Overview

Hype:

Munchkin has some pretty slot sections that are narrow and some sections that require easy stemming up to 20 feet above the ground. The narrows are short and spread out with a lot of wash walking between narrows. Rappelling is not required. The exit is a slog, especially for kids.

Canyon Rating: 2A, PG

Time: 6-8 hours for full route, can be shortened

Length: up to 8 miles with many optional exits to shorten the trip

Longest Rappel: None

Gear: Small pack for squeezing and stemming, optional handline for some people

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/munchkin

Route

Approach

From the road, hike abotu 100 ft to the top of Munchkin Canyon.

Canyon

Munchkin Canyon starts off with about a half-mile of wash walking.

An easy downclimb followed by 400 ft of shallow, V-shaped canyon.

The canyon opens up for 700 ft.

An easy downclimb into a pothole followed by 500 ft of wash-walking.

An 8-ft pouroff downclimb or partner assist.

0.3 miles of wash walking.

400 ft of easy stemming up to 10 ft above the ground.

0.3 miles of wash walking.

300 ft section of narrow narrows. Small kids can fit at ground level through most of it, but larger people will need to stem. The stemming is about 20 ft off the deck, but the walls are mostly flared in an easy funnel shape. A few moves are more difficult.

300 ft V-shaped canyon 

0.25 miles of wash walking.

At this point, we bailed because it was taking us considerably longer than our beta suggested it would. I'm not sure what the last 1.0 miles of canyon involves.

Exit

Long, boring slog. 

Hike up the slickrock to the plateau top, gaining about 400 vertical feet. Then hike northeast on flat, sandy ground back to the car.

Location

Closest City or Region: North Wash, Utah

Coordinates: 37.953936, -110.513093

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September 18, 2022 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

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

Logistics

10:45 - Start

1:30 - Exit early

3:00 - Back at car

Story

Our beta said the canyon would take 2-5 hours, but I think the 2 hours is only possible if you bail early. We descended the canyon for about 2.75 hours and only made it 2/3 down. The hike out was miserable for the kids. We made it up to the plateau top OK, but the long, straight, boring hike from there was torture on Cooper and Killian especially. Cooper had a stick that he wanted to take home, so I held one end of the stick and he held the other and I used that to tow him along. Eventually he just gave up and I told him I would give him a shoulder ride only if he didn't carry his stick. He walked for another 15 minutes before deciding the stick wasn't worth it. He dropped the stick and I gave him a shoulder ride for the rest of the hike out.

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Pictures