Overview

Hype:

The main fork of Butler Canyon is not spectacular by any account. The canyon is primarily a walking canyon with a few easy obstacles and a couple rappels. 

Canyon Rating: 3A

Time: 3-5 hours

Length: 0.4 mile approach, 1 mile in canyon, 2.1 mile exit, additional 2.2 mile approach or exit if no shuttle

Longest Rappel: 3 rappels up to 40 ft (80 ft rope)

Gear: Standard canyoneering gear. Wetsuit generally not required.

Fees: None

Recommended Ages:

	0-3
	4-11
	12-19
	20-49
	50-69
	70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Links: https://www.roadtripryan.com/go/t/utah/north-wash/mainbutler

Getting There

Navigate to 38.063303, -110.467941.

If you only have 1 vehicle, park at the shuttle parking on the map below. If you have two 4WD vehicles that can handle the deep soft sand, shuttle to the trailhead parking to save 2.2 miles of approach.

Route

Approach

From the shuttle parking, hike 0.8 mile north on the road until you get to an intersection. Turn east and continue 1.4 miles along a dirt road to the trailhead (4WD) parking. 

From the trailhead parking, follow the drainage southwest for 0.4 miles to the top of Butler Canyon.

Canyon

The canyon starts off with a narrow, easy downclimb followed by a quarter mile of canyon hiking.

The canyon narrows up again for about 0.15 miles of narrows.

After 0.25 miles of canyon hiking, you'll come to a 15-foot downclimb over a chockstone. Some may appreciate a handline or rappel line at this drop.

After another 0.22 mile of canyon hiking, you'll arrive at the last drop, which is about a 30 ft rappel. However, the anchor is a significant distance back from the lip, so bring a 50+ ft of webbing in case it needs to be replaced. This rappel ends at a scenic seep and the canyon is very wide from here on.

Exit

From the last rappel, continue down the canyon for about 0.75 miles until you see a crack in the cliffs on the west (RDC). Scramble up the crack and continue up the slickrock to the plateau above (700 ft vertical in 0.7 miles) then turn north and walk on relatively flat ground through the crypto for 0.6 miles to the shuttle parking.

Maps

Closest City or Region: North Wash, Utah

Coordinates: 38.064230, -110.446452

Interactive Guide Map

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September 17, 2022 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Savannah Dye, Cooper Dye, Anthony Dye, Miller Dye, Ondylyn Wagner, Killian Wagner,

Logistics

9:00 - Start at Trailhead Parking

12:30 - Bottom of Butler Canyon

3:45 - Shuttle Parking

Story

We were looking for something dry to do with the kids and we hadn't done Butler yet, so we gave it a shot. The kids were troopers and had a fun time, even on the exit even though it was long and steep.

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Pictures