The Chute of Muddy Creek
Fifteen miles of walking in the creek itself, Tomsich Butte down to the Hidden Splendor airstrip, with no rappels and roughly half the route in ankle deep water. The narrowest section comes around mile eleven where Chimney Canyon enters from the west.
The 1B grade undersells this. The difficulty is the length, the shuttle, and the flood risk, not the terrain. A 16 mile car shuttle is required; riding a mountain bike back instead adds about ninety minutes. Muddy Creek drains a very large piece of the Swell, so rain anywhere in the area within the previous day can send water down with no warning, and the narrows give you nowhere to go. Check the USGS gage near Emery before committing: around 150 cfs the wading turns into work, and during peak spring runoff, usually a couple of weeks, the trip is off. Depth is normally ankle to waist, but expect the occasional chest deep pool or a short swim and dress for eight to ten hours of wet feet. Landmarks going down are Penitentiary Canyon at two miles, Music Canyon five and a quarter beyond that and worth the detour, then the narrows, Mud Canyon, and finally the track up the east cliff to the airstrip.
Logistics
| Manager | BLM |
|---|---|
| Permit | No permit required. |
| Technical | longest 0 ft |
| Season | Spring; Summer; Fall |
| Coordinates | 38.6169, -110.9716 |
Sources
- permit: https://ropewiki.com/The_Chute_of_Muddy_Creek
- manager: http://www.climb-utah.com/SRS/thechute.htm
- nearest town: http://www.climb-utah.com/SRS/thechute.htm
- desc: http://www.climb-utah.com/SRS/thechute.htm
- notes: http://www.climb-utah.com/SRS/thechute.htm
- heroPhoto: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:My_Public_Lands_Roadtrip-_Muddy_Creek_Chute_in_Utah_(20156856525).jpg