay close and remain large and yellow. Several mini narrows dot this stretch, including one that has a pool and a dryfall, necessitating the fourth obstacle to overcome- this one a bypass on the left (LUC).

After a bit the walls pull back a bit more, finally allowing in the sunshine. The first two side canyons coming up eventually pinch out into narrows with dryfalls. One of these, Pterodactyl Canyon, looks like it would be a hoot to descend from above. There is also a large arch a couple of miles above Eagle Canyon on the left wall. There is another fairly narrow canyon below this as well.

The upper forks of this canyon may yield more small narrows, but they have yet to be explored.

The easiest way out is to reverse your route out. It is a long hike back up the hill, but take it slow and it goes easy. The worst part is finding your vehicle at the top. The natural pull of the hill will want to take you right, and downhill. Once you come up out of the gully, keep a true course and just aim for the road. Once you find the road it will be much easier to find your vehicle.

This is all BLM so there are no permits. Forgotten Canyon is included in the Sid's Mountain WSA so all the standard wilderness rules apply.