Maidenwater Canyon (Upper Middle Fork) in North Wash BLM, UT

Hike Maidenwater Canyon (Upper Middle Fork) North Wash BLM, UT

Class 5 1.8 miles 500 gain 1-2 hr Loop Oct 24, 2019
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

Maidenwater Canyon (Upper Middle Fork) GPX Track

I need to offset my substantial website costs somehow! You can download a hike/drive GPX to assist you here. Before sharing my GPX tracks with others, please remember my site is otherwise a free resource.

It's important to note that I rated this canyon as an ascent route because that's how we approached it. Most would likely rather descend this canyon using gear (technical rating 3A, longest rappel 30 feet). Doing this route as a descent route would definitely be a lot of fun as well, but I would highly recommend doing it as an up-climb. It's rare you can do an entire canyon bottom up without being faced with severe and usually unclimbable dryfall cliff-outs. For those who decide to rappel the canyon, it's a really pretty canyon and serves as a short and sweet descent just off the highway, but it's certainly less difficult as a descent. I rated this route Class 5 not for the exposure or risk factor associated with falling, but because the moves are difficult. 

Matt and I saw this slot off the side of the road and decided to explore. We later found out this canyon is named Middle Fork of Maidenwater Canyon. We dropped off the highway down an eroded slope and entered the canyon, where we noted a human-made tunnel that re-routed the water under the highway. We encountered a few minor obstacles for the first bit of the canyon, but then got to some real stemming moves. We spotted webbing at the top of each climb, and I'd recommend bringing at least some webbing in case you decide to bail and want an easier way back down. The dryfall obstacles progressively got more and more difficult, and took all sorts of interesting movements to ascend. The final dryfall (or, the first dryfall if you're descending) was particularly interesting, involving scrambling up about 15 feet under a boulder, climbing out the front of it, and squirming up over the lip. Pics below will likely give better context of what to expect. What a blast.

The canyon appeared to narrow up again a little farther up, but we were looking for an escape as the sun was setting, and took the first one we could find to get up onto the ridge just south of Middle Fork of Maidenwater Canyon. Explore up farther if you have time. We headed south on pretty easy terrain, working our way to a sloping ridge to the south. We followed animal/social trails east back to the car.

Hire me or show me some love!

Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!

We dropped into the canyon from the road on steep terrain. In case you didn't read my trip report above, please note we ascended this canyon, not a descent.
We dropped into the canyon from the road on steep terrain. In case you didn't read my trip report above, please note we ascended this canyon, not a descent.
Ascending the pretty narrows.
Ascending the pretty narrows.
Image 2 from gallery
Some minor obstacles as we progress up the canyon.
Some minor obstacles as we progress up the canyon.
And then Maidenwater Canyon (Upper Middle Fork) got narrow and pretty.
And then Maidenwater Canyon (Upper Middle Fork) got narrow and pretty.
Some minor obstacles early on in the canyon.
Some minor obstacles early on in the canyon.
Image 6 from gallery
Image 7 from gallery
The obstacles becomes trickier, requiring some stemming to get over big boulders.
The obstacles becomes trickier, requiring some stemming to get over big boulders.
More fun obstacles.
More fun obstacles.
Image 10 from gallery
Image 11 from gallery
Image 12 from gallery
Image 13 from gallery
Image 14 from gallery
We felt the canyon's difficulty progressed as we got farther toward its head.
We felt the canyon's difficulty progressed as we got farther toward its head.
Image 16 from gallery
The second to last major obstacle.
The second to last major obstacle.
Image 18 from gallery
Final obstacle to reach the canyon head.
Final obstacle to reach the canyon head.
Matt at the top of the final obstacle. This required crawling behind the boulder he's on, then squirming up and around the upper larger boulder.
Matt at the top of the final obstacle. This required crawling behind the boulder he's on, then squirming up and around the upper larger boulder.
Above the final obstacle.
Above the final obstacle.
View back into the canyon. We made our way to the ridge on the right.
View back into the canyon. We made our way to the ridge on the right.
We headed down the sloping ridge back to the car. Mount Holmes visible in the distance.
We headed down the sloping ridge back to the car. Mount Holmes visible in the distance.

Hire me or show me some love!

Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I’m not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!