The Hype
Tumbleweed Balcony Canyon is a short, fun slot that ends in a fabulous overlook. While no ropes are needed there are several downclimbs that may be hard for beginners. There are four potholes that hold enough water to be swimmers after a storm, and with the less than full water levels they could be hard to escape from without a partner. The canyon can be combined with Garden Balcony Canyon (to the SW) for a longer day.
Getting There
To get to the trailhead drive south from Hanksville on the 95. At Mile 10 turn East onto the Angel Point road. At the prominent Y intersection stay right (instead of heading to Angel Point) and continue on this main road until it ends at a drill hole site.
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The parking area is the same as for Garden Balcony (which can be combined with Tumbleweed Balcony to make a longer day).
To get to the canyon head follow a rough road for about 1/4 mile to the edge of a broad drainage on your N. Walk NW along the top of this drainage, and then continue NW until you hit the next major drainage which is about 1 mile NE of the parking area. Tumbleweed Balcony is the obvious slot in Navajo layer in the bottom of this drainage.
On the NE side of Tumbleweed Balcony is a broad peninsula of land separating Tumbleweed Balcony from a deeper, more open canyon to the west.
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From the end of this peninsula find your way down a series of benches onto the slickrock below. You should never have to climb anything tricky. Once on the slickrock, contour right (SE) to the head of the canyon. The last 50 feet is an exposed-looking traverse over the top of the canyon but it’s easier than it looks.
The Canyon
To enter the canyon down climb the upper end of the slot.
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It’s not hard, but it is a bit exposed so a 30 ft handline could be useful. The canyon narrows quickly and you slide/climb down a series of obstacles to a point where it widens and it looks like you might just be able to climb out on the west. It quickly narrows again and you encounter a series of four potholes. Two weeks after a rain these potholes were still full of water and two of them required swimming. They should be easy to get out with a partner assist, but for a solo canyoneer these could be semi-keepers on the way out.
The canyon ends in a spectacular balcony overlooking the Dirty Devil river. Most parties will choose not to rappel this as it is a LONG hike to the trails back up at Angel Point or Poison Spring.
The Exit
To exit the canyon, return the way you came. The climbs up are harder than on the way down, and elbow and knee pads may be useful.
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/
