Buzzard Canyon

1/19/2024: Adam Haydock decided to have Jackpot canyon changed over to Buzzard Canyon. This aligns with Rick's book and ensures that there is no more confusion to published canyon content. I was looking at google earth before a st. pattys day canyon event and wondered if anyone ever been down this drainage. Turned out that it was bolted when we went through. We ended up calling it Jackpot due to no beta, not having Rick's book, and jackpot aligned with a Vegas st. pattys day. Do not enter this canyon if you do not have the knowledge to entirely inspect and replace anchorage. Do not assume anchorage is prepared to hold any load bearing weight upon your arrival. Bring anchorage replacement material and be prepared to replace all anchorage. This canyon floods and becomes hot. The sunbaked and worn webbing can break. Inspect and Replace all anchorage.

The standard approach is to park at the Weeping Springs trailhead. From here, hike up the 4x4 road until and follow the road until you get to a fork. There will be a fork in the road, go straight and continue down to the vista overlook where the road ends and where the descent begins.

From the top of the rim, choose any of several routes that descend into the obvious valley wash below, then follow it into the main drainage. Continue down the drainage as it gradually narrows. Enjoy the hike through a series of scenic, winding corridors that eventually lead to a few downclimbs. The canyon walls rise higher as you progress, until the canyon suddenly opens to a dramatic drop-off. R1 – 200 ft (Tree Anchor, 2-Stage, DCR) A two-stage rappel from a tree. After the first stage, flick the rope over the hump to ensure a clean pull. At the base, you’ll find a small “cave” filled mostly with loose soil and not much else. From here, a sequence of boulder downclimbs leads into the second set of narrows. R2 – 30 ft (Tree Anchor) R3 – 70 ft (Anchor DCR) R4 – 20 ft (Anchor DCL) From this point you can see the river below, and the final three rappels descend through a beautiful section of twisting, narrow canyon—often considered the best part of the route. R5 – 40 ft (Anchor DCR) R6 – 30 ft (Anchor DCL) This rappel drops onto a series of wide platforms that can accommodate up to five people. This is the ideal place to inflate your rafts. R7 – 30 ft (Anchor DCL) into the river Rappel directly into your already-inflated raft.

You have options! Paddle 2.5 miles downstream to Crane's Nest Paddle 6 miles downstream to Willow Beach Paddle 1 mile upstream to Big Horn Canyon and use the beta for the Big Horn Canyon exit to hike back to your car at the top of the rim. "As of Fall 2023, Bighorn Canyon is incredibly, perhaps dangerously overgrown in the stretch between the beach and the narrows. We also encountered a large rattlesnake (speckled or arizona diamondback) in the bushwhacking, but the concern is that it is so thick you could easily step on a rattlesnake and not know it until you're bit. Better alternative would be to packraft down to Crane's Nest to an exit vehicle."