Bullet Canyon/ Cedar Mesa Trip Report

[Cookie]

Here is a trip report a bit overdue. This is from part of our trip to Utah April/May of 2010. QS and Lance, hope you enjoy it as you look forward to your September trip. A few teaser photos for Homero, of course!

and the link is....
http://beyondthecampground.com/TRBulletCanyon.html








~Cookie

[Cookie]

Our departure date is September 30. After the little 1200 mile one way drive to the Mexican Hat Lodge, we shall retrace your steps (and those of the Anasazi) for the next 6-7 days.
Plan is to enter Bullet, r/t downstream towards Collins Canyon; finally exiting Kane Gulch; with explorations of many side canyons. (our expedition now includes WayneG and friend Boaz meeting Lance and I in Mexican Hat, with my son John coming up from his home in Prescott, AZ)
Amigo,
QS

That sounds like the perfect trip! I'm just a bit !

Not having to retrace your route on the way out is a big, big bonus. Glad all that worked out for you! Just putting the TR together made we want to be back there ASAP! Can't wait to hear about your trip!!

~Cookie

[Cookie]

QS-you really can't go wrong with any canyon in that area! You will get to see Turkey Pen ruin going down Kane Gulch.

~Cookie

PS. the Colorado trip report is in the works.....

[catz]

Kane to Collins is pretty ambitious, but after reading all you guys' posts I know you can do it.  There are a LOT of things between the junction with Bullet and a feature called Big Man Panel.  Every side canyon in this stretch is worth exploring.  After Big Man the sites get thinner; the ones there are may be harder to spot (I've never seen the ruin that is allegedly on or near Polly's Island, for example).  I personally am not aware of any significant sites in Goverment Canyon so if you are running a little late you can probably scratch that one off your list.

Two suggestions:  when you get to the junction with Bullet, drop your packs and day hike up Bullet an easy two miles (one way) to Jailhouse Ruin and nearby Perfect Kiva.  They will be on your left.   One other thing:  when you reach the Collins exit route, again drop your packs and hike to the Narrows (only about a quarter mile).  The Narrows itself is pretty cool; however, the true prize is right after going through the Narows.  Scramble as best you can up the right bank and walk straight towards the wall about 100 yards in front of you.  Some really great rock art.  It's possible that the Narrows will have a lot of water in it--maybe more than you are able (or care) to deal with.  You can still reach the rock art.  Instead of going through the Narrows, take a trail all the way around to the left (the panel sits in a rincon, which was the old channel before the Narrows was formed).  I'm a little rusty about exactly where this roundabout trail starts--I THINK it is just after the Collins junction (up the right bank of GG and then make a big loop to the left).  It's possible that it veers off the Collins trail itself very shortly after it starts heading up.  Ask at Kane Gulch ranger station.

I am not aware of any features in Collins itself (no south-facing walls) so I think you can pretty much concentrate on getting to your car.  Fortunately, Collins is short (about a mile) and not particularly steep.

[catz]

If there's no water actually flowing or pooling in GG, these are reliable water sources, especially at this time of year: 

Just downstream from the Junction Ruin

The Thumb Pouroff, about 3/4 mile below Coyote Canyon

In Sheiks Canyon, about 1/2 mile from GG (near the must-see rock art panel)

At the junction with Bullet Canyon

Jailhouse Springs in Bullet (on the right, opposite the Ruin)

Big Pouroff

Bannister Spring, just down from the Ruin and on the left

The Narrows


One very last tip.  About halfway between Sheiks Canyon and the junction with Bullet, there is a small cluster of ruins on the right.  You'll have to scramble up the bank.  As I recall, there's an informal trail or two to indictae the spot.   And as I said much earlier, ALWAYS take those informal trails!

[catz]

My map shows that it's 37 miles from Kane Ranger Station to the parking area at Collins (!4.6 to Bullet and then 22.4 to the car at Collins).  Not counting side canyon explorations.  How many days are you allowing for this?  The trail is pretty easy, but so much time is needed for side trips and looking, I hope it's at least 5 days.

You are also welcome to borrow my GG map.  I think you might find it helpful, for planning if nothihng else.  If you want it, let me know (I live in Austin but can get to Houston or I can mail it to you).

P.S.  I want to apologize for some earlier info.  The Collins trail, from GG to the car, is actually 2 miles long, not 1; the side trail to Jailhouse and Perfect Kiva is 2.5 one way, not 2).

Catz

[mule ears]

I just want to say that this planning thread is one of the reasons this forum is so great!  catz you have great willingness to help including offering to bringing a map to Houston.  I have bookmarked this thread for later use for my return to GG.  Thank you all.   

[iCe]

Ohh dang... what a cool place to visit!

[iCe]

No doubt about that... My biggest concern would be, to be honest, holding up the group. My longest trip was my solo overnight on the south rim. I can handle the physical challenges... it's the "what to bring" planning stuff that gets me...

Ohh dang... what a cool place to visit!

yep! next time you come along!

[catz]

QS  I have been to Grand Gulch itself five times and Cedar Mesa in general several more.  Like you, my first visit to GG was just a day hike--we went as far as Turkey Pen before heading back out.  That was in the mid-nineties.  My first backapck, a year or two later, was from Kane to Bullet.   In the very late 90's, I hiked from Bullet to Collins (in July!  Was THAT a mistake!) and then from Kane to Collins (your trip) a year or two after that.  My last trip, three years ago, was from Collins down to almost the river and back.  The plan was to actually make the river, but we came up a couple of miles short.  I have also been told that those last couple of miles are much harder hiking and, worse, contain no ruins or artwork.  I know we made it at least to Water Canyon, the last side drainage to enter GG.  We didn't go up Water to see what might be there (probably should have since we were all the way down there).  GG below Collins contains some spectacular art work, especially in the first six miles or so, but very few ruins.  Way down low there is kiva with its original roof intact; we were fortunate enough to actually find it.  Somewhere in this lower section is "the Basket", the finding of which is chronicled in "In Search of the Old Ones".  I was never able to find that.

I'm very glad you are allowing six days for the trip.  Just take it easy and explore as much as possible.  There is so much to find, but even if you only see the obvious ruins and artwork, you will be richly rewarded.  As for shuttling up the San Juan from the GG mouth, a friend of mine did it the opposite way:  they rafted from Mexican Hat to the mouth and then hiked out via Bullet where the raft outfitter picked them up and transported them back to Mexican Hat.  Seven days total, it think it was.

I know you guys will have a great trip.  See how quickly you become adept at spotting ruins in the walls, sometimes very high up, and almost always in some notch or ledge.  With one notable exception (that I'm aware of; there could be others), the ruins are all on south-facing walls.  The same cannot be said of the rock art:  some are, some aren't.  GG from Kane to Junction will be by far the most crowded part of your hike ("crowded" meaning you are likely to see one or two other parties each day).  Once you reach the junction with Bullet and continue on down towards Collins, the "crowds" will vanish (90% of the backpackers at GG hike either from Kane to Bullet or vice versa and day hikers almost all go from Kane to maybe Turkey Pen).  You probably won't see anybody after the junction with Bullet.  When you leave your car at the Collins trailhead, I doubt there will be any other cars there--maybe one or two.

Catz

[MyLifeOutdoors]

Great Stuff. Truly amazing place. Wish I would have thought of it when we passed through UT recently. Spent all our time in Arches but could have easily gone this way as well. Thanks for the report...I'm going to have to share it with my twitter followers.