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No Kidding

North Wash beta posted by Dan Ransom
  • The Hype

    No Kidding is like no other North Wash canyon. Instead of skinny physical narrows, No Kidding is characterized by big drops, and potholes. Think "Squeeze" in the Swell, only much smaller in scale, and dryer.

    The rather shallow canyon made it a less obvious target for early canyon descents, and it wasn't until Jason Pease posted of his solo adventure that the canyon really hit the public radar.

    Needless to say, it's one of my personal favorite North Wash canyons, for no other reason than the skills required to safely descend it are so unique. Without proper skills, this canyon can be very difficult and dangerous. Almost all descents use sandtraps as anchors, because there are so few other options. This is not a canyon for beginners, but it is a great canyon to learn and apply sandtrap principles.

    Getting There

    Access Road: All of the canyons in the West Fork of Butler drainage are accessed from Cedar Point road, which heads east from Highway 95 at mile marker 25.5. Follow the main track of Cedar Point road for 3.9 miles to an intersection with a clump of trees, known as the "4 way." Park here, or follow the track heading south from the "4 way" an additional few hundred yards, and spot your car there. This eliminates a few extra minutes of hiking.

    From the Trailhead: Head in a southeasterly direction from your car and find the shallow drainage that becomes No Kidding. Follow it to the head of the technical narrows.

    The Canyon - Rating: 4A III R   Longest Rap: 200'   # of Raps: 7

    Skills required: Advanced Natural Anchoring (Sandtrap), Partner Sequencing, Pothole Escape, Downclimbing

    Rappels: 7 rappels, up to 200'

    Exposure Risk: R
    This canyon gets an R rating because it requires advanced natural anchor skills to safely descend - namely using a Sandtrap retrievable anchor. Anchors in this canyon are difficult, and not straightforward. Only do this canyon with competent leadership and advanced anchoring skills.

    Water
    No Kidding will occasionally hold some water, especially in the numerous potholes. More often than not, it is dry, but be prepared for mud and water if it has recently rained. The difficulty of the canyon increases significantly after a rain.

    Natural Anchors
    North Wash is considered a "natural anchor" area. There are currently no bolts in North Wash. Please be competent with natural anchor evaluation and building skills, and plan accordingly. Be prepared to utilize sandtrap anchors.

    Gear Recommendations
    Technical Canyoneering Kit - including helmet, harness, rappel device, ascending gear
    Sandtrap
    Rope - A 200 foot rope can be fixed at the top of the first rappel, to be picked up on the exit. The longest drop after that is around 100 feet.
    Pads - Knee, elbow
    Gloves

    Flash Flood Danger: Low

    The Exit

    After the final 20 foot rappel, make your way to the fault line drainage a few hundred yards south of the final rappel. Gain the small bench and being routefinding your way up the Kelsey Exit.

    The Kelsey Exit: This fault line canyon is known as the Kelsey Exit, and looks rather unlikely at first view. But it all goes, with 4th class climbing and a traverse out to the right back on to slickrock to gain the final rim. Be careful, wear a helmet, and route find carefully. Once at the rim, hike cross country back to your car spot.

    Red Tape

    BLM Land: No Kidding is located on BLM land, and currently there are no regulations or access issues.

    Most slot canyons are found on public lands managed by the US Government, although a few can be found on private lands. The US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service manage these lands. Each area tends to have unique management issues. As a result, there is not a uniform set of rules governing our use of these lands. For current issues related to canyoneering access, please visit www.americancanyoneers.org.
  • Access Road: All of the canyons in the West Fork of Butler drainage are accessed from Cedar Point road, which heads east from Highway 95 at mile marker 25.5. Follow the main track of Cedar Point road for 3.9 miles to an intersection with a clump of trees, known as the "4 way." Park here, or follow the track heading south from the "4 way" an additional few hundred yards, and spot your car there. This eliminates a few extra minutes of hiking.

    From the Trailhead: Head in a southeasterly direction from your car and find the shallow drainage that becomes No Kidding. Follow it to the head of the technical narrows.
  • Skills required: Advanced Natural Anchoring (Sandtrap), Partner Sequencing, Pothole Escape, Downclimbing

    Rappels: 7 rappels, up to 200'

    Exposure Risk: R
    This canyon gets an R rating because it requires advanced natural anchor skills to safely descend - namely using a Sandtrap retrievable anchor. Anchors in this canyon are difficult, and not straightforward. Only do this canyon with competent leadership and advanced anchoring skills.

    Water
    No Kidding will occasionally hold some water, especially in the numerous potholes. More often than not, it is dry, but be prepared for mud and water if it has recently rained. The difficulty of the canyon increases significantly after a rain.

    Natural Anchors
    North Wash is considered a "natural anchor" area. There are currently no bolts in North Wash. Please be competent with natural anchor evaluation and building skills, and plan accordingly. Be prepared to utilize sandtrap anchors.

    Gear Recommendations
    Technical Canyoneering Kit - including helmet, harness, rappel device, ascending gear
    Sandtrap
    Rope - A 200 foot rope can be fixed at the top of the first rappel, to be picked up on the exit. The longest drop after that is around 100 feet.
    Pads - Knee, elbow
    Gloves

    Flash Flood Danger: Low
  • After the final 20 foot rappel, make your way to the fault line drainage a few hundred yards south of the final rappel. Gain the small bench and being routefinding your way up the Kelsey Exit.

    The Kelsey Exit: This fault line canyon is known as the Kelsey Exit, and looks rather unlikely at first view. But it all goes, with 4th class climbing and a traverse out to the right back on to slickrock to gain the final rim. Be careful, wear a helmet, and route find carefully. Once at the rim, hike cross country back to your car spot.
  • BLM Land: No Kidding is located on BLM land, and currently there are no regulations or access issues.

    Most slot canyons are found on public lands managed by the US Government, although a few can be found on private lands. The US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service manage these lands. Each area tends to have unique management issues. As a result, there is not a uniform set of rules governing our use of these lands. For current issues related to canyoneering access, please visit www.americancanyoneers.org.

Visit the No Kidding discussion thread for more information and in-depth discussion.

Condition Reports for No Kidding

  1. Austin Farnworth
    December 20, 2017
    Austin Farnworth

    Difficulty:

    Moderate

    Skill Level:

    Advanced

    Water:

    Dry/avoidable

    Thermal:

    None

    Group Size:

    5 people

    Total Time:

    1 hour 4 hours


    The canyon was completely dry for us. We used two and half potshots worth of sand on most drops, with the last requiring a bit more due to not so great geometry. We used a hose on our pull line and avoided leaving rope groves. It looks like people have opted to use farther back anchor spots rather than the ones right on the edge and have caused rope groves that way. The sandtrap did just fine right on the edge of the drops, so no need to set it up clear back.

    Posted Dec 21, 2017
  2. Bootboy
    Jan 18, 2015
    Bootboy

    Difficulty:

    Difficult

    Skill Level:

    Advanced

    Water:

    Dry/avoidable

    Thermal:

    None

    Group Size:

    NA

    Total Time:

    NA


    just a note on this canyon:

    It is starting to show wear from gaining popularity. Rope grooves are getting deeper and new ones are appearing. Please taken every measure to reduce your impact in this canyon. Use groove protection (hoses, empty sandbags etc...) and analyze your anchors carefully.

    Posted Jan 18, 2015
The information provided here is intended for entertainment purposes only. The creator of this information and/or Canyon Collective are not liable for any harm or damage caused by this information. Conditions in the backcountry are constantly changing, only you are responsible for your safety and well being.