The Hype
Monoxide East Fork is a fairly open canyon with two short drops. It’s not very interesting by itself, but it makes a great exit if you are doing Monoxide West Fork.
Getting There
Follow Highway 95 from Hanksville South to mile 15.5 then turn East (left) onto the Burr Point Road. At mile 4.5 turn stay right. At around mile 5.5 the road turns a corner and starts to head NE. There’s a minor side road coming in from the South here. Park here (or drive 1/4 mile further South on the side road).
The Canyon
Follow the spur road South from the parking area about 1/4 mile and then follow the first major drainage heading SW. Make sure you don’t accidentally get into the West Fork. Actually, forget that. You should go into the West fork. This is a much better trip as an exit to the West Fork.
Assuming you ignore this advice, the first obstacle to overcome is a large boulder pile. This can be downclimbed on the left looking downcanyon (LDC) side. A little bit further is a short drop in a broad canyon. This might be downclimbable in the narrow right RDC side, but it’s probably safer to set up an easy rap off one of the boulders on the LDC side (about 30 feet). Continue in a relatively open canyon past a few more short climbs to the junction with the West Fork.
The Exit
Exit the way you came, or hike up the prow of land between the East and West Forks.
Red Tape
No permit required. This canyon is on BLM land. Group size limits are usually 12 people on BLM land.
Access and other information for this area can be attained from the Coalition of American Canyoneers website at:
http://www.americancanyoneers.org/what-we-do/access/
http://www.americancanyoneers.org/access-north-wash-ticaboo/
