Wilbur Canyon • Canyon Trip • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Jul 02 2025

Heliops

Guides 2
Routes 5
Photos 89
Triplogs 19

59 male

Joined Jan 28 2008
Phoenix, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Canyoneering		Jul 02 2025
		Heliops • Triplogs 19

Canyoneering	5.00 Miles	900 AEG

Canyoneering	5.00 Miles
	900 ft AEG

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Beautiful day in a spectacular canyon. All anchor webbing looked good. Water was pretty cold. I would recommend at least a 3/2 wetsuit for comfort. Most pools were wadeable, but two required short swims. Exit trail is still well-marked with cairns. My GPS route is for an easier approach with a steep sneak exit, no car shuttle required. Take the 260 to 142 then to the 142 C.

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2 archives

Jul 20 2024

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,762

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Bear Wilber Calloway, AZ

Hiking		Jul 20 2024
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,762

Hiking	10.23 Miles	1,549 AEG

Hiking	10.23 Miles	4 Hrs 45 Mns		2.46 mph
	1,549 ft AEG	35 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

Linked

linked

Bear Canyon - West Clear Creek

Wilbur Canyon

Calloway Trail #33

Partners

none

no partners

Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

No real plans for the day until my son-in-law said he was camping with a group and their children off FR142. So I quickly drew up a plan that left from their camp, sampled Bear Canyon, sampled Wilbur Canyon, and headed towards the Calloway Trail.

There was a 50% chance of rain for the day, so I'd make my decision when I got to the top of the Calloway Trail. Not a cloud in sight, so I headed down. There's been some recent work to the upper third of the trail, including a brand-new wilderness sign. The upper two-thirds were mainly under tree cover, which would help on the climb out.

One tree to skirt and a quite large tree to slide over with 50 feet to go to the creek were the only obstacles. I sat next to the creek, had a snack, and cooled off. Off in the distance, I heard my first crackle of thunder, so I cut my break short and started the 0.6-mile, 650-foot climb out.

The other thing I wanted to do was check the condition of FR142B to see if it was Subaru-able. It was all looking good until the last half mile before reaching FR142, right about where the gate is. Rutted, muddy, and rocky. If you can make it past there, it should be no problem. I got back to their camp only to find that my son-in-law and the group had backed out because of the rain threat.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Wild Geranium

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bueno Tank Wilbur Tank Number Two

Wildflowers Observation Light

Bueno Tank

51-75% full

Wilbur Tank Number Two

51-75% full

_____________________

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry

Sep 03 2022

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,762

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Willow-Wilber-Bear sampler, AZ

Hiking		Sep 03 2022
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,762

Hiking	14.40 Miles	2,640 AEG

Hiking	14.40 Miles	7 Hrs 23 Mns		2.32 mph
	2,640 ft AEG	1 Hour 10 Mns Break	14 LBS Pack

Linked

linked

Meadow Canyon WCC

Wilbur Canyon

Bear Canyon - West Clear Creek

Partners

none

no partners

Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Thought I'd do a bit of 'splorin'

Parked right off of the 260 and started my mostly off trail loop. I encountered the first mosquitoes in quite awhile in the humid morning air.

First up, was was to check out Calloway Lake. I wanted to get there before the Labor Day boat traffic got too heavy. Mission accomplished.

Next up, or down, I dropped into Willow Canyon. Nothing too exciting here. I followed game trails where possible. It helped getting through one of the theme plants of the day, Locust.
I jumped out at FR142 and climbed up Calloway Butte. Pretty good 360 views up top. Someone decided they needed the Fliver Disc more than the Butte did.

Next up was a short cross country jaunt to the Wilber Canyon drop in. Once again, Locust was the theme adding sprinkles of Poison Ivy. This section of the canyon is a one and done. Not real exciting. Up and out and over to Bear Canyon.

Bear Canyon was a little nicer and got better the farther down I went. I had picked 4 jump out spots, and settled on the 2nd one went the PI finally got too thick to evade any longer(hopefully)
It was a steep climb out, once again dodging the Locust.

A bit of an FR walk along Good Enough Ridge, until I dropped back into and out of Bear Canyon on my way back.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Fleabane

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Cadastral Survey Marker Reference Mark

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Calloway Butte Calloway Lake

_____________________

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry

Jun 06 2020

RedwallNHops

Guides 1
Routes 269
Photos 613
Triplogs 1,360

50 male

Joined Dec 22 2003
Tucson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Canyoneering		Jun 06 2020
		RedwallNHops • Triplogs 1,360

Canyoneering	2.82 Miles	1,479 AEG

Canyoneering	2.82 Miles	5 Hrs 15 Mns	0.54 mph
	1,479 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Always fun

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Oct 17 2019

MountainMatt

Guides 3
Routes 202
Photos 3,513
Triplogs 530

male

Joined Jan 24 2016
Arizona

Wil-Bear & Between, AZ

Hiking		Oct 17 2019
		MountainMatt • Triplogs 530

Hiking	8.39 Miles	988 AEG

Hiking	8.39 Miles
	988 ft AEG		40 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Bear Canyon - West Clear Creek

Wilbur Canyon

Partners

none

no partners

Little morning stroll hitting the many big and small feeder draws and drainages that lead into Wilbur and Bear Canyon along with some meandering in between.
Saw a large rafter of turkeys, a couple coues doe’s and one large lone bull elk.
Encountered signs of the ancients in the juniper flatlands which is the theme with many areas around the rim of this mighty sacred canyon.
I could walk for days, years and a lifetime out here and will probably continue to do just that.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Hunting Blind

Autumn Foliage Observation Light
Oaks are rocking.

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Jul 25 2019

MountainMatt

Guides 3
Routes 202
Photos 3,513
Triplogs 530

male

Joined Jan 24 2016
Arizona

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Hiking		Jul 25 2019
		MountainMatt • Triplogs 530

Hiking	8.08 Miles	912 AEG

Hiking	8.08 Miles
	912 ft AEG		55 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Fun afternoon in some new-ish country and as usual complete solitude.
Dropped inside Wilbur from the east came out the west and looped around back to my truck.
Going to be spending a lot more time out here in the near future without a doubt, lots of “project hikes” in mind.

Calloway Lake

51-75% full

	Wilbur Canyon	Dry	Dry
	Dry at upper headwaters area.

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May 27 2016

GrottoGirl

Guides 3
Routes 569
Photos 11,976
Triplogs 1,634

50 female

Joined Sep 18 2009
Tucson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Canyoneering		May 27 2016
		GrottoGirl • Triplogs 1,634

Canyoneering	2.82 Miles	1,479 AEG

Canyoneering	2.82 Miles	5 Hrs 15 Mns	0.54 mph
	1,479 ft AEG

Intermediate Canyoneering - Difficult or dangerous; Tech Climb; rope reqd; descent anchor; exit technical;

B - Up to light current; wading/swimming; possible wet/dry suit

II - Normally requires a half day

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

partners

airkewled

justmike

Another fun trip down Wilbur! We were supposed to camp near Bear/Sundance and do canyons near the headwaters of WCC but the Pivot Rock fire caused us to spontaneously change our plans.

We drove the extremely bumpy road to find a camp. Then headed out on the canyon.

Mike got to practice some of the rigging I taught him the week before.

My 5 mm wetsuit seemed like overkill at first but I was grateful for it when swimming through a pothole.

West Clear Creek was as beautiful as usual! Love the sneak route!!! It means you can do it in the afternoon!

Overnite the smoke settled in for a bit and scared me. But by morning the wind changed and it cleared out.

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Sep 12 2015

outdoor_lover

Guides 7
Routes 72
Photos 14,456
Triplogs 627

62 female

Joined Aug 19 2011
Scottsdale, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Canyoneering		Sep 12 2015
		outdoor_lover • Triplogs 627

Canyoneering	3.50 Miles	1,000 AEG

Canyoneering	3.50 Miles
	1,000 ft AEG

Intermediate Canyoneering - Difficult or dangerous; Tech Climb; rope reqd; descent anchor; exit technical;

B - Up to light current; wading/swimming; possible wet/dry suit

III - Normally requires most of a day

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

2nd Canyon on the 2nd Day of the Rim Camping Trip...

Lawrence and I had just done Wilbur about a Month ago, Lawrence for the 1st Time. But our Colorado Friend really wanted to see it, and since it's such a great Canyon, Lawrence and I certainly weren't going to say no...

Met another Friend in the Canyon with his own Crew...After Chatting a bit, they played through as they were moving pretty quickly. We took our Time and Enjoyed watching Stacie see it for the 1st Time...

Did the Sneak Route out and even though it's a Tough Straight Up, it still beats the Standard Exit hands down.....

Videos... I got Lawrence this Time in the Log Room...He was showing us how to do it... https://youtube.com ... QNDI

Apparently, I don't learn very well and for the 2nd Trip in a Row, I could not do the Log... :sweat:

If you want to see Video of THAT, you'll have to Message me for the Link as it's on FB only... :lol:

Wilbur Canyon

Pools to trickle

Wilbur Tank Number One

1-25% full

Wilbur Tank Number Two

26-50% full

_____________________

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming, "Wow What a Ride!"

Aug 22 2015

outdoor_lover

Guides 7
Routes 72
Photos 14,456
Triplogs 627

62 female

Joined Aug 19 2011
Scottsdale, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Canyoneering		Aug 22 2015
		outdoor_lover • Triplogs 627

Canyoneering	4.00 Miles	1,039 AEG

Canyoneering	4.00 Miles
	1,039 ft AEG

Intermediate Canyoneering - Difficult or dangerous; Tech Climb; rope reqd; descent anchor; exit technical;

B - Up to light current; wading/swimming; possible wet/dry suit

III - Normally requires most of a day

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

partners

sbkelley

This was my 2nd Canyon ever 2 Years Ago...It was a Beautiful Canyon then, but I don't think I fully appreciated it as I was trying very hard not to Die... :sweat:

It was Time for a Return..Scott had never seen it and wanted to do a Canyon this Season, so of Course this was a No-Brainer. Besides, it just wouldn't be Right to take him down a Dry Canyon... :sl:

I knew of another Friend that had never been in there either and I also enlisted one more Friend that after 2 Previous Attempts, finally knew where the Sneak Route was... :sweat:

3 of us met up and Camped Friday Night. Scott joined us Saturday Morning and off we went...A little Confusion about where to Park, which ultimately ended up tacking on almost a Mile to the Entire Trip, but that was Fine. I was just Happy to not be doing the Traditional Exit. As much as I love WCC, the thought of doing that 3 Mile Slipping, Sliding, Falling Route again had lost it's Appeal...I have never really minded the Straight Up Alternative... :lol:

Definitely know I'm back in Arizona where the Exit, instead of the Approach, is the UP Part....Colorado spoiled me a little I think... :sweat:

Finally got to the Technical Section and the Fun and the Wonder of this Canyon really began...It was even better than I remembered and it's always Enjoyable to go with People that are seeing it for the First Time...

Rappelled into WCC and then after a Break, Jason took us right to the Sneak Route...There is no Doubt, it's pretty straight up...If it wasn't for the Scree and Dirt, it would have almost been Classified a Climb... :sweat:

I believe that it's probably Steeper than Flatiron, just quite a bit Shorter...

Got back to the Vehicle towards Late Afternoon and dropped Scott off at his Vehicle...the Rest of us went back to Camp for awhile before the other 2 took off for the Valley...

Another Amazing Canyon...I certainly will never mind doing Repeat Trips into Places like this...It's so Worth it...Great to spend more Time with Scott and Laugh at his total Disdain for Canyon Stew....

I got Video.... :y:

In the "Log Room" Scott shows me how it's Done! Too bad I didn't figure it out, I fell off of it twice and finally just did a Beached Whale Move into the Keyhole....The Log wouldn't just Move back and forth and to and fro...It would also Spin.... :lol:

https://youtube.com ... EoD4

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

Wilbur Canyon

Pools to trickle

Wilbur Tank Number One

1-25% full

Wilbur Tank Number Two

1-25% full

_____________________

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming, "Wow What a Ride!"

Jun 28 2015

RedwallNHops

Guides 1
Routes 269
Photos 613
Triplogs 1,360

50 male

Joined Dec 22 2003
Tucson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Canyoneering		Jun 28 2015
		RedwallNHops • Triplogs 1,360

Canyoneering	2.82 Miles	1,479 AEG

Canyoneering	2.82 Miles	5 Hrs 15 Mns	0.54 mph
	1,479 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

partners

GrottoGirl

I think Wilbur is my favorite WCC canyon...especially with the sneak route!

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Jun 28 2015

GrottoGirl

Guides 3
Routes 569
Photos 11,976
Triplogs 1,634

50 female

Joined Sep 18 2009
Tucson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Canyoneering		Jun 28 2015
		GrottoGirl • Triplogs 1,634

Canyoneering	2.82 Miles	1,479 AEG

Canyoneering	2.82 Miles	5 Hrs 15 Mns	0.54 mph
	1,479 ft AEG

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Had a wonderful time in Wilbur with our group of 5 canyoneers! This canyon is an action packed obstacle course that will give any Tough Mudder a run for it's money! To add to the enjoyment we did the sneak route which meant we didn't have to suffer the two mile slippery side along the rocks in WCC - although Joel did nearly smash his head and break his leg anyway!

For those who are into videos: https://youtube.com ... f1qg

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Jun 06 2015

oceanwithin

Photos 377
Triplogs 579

female

Joined Jun 19 2009
AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Canyoneering		Jun 06 2015
		oceanwithin • Triplogs 579

Canyoneering	2.00 Miles	900 AEG

Canyoneering	2.00 Miles
	900 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

West Clear Creek Sneak Route = :y:

Had an absolute blast with a fun group descending this AMAZING wcc canyon. I nearly forgot how fun and beautiful this one is, it blew my mind once again! Doing the sneak route cut off about half the average time and greatly improved the reward to effort ratio, since we were able to skip the usual long slip-n-slide out of wcc.

The muddy roads were another story altogether, had some pretty crazy wheeling to do but we made it one piece, just barely. It turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day, everything was all happy and green and mossy from the recent rains. Love this area so much!! Already ready to go back.

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1 archive

Aug 17 2014

RedwallNHops

Guides 1
Routes 269
Photos 613
Triplogs 1,360

50 male

Joined Dec 22 2003
Tucson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Canyoneering		Aug 17 2014
		RedwallNHops • Triplogs 1,360

Canyoneering	5.17 Miles	1,317 AEG

Canyoneering	5.17 Miles
	1,317 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

partners

GrottoGirl

Pivo

Wilbur was beautiful and a lot of fun. The stretch of WCC to get out was tough, but not as tough as X-Pine.

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Aug 17 2014

GrottoGirl

Guides 3
Routes 569
Photos 11,976
Triplogs 1,634

50 female

Joined Sep 18 2009
Tucson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Canyoneering		Aug 17 2014
		GrottoGirl • Triplogs 1,634

Canyoneering	4.70 Miles	900 AEG

Canyoneering	4.70 Miles
	900 ft AEG

Intermediate Canyoneering - Difficult or dangerous; Tech Climb; rope reqd; descent anchor; exit technical;

B - Up to light current; wading/swimming; possible wet/dry suit

III - Normally requires most of a day

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

partners

Pivo

RedwallNHops

5 of us completed the canyon and the section in West Clear Creek in under 8 hours. Unfortunately, as the day before I ran out of battery in my small Canon waterproof camera and this time although I had extra batteries I had left them in the car because I thought I had a fully recharged battery.

This is definitely one of the best canyons in West Clear Creek! What makes it good? Lots of problems! We partner captured down 15 foot climbs, we crawled while praying to the canyon gods down slippery logs, we swam across a few pools of canyon stew, and we rappelled down some amazingly sculpted sandstone walls. The best was narrows at the end and the last rappel!

Then we had two miles in West Clear Creek... WCC is amazing beautiful. Luckily, we were able to stay out of the water a lot which helped. But it definitely adds to the difficulty of this trip. I am glad that I'm in tip top shape from training for all our climbing trips else the two days of canyoneering in WCC would have put me over the edge!

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Aug 17 2014

Pivo

Guides 2
Routes 512
Photos 5,579
Triplogs 4,278

69 male

Joined Mar 01 2009
Aztec, NM

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Canyoneering		Aug 17 2014
		Pivo • Triplogs 4,278

Canyoneering	5.17 Miles	1,317 AEG

Canyoneering	5.17 Miles
	1,317 ft AEG		20 LBS Pack

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

partners

GrottoGirl

RedwallNHops

I really enjoyed this one, after the beating I took the day before, I wasn't sure if I would be up for this. It turned out to be a great, and full day.

So much for the 0730 HARD Start time. The Norb's and the two kids, slept in a little, but we did get out of camp 30 minutes or so earlier than the day before.

We drove up a series of FS roads to the start point. All of the info we had recommended a capable 4x4 vehicle. There was some mud, but nothing a high clearance/ AWD vehicle couldn't handle (your results may vary). My 80 series Land Cruiser never went into low range, or locked any of the differentials. Just street mode all of the way.

Parked and made our way down into the canyon, soon after we geared up; wetsuits included. I am glad that we had them, even in August. It could have been completed without one, with some discomfort. If it was breezy in the canyon, it would have sucked without one.

After 30 minutes or so we ran into a couple we had seen where we parked.They didn't have any wetsuits, and the women was wearing shorts, and short sleeves. There was plenty of poison ivy in both the canyon and WCC. WE never saw them again, believing that they decided to abort without wetsuits.

We made our way through the canyon without incident, and then out through WCC , and up to the LC.

The drive home was long and slow. The 17 had been closed earlier due to two accidents, so travel was slooooow. When we hit the Southern communities on our way back to Tucson we encountered a Haboob, then thankfully it stared to rain, helping clear the airborne dust, and improving visibility.
The lightning show was awesome back to Tucson.

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1 archive

Jun 14 2014

knmurphy

Photos 281
Triplogs 222

45 male

Joined Aug 03 2008
Chandler, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Canyoneering		Jun 14 2014
		knmurphy • Triplogs 222

Canyoneering	4.70 Miles	900 AEG

Canyoneering	4.70 Miles
	900 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Quick trip through going the sneak route from 142C. Water levels are lower than usual, only the one swimmer near the end.

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Sep 14 2013

knmurphy

Photos 281
Triplogs 222

45 male

Joined Aug 03 2008
Chandler, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Canyoneering		Sep 14 2013
		knmurphy • Triplogs 222

Canyoneering	2.00 Miles	900 AEG

Canyoneering	2.00 Miles	4 Hrs	0.50 mph
	900 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Entered Wilbur via the sneak route on the east side of the canyon. Water levels were higher then I've seen on previous trips and the narrows were very mossy and beautiful. We made it down to WCC in about 2.5 hours from the car, ate lunch and enjoyed the creek. After a short break we started heading east down WCC and soon located the drainage we would be climbing out. About 3/4 of the way up we encountered some rain and then some pea sized hail that forced us to hide under our umbrellas for a few minutes. After the hail passed it was a short walk back to the truck. The very muddy roads on the exit proved to be almost as much adventure as the canyon itself.

_____________________

Jul 23 2013

outdoor_lover

Guides 7
Routes 72
Photos 14,456
Triplogs 627

62 female

Joined Aug 19 2011
Scottsdale, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Canyoneering		Jul 23 2013
		outdoor_lover • Triplogs 627

Canyoneering	4.70 Miles	900 AEG

Canyoneering	4.70 Miles
	900 ft AEG		15 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Calloway Trail #33

Partners

partners

desert_boonie

Sooo, Ken and I originally had a Backpack Trip planned, but when he suggested something Technical with Car Camping instead, I was all over it... :DANCE:

We tossed around some ideas and came up with a plan...Day 1, we would meet up and do Wilbur Canyon...Ken has done this one before and was confident that I could handle it, so it was on...

We met up in Camp Verde and drove on up...Left my Vehicle and continued in Ken's to the Calloway TH...Got geared up, Ken showed me a couple of things about my new Gear and built me a Prusik and a Safety Tether. Then I gave him a Photo 101 session with my new Waterproof Camera...

And then we were off...

Hiked over and dropped into Wilbur and followed it down...Started running into Water fairly early and after a bit, it was actually flowing...The Monsoons have been good to this area...

Canyon started to tighten up and the fun really started...A few small Rappels and a couple of tricky Downclimbs and then we were into the Narrows...It was incredible...And the Rappelling began in earnest... :y:

Ken went first so he could belay me from below and I followed...Had a little trouble on one and hit a big learning curve, complete with a little loss of Skin and Bone...Why is it that when you hit a Rock, it's never on a "meaty" part of the Body??? :sweat:

Had a big Mental Block on a Downclimb too, although it turned out fine, it just took me awhile to figure it out and get past some trepidation...I've never done this type of "Downclimbing" before and it's going to be a matter of just getting more experience I think, plus some Boost in Confidence, both in myself and my Gear...

Ken was more than patient... : app :

Learned quite a bit on this Trip and it was an awesome Canyon...

Before we knew it, we were in West Clear Creek...Clouds were building, so after a Break we headed down the Creek towards the Calloway Trail. The first 3/4 mile or so wasn't bad, as we only had to do some minor Bushwacking and had a Trail to follow most of the way.

The last 1 1/2 Miles of Creek was a whole different story...It pretty much kicked my A**! Knee Deep Water paved with small Boulders covered in Slime...There was just no keeping your footing...Ken's pace slowed to about 1 MPH, while mine was about half that... :sweat:

You began to wish for 1 of 3 things...Chest High or Deeper Water, Shallow Water with exposed Rock, or Gravel/Sand Bars or at least Spots...Every great once in awhile, your Wish came true and it was a huge Relief, but it was very, very rare... :sweat:

Then, the Sky got dark and added insult to injury, making the Water dark, so you could no longer see where you were stepping...I lost count of how many times I just flat out fell...And the Falls were neither Graceful or Painless... :sweat:

That Mile and a Half of Creek beat me up more than any other Hike/Trip I've ever done... :stretch:

I love West Clear Creek. It is Beautiful. But when you're trying to make Time through it, it can be downright Brutal.... :sl:

I have never been so happy to see a Trail in my entire Life!!! I didn't even care that it was the start of a steep Uphill, I was finally out of that Creek... :sweat:

Started to Rain as we ascended up Calloway...I told Ken I'd meet him at the Jeep, I knew I was in for a slow go of it...I was toast...But I made it, fueled in part by the now fairly close Lightning and the Rain...Drove out in some serious, serious Mud and finally got back to my Escape and then went and set up Camp, in the Dark... :sweat:

Luckily, it had quit Raining by then...After medicating heavily with Ibuprofen and Wine, I decided that it had still been a Great Day! :lol:

Got up to partly Cloudy Skies in the Morning which was not a good sign...We had another Canyon planned, but after some delays we decided that it was too late to start one...Good thing too, because the Skies opened up by 11:30 A.M. and the Deluge never quit...By 12:30, the Forest Roads were literally Rivers...It had to have been Raining at the Rate of 2" an Hour and it just wouldn't quit...Soooo glad that we were not in a Canyon at that point!!!! They had to have been Flashing!!!

Trying to set up another Camp and attempting to stay dry was looking pretty impossible. The Weather Forecast wasn't looking much better for the next day either, so we decided to cut the Trip short and head back to town...The Canyons will still be there and the Weather will be better, so we'll save them for another Day...

Thanks for taking me down Wilbur, Ken! It really was awesome!!! Looking forward to the next one!!! : app :

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Unidentified Fauna

Wildflowers Observation Light

Jack Pine Tank

76-100% full

Wilbur Canyon

Pools to trickle

_____________________

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming, "Wow What a Ride!"

Aug 21 2012

pfredricks

Photos 87
Triplogs 25

53 male

Joined Oct 18 2002
Glendale, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Canyoneering		Aug 21 2012
		pfredricks • Triplogs 25

Canyoneering	4.70 Miles	900 AEG

Canyoneering	4.70 Miles
	900 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Did with Balaclava and Mike. Awesome canyon, even better company.

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"I'd feel better if we had some crampons. Oh, what the hell, let's go for it..." — Common climbing last words.

Aug 19 2012

desert_boonie

Guides 2
Photos 1,691
Triplogs 212

45 male

Joined Aug 05 2004
Peoria, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Wilbur Canyon

Payson, AZ

Canyoneering		Aug 19 2012
		desert_boonie • Triplogs 212

Canyoneering	4.70 Miles	900 AEG

Canyoneering	4.70 Miles	8 Hrs	0.59 mph
	900 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

partners

pfredricks

Ragnarok

Decided to do another canyon up in WCC. Weather wasn't looking too bad so with Pete in for another adventure we set the date for Sunday to go. My buddy Mike joined us so we had someone to make fun of the entire time, I mean to safety check Pete as it was his first time doing some technical fun. The drive in on 142B gets bumpy and slick after some rain. Nothing too bad, but for some reason we all knew if it started to rain before we were out it could get interesting to get back out.
We arrived at the trailhead at 9:30 in sunny clear skies. Pete sets the marks on his GPS which kept turning off so we wouldn't get lost. Making your way to the trailhead to enter the canyon is pleasant. A nice off trail hike in the pines to the dominate canyon. We entered Wilbur and went down. Pete tried to stay high for as long as he could for some reason while Mike and I were in the canyon avoiding the new pools from the rain. It is very shallow and not the most exciting canyon at first but then non stop fun starts. I nice pool you cannont avoid that was waist high, the cursing (in a good way) began. Pete was with no neoprene so he got to experience the colder side of the water more, although it really wasn't too bad. After this pool comes a nice drop into another that Pete downclimbed somehow on the slick mossy rock, while I was the body anchor for Mike to rappel down. I made the down climb next and while up on the small lede Pete came up and gave me his shoulders to stand on and lowered me down. What a guy. A few more short down climbs or short rappels into another giant pool gave way to the big drops.
Wilbur was so beautiful from this point. The narrow rappel sections are just awesome. The first drop of 80ft or so is amazing. Not to mention pretty much Pete's first time rappeling. I inspected the anchor and set the rappel and went down first to clean the rope out of the keeper pothole towards the bottom. Pete was next, safety checked by Mike which was the plan and came down with a giant smile on his face. "This is what I always wanted to do"
The next rappels come right after another and are just awesome. The giant log pool was annoying as we just rappeled the entire way and didn't set up 2 seperate ones, so I had to do a balance act on the log with Pete and Mike laughing at before I just went in the stinky pool. Once down the entire way I held the rope tight for Pete and he made it with ease, then we just heard a splash for Mike. We got down and noticed several dead mice in the pools, good thing I went back in to help Mike get the rope down.
The last pool to swim in before the final rappel was chilly but nice, swimmnig a narrow section. The final rappel is awesome as the canyon opens up and you see WCC and rappel right into some fresh clean water. We all made it down and enjoyed the swim to shore.
Thunder was crashing now and it started to rain on us while traversing WCC to get to the trail.
I read a report saying it takes an hour or so, well 3 1/2 hours later after some second guessing the map and myself, a on again off again gps, Pete held strong the trail was still ahead of us and we didn't pass it. The weather was turning ugly and I knew we needed to get out, luckily Pete found the trail and we were all glad. Mike was beat for sure as we hiked up in the heavy rain. As I slogged up the trail my next fear was getting out once we reached the Jeep.
As we got ready to drive out the rain let up and we rolled. Sliding around in the mud and rocky roads was nerve racking at first but then it just seemed to get better and I think we all knew we were good. The Jeep made it out with no problems and a lot of mud underneath, so she was happy. I was just glad to not be driving a CRV.
We made it out of the FRs and back into clear sunsetting skies for the drive home. The smell in the Jeep on the drive back was just great. lol As much as we hate somethings, we will be back for another canyon soon. lol
Glad to be out with you again Pete, it always seems to be something a little more when we hook up. I just wonder what the next adventure will bring. I'm also happy Mike's skills are improving, it is a lot less stressful to not worry about people when you are out on stuff like this.

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"Never Satisfied"

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WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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