Overview

Hype:

Poe Canyon is one of the hardest pothole canyons in Utah. There are dozens of potholes with difficult entrances and exits. Notably, the "Pit of Despair" requires an extremely long sand bag throw from an awkward stemming position. If you can't make the throw, there is a very good chance you'll be stuck in the canyon. Watch for poison ivy!

Canyon Rating: 4B

Time: 9-20 hours

Length: Technical Portion: 1.2 miles, Total: 4.9 miles

Longest Rappel: 200 ft

Gear: All standard canyoneering gear plus advanced canyoneering gear including sand traps, water anchors, at least 6 sand bags (potshots) with a rope for each, 2-to-1 hauling rigs, etc. Wetsuits are 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/

Getting There

Navigate to 37.616173, -110.798772.

Maps

Closest City or Region: Waterpocket Fold, Utah

Coordinates: 37.556823, -110.883919

Interactive Guide Map

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April 18, 2024 Trip Report

By Tara Dye

Trip Members

Tara Dye, Anthony Dye, Ondylyn Wagner, Luke Galyan, Tracy Kwan, Mark Burnham,

Story

Thursday, April 18 - Tara left for her Poe trip first thing in the morning. They drove down to the trailhead and got there about 11 am. They met up with the rest of the group and then started the grueling hike across the hot desert with heavy packs. They took it slow and made it down to their camping spot around 6 pm. They ate dinner and hung out at camp for the rest of the evening. Tanner hiked down and met up with them a little bit later that evening.

Friday, April 19 - Tara and the rest of the group started hiking around 6 to do the daunting Poe canyon. Tara struggled a lot on the approach since it is basically just hiking straight up slickrock. They did Jimminy Cricket instead of going to the top of Poe. It was a lot of fun and a bit of a romp to go through before dropping into the main canyon around 1. Poe was a challenge even without Tara doing the hard parts. They made it to the crux of the canyon, the pit of despair, around 4. After a couple of attempted throws, Anthony and Mark worked together to throw to pot shot. As soon as they did this technique, they got the 5 potshots across in 7 throws. It took 2 hours to get past this area and they made it to the exit around 6:30 pm. They headed back to camp to eat dinner and then went to sleep.

Saturday, April 20 - Tara and crew did another canyon. The approach was still really hard for Tara and she trailed behind the rest of the crew. They finished this canyon around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Anthony and Luke went to do a second canyon while the rest of the crew headed back to camp to chill for the evening.

Sunday, April 21 - Tara and group got up early, packed up camp, and backpacked back to the trailhead. Tara said that the hike out wasn't as bad as I made it sound. Not to discount her effort, but when she got to the car and weighed her pack, it was only 26 pounds because Anthony and others caried most of the gear. They stopped at Stan's for lunch and drove home.

Pictures

April 21, 2018 Trip Report

By Anthony Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Anthony Dye, Kevin Christensen, Jared Robertson, Ken McCarthy, Mark Burnham,

Story

On Saturday we woke up early and started the hike to Poe at 7 while it was still cool. We made good time, thanks to Mark's invigorating hiking pace, getting to the top of the canyon at 8:05. We suited up and got ready for a long hard day! We've been looking forward to Poe for a long time and we've been practicing for it. We were so happy to find that each pothole became progressively emptier as we continued down canyon! The room with the arch blew me away. It was so cool and and had only shin deep water. We were moving efficiently and reached the 3 potholes that can be bypassed at 10:15 so we elected to cross them and I would highly recommend it for any group that has time. They were a lot of fun and a good challenge.

Video of Trip

Pictures