Poe Canyon
Named for its pits and pendulums by Jenny West and Mike Bogart on the first descent in August 1981, and also catalogued as Smiling Cricket. Sixteen rappels in 4.3 miles, with reported times running anywhere from ten to twenty hours.
Graded 4B X. Twenty hours is a real number for a slow party, so the plan needs a bivy contingency rather than a headlamp and optimism. The exit is where people lose time: continuing down canyon to the Halls Creek junction means heavy bushwhacking, and the better line is to climb out canyon left about 150 yards past the last rappel, at a spot with fallen trees and vines, over a short eight foot move worth spotting, then north to the ridge and diagonally back down to Halls Creek. Overnight parking for the Kingdom Route on the Burr Trail Road needs a Capitol Reef permit and unauthorized vehicles get towed. Jiminy Cricket is the slightly longer route into the same confluence.
Logistics
| Manager | Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (NPS); Burr Trail Road overnight parking access falls under Capitol Reef National Park jurisdiction |
|---|---|
| Permit | None required |
| Distance | 4.3 mi |
| Time | 10 hr-20 hr |
| Technical | 16 rappels, longest 135 ft |
| Season | Spring; Fall. |
| Vehicle access | Passenger |
| Coordinates | 37.5563, -110.886 |