Canyoneer North Fork of Iron Wash San Rafael Swell BLM, UT

May 20, 2023 — The North Fork of Iron Wash is notorious for its particularly tricky keeper pothole, the final obstacle before exiting the slot. We were lucky the water was high, and were therefore able swim through it without issue, but that might not be the case on future visits. After completing the canyon, we decided we thought it would be more fun to re-ascend the canyon, so this route assumes you're doing the same. The added benefit of returning through the canyon is that you can avoid getting trapped if the keeper pothole is impassable. Of course, this requires setting a fixed line to ascend the trivial rappels. The canyon is beautiful and fun, but short-lived.

To reach the trailhead, leave pavement here (38.69983, -110.51272) and pass through a gate. A Crossover vehicle or better is required for clearance, mostly just for dipping in and out of eroded washes. We hiked along a closed mining road, which leads in and out of a wash before turning left and ascended onto the Swell. The road ends at an old drilling mechanism, where the route becomes cross-country. Continuing northwest along the slanted sandstone slabs, we reached an overlook into one of the forks of Iron Wash that would lead us to the canyon. Picking our way down Class 2 obstacles, we reached its sandy bottom and continued within the drainage. Along the way we overcame a couple of minor obstacles, as well as avoided a notably large dryfall on the right.

Now at the head of the North Fork of Iron Wash, we started into the narrows. The majority of the canyon is nontechnical, just requiring some Class 2/3 obstacles. We were even able to avoid much of the water by climbing on the heavily-pocketed canyon walls. Enjoying the obstacles and skipping the first set of wet sections, we only put on wetsuits when it was clear the canyon was getting deeper and getting dunked was likely inevitable.

The North Fork of Iron Wash narrowed into a stemmable section and soon we were at the top of the only rappel. A fixed line was already in place, so we just used it to drop into a swimmer below. I highly recommend making sure not to pull your line here in case you need to head back once you reach the tricky keeper pothole at the end. Of course, you should be sure you can up-climb everything in the canyon to this point as well. A couple more twists led us into a darker, deeper portion of the canyon, where fun stemming descended to the keeper pothole. Ryan explains the pothole is a serious endeavor, and while it was effortless due to the high water and since there was a bolted handline in place for us, it's never a good idea to assume this will be the case during your visit.

Past the keeper, the North Fork of Iron Wash opens for a short time before narrowing again for a few hundred more feet. Aside from some light scrambling, there's nothing else technical. We decided to just turn back here and enjoy the fun obstacles in reverse. You can continue down the canyon and locate an escape route back up to the sandstone slabs above, but it's rare to have a canyon this fun that can be re-ascended, so I recommend doing it this way. The stats and the Class 4 rating I gave this route assume you'll be returning, making this an out-and-back.