Serpent's Tail

The shortest in the Devil's Kitchen and snake-themed canyons was a nice add-on to the day. This short loop has great pay to play and enough action to keep it interesting with pretty views.

Park at the Devil's Kitchen Picnic Area or Devil's Kitchen Trailhead. Hike the Serpent's Trail 0.85 miles up to the top of the drainage (39.03130, -108.63623). Depart the trail on slickrock to the north (be careful to avoid creating a social trail) and scramble down to the wash and begin hiking downstream.

R0: 20' Can bypass the first 20' drop with a DC DCL R1: 60' from a large pinyon tree in canyon center for two stages (both are about 20’). The first lip is slightly undercut. If you use this tree as a rappel station, be careful to avoid disturbing the soil at the base of the pinyon when rigging the rappel. As an alternative to the tree mentioned above, there is a pinyon and Juniper DCL along the ledge that can be used. The pinyon has a possible loose flake so we used the juniper. R2: 70' fiddle off an arch DCL or DCR for two stages (both are about 15-20’) R3: 45' from a sling under a large boulder pinch DCL , or, it is recommended to stem and downclimb 15-20’ down a low angled gap in canyon center/right.