Sierra Canyon - Tonto NF Photoset • suzaz • 2009-11-29 • HikeArizona.COM

Sierra Canyon - Tonto NF, AZ

	2009-11-29
	35 by suzaz

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Sierra Canyon - Tonto NF

Phoenix, AZ

Sierra Canyon - Tonto NF

Phoenix, AZ

Canyoneering	5.00 Miles	1,000 AEG

Canyoneering	5.00 Miles
	1,000 ft AEG

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How long can a canyon remain "unnamed" before it gets a name? It was as much fun hiking this canyon as it was participating in naming it. Sierra Canyon it is! This is probably the best of all the Fish Creek tributary canyons, IMHO.

7 raps, 3 of those with the added bonus of water and an amazing slick rock section leading to an 85 foot drop all of these things contribute to the value of this canyon. I was happy to get "tricked" into doing this unknown gem.

There were no cairns on this route at all and we suspect it has only been descended a few times prior to our visit. It takes some solid route finding skills to simply get to the start of this canyon and thankfully Nonot has those. (not sure I could find it again

)The first hour of this trip is my least favorite but is worth it for what is to follow.

I love canyons for many reasons. In this one I enjoyed walking on the flat desert floor and watching the walls emerge while it began to narrow, twist and turn. I have grown to enjoy the challenges and obstacles that come with canyons although I'm still just tagging along with others. I loved the textures and colors in this canyon. It is an amazing desert jewel....and so close to home.

The anchors were in obvious places for the most part. The webbing was fading on some anchors. (2 stand out in my mind)It probably won't be long before crunchiness sets in so take lots of replacement webbing with you if you go. One anchor was a little trickier to find but seemed to be marked by a cut and knotted piece of webbing on a lower boulder just like a cairn only made out of webbing instead of rocks.....interesting way to mark the location. I've never seen that done before but it worked.

The 3rd rap was a bit challenging for me due mostly to my inexperience but complicated by the position of the anchor underneath an overhang. I'm thinking I was only inverted with a foot tangled in the webbing for short period of time before nonot jumped in to assist. I have a few colorful reminders of this rappel on my elbow and ankle but all appear to be superficial and will heal quickly. I'm sure I could get this rap right if I did it again. :sweat:

The 6th rappel was in the most amazing part of the canyon. It would certainly be a great place for a break while taking in the views.

The day went by quickly and seemed to end too soon. We spotted a few big horns sheep on the way out and bumped into a few people I knew that were climbing near the bridge.

I'm sooooo hooked!
Here is a link to the video I made from this canyon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY5muBpw8z4
----The Happy Canyonette!

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