Backcountry Pilot • PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

Discuss your knowledge of airports and off-airport strips. Help inform other pilots of status, warnings, noise abatement, and closure endangerment. See also: http://www.shortfield.com
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Wed Apr 09, 2014 3:19 pm

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

mountainmatt wrote:I too am interested in hiking the Happy Canyon Narrows perhaps this summer, how is the hike and entry from the Happy Canyon strip?


The hardest part is scrambling off the mesa that the airport sits on down into the wash. After you get into the wash it is an easy but LONG hike to where the narrows start. If you pull a straight line on the map it dosn't look very far, but with the twists and turns of the wash it is a solid 8 mile hike (one way) from Happy Canyon airstrip to the start of the narrows. I would recommend taking backpacking gear and planning on an overnigher to be able to have time to enjoy the narrows. Also, "summer" might not be a good time to do this hike... it would be HOT and DRY! Most pilots I know enjoy the Utah backcountry in the spring and fall and head to Idaho in the summer.
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Wed Apr 09, 2014 3:52 pm

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

RezRider - I've looked at getting to the slot canyon in Happy Canyon on mountain bikes both ways, from the Happy Canyon Strip and from the Dirty Devil Strip, but I haven't tried it yet. The problem I see from the Dirty Devil side is getting down off the road into the slot canyon. It looks pretty steep and nasty. I'd be very interested if you can do it. It's much shorter than coming in from the Happy Canyon side. How bad is the old mining road? I've walked down it a bit from Dirty Devil and it wasn't bad at all, for a mountain bike. Does it deteriorate quickly? Same question for the Happy Canyon side.

Gary - That's the old runway in Green River where you landed. I've heard that people still use it - are they cool with it? The new airport is South of town a ways, and I've never found fuel available there - I've given up on it.

SixtwoLeemer - I've never heard of landing on the other side by the Hotel, that looks sweet. I'm guessing the hotel doesn't mind at all.
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Wed Apr 09, 2014 8:38 pm

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

Rezrider wrote:From the happy canyon strip it looks like 7 miles of wash EACH WAY to the top of the slot, the slot looks like 2 miles so thats 18 mile round trip.
It looks like a mile or two longer from the dirty devil strip but that old jeep track may be quicker, with or without bikes. Either way it's a long day.
If you don't see my report on the trip around Monday then come find me!


Rez, there are some folks doing maintenance at Happy Canyon this Saturday so if you go, there should be some action. We are going thru Poison Spring on motorcycles on Saturday too.

I looked at Google Earth today and its a longer hike than I thought from Dirt Devil Airstrip. Im now thinking the best in and out with plane would to be to land on Burr Point and do Kelsey's hike down the miners rappel to Happy Canyon, see the narrows and back out. The others seem too long and difficult.

Good luck. If you see bikes, you have expressed permission to buzz :D :D :D :D
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Wed Apr 09, 2014 9:56 pm

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

amacbean wrote:RezRider - I've looked at getting to the slot canyon in Happy Canyon on mountain bikes both ways, from the Happy Canyon Strip and from the Dirty Devil Strip, but I haven't tried it yet. The problem I see from the Dirty Devil side is getting down off the road into the slot canyon. It looks pretty steep and nasty. I'd be very interested if you can do it. It's much shorter than coming in from the Happy Canyon side. How bad is the old mining road? I've walked down it a bit from Dirty Devil and it wasn't bad at all, for a mountain bike. Does it deteriorate quickly? Same question for the Happy Canyon side.

Gary - That's the old runway in Green River where you landed. I've heard that people still use it - are they cool with it? The new airport is South of town a ways, and I've never found fuel available there - I've given up on it.

SixtwoLeemer - I've never heard of landing on the other side by the Hotel, that looks sweet. I'm guessing the hotel doesn't mind at all.


Yip, it's hard to tell just by looking at google earth. The only way to know for sure is to try it. We may go back to the hike from the happy side and do the bikes another time, not sure yet. I'll let you guys know once I get back. If we do go with the bikes then we have to stash the bikes at the end of that road and scramble down the slope.
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Wed Apr 09, 2014 9:59 pm

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

SixTwoLeemer wrote:
Rezrider wrote:From the happy canyon strip it looks like 7 miles of wash EACH WAY to the top of the slot, the slot looks like 2 miles so thats 18 mile round trip.
It looks like a mile or two longer from the dirty devil strip but that old jeep track may be quicker, with or without bikes. Either way it's a long day.
If you don't see my report on the trip around Monday then come find me!


Rez, there are some folks doing maintenance at Happy Canyon this Saturday so if you go, there should be some action. We are going thru Poison Spring on motorcycles on Saturday too.

I looked at Google Earth today and its a longer hike than I thought from Dirt Devil Airstrip. Im now thinking the best in and out with plane would to be to land on Burr Point and do Kelsey's hike down the miners rappel to Happy Canyon, see the narrows and back out. The others seem too long and difficult.

Good luck. If you see bikes, you have expressed permission to buzz :D :D :D :D


Talked to Steve on the phone and he mentioned airstrip work this weekend. I'll look out for you guys, I'm in a grey Maule with blue trim.
I also thought about the mesa at burr point but I don't have big tires for that, I'll check out the road tho.
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Thu Apr 10, 2014 9:32 am

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

amacbean wrote:SixtwoLeemer - I've never heard of landing on the other side by the Hotel, that looks sweet. I'm guessing the hotel doesn't mind at all.


No they encourage it. There were 3 R44's parked out in the parking lot a few weeks ago. Almost anything goes in Green River.

It looks like the strip is the old highway from what I can tell. Wish I could get the 205 in there…
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Thu Apr 10, 2014 8:32 pm

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

so i have been google earthing the upper east end of happy canyon…….. It looks like a guy could land right on the dry river bed or maybe on that old road just a few hundred yards up from the mouth and save a lot of walking…. hard to say with just google earth. anyone walked that area with and eye to landing there?

I was planning to go down saturday for the clean up but would be fun to get to hike that slot first thing in the morning, but i'm not really feeling the love for an 8 mile hike first.
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Sat Apr 12, 2014 3:20 pm

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

Rezrider wrote:
Grassstrippilot wrote:Yes please let us know how it goes and what you find as far as water levels, etc. in the slot. Really looking forward to checking the area out.


I just realized that you referenced hidden splendor and the muddy creek slot in your posts above. The muddy creek slot/chute has water flowing at various levels throughout the year, some guys try to kayak it during the 2 weeks per year that it's high enough.

The happy slot that I'm going to should be dry apart from seasonal runoff. I'll let you know either way.
When I first read your post I thought that you were headed to happy canyon too!


Hey Rez,

Yeah I've read that you'll get wet doing the one by Hidden Splendor and that at some times of the year people kayak it. Let us know how the one down at Happy Canyon works out. Like Blu, I'm not real keen on a 18 mile hike, but unlike him, I don't have the option to land where he can! Hope you're having a great trip!
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Sat Apr 12, 2014 3:22 pm

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

SixTwoLeemer wrote:
amacbean wrote:SixtwoLeemer - I've never heard of landing on the other side by the Hotel, that looks sweet. I'm guessing the hotel doesn't mind at all.


No they encourage it. There were 3 R44's parked out in the parking lot a few weeks ago. Almost anything goes in Green River.

It looks like the strip is the old highway from what I can tell. Wish I could get the 205 in there…
Image


Hmmm...I think it will go there! Maybe I'll drop in this next week when I'm in the area.
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Sat Apr 12, 2014 3:50 pm

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

Went down to Happy Canyon this morning…….You can't always trust google earth [-X

I did find a good spot but none of the ones from google earth panned out. Its a good spot and only about 400 yards from where the canyon meets the river. You do have to walk down a steep trail and wade the river though. (its only knee deep)

Its a cool slot Canyon better than i expected and an easy hike once you get in it no drop offs and a sandy bottom.

Was a fun morning although no one showed up to work on the runway :cry:

On the plus side its really in great shape anyway

below is a link to a short clip of where i landed and some shots of the canyon…… if anyone wants to imbed it feel free

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXWOyvqAUs0

Just to point out the obvious its probably not a spot for everyone, you need the right plane and the right practice… but there are quite a few of those guys on this site so i thought it might be helpful to some and maybe entertaining for the rest :roll: (you know who you are)
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Sat Apr 12, 2014 4:54 pm

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

Blu
How much of a patch do ya figure is there for landin and takin off?
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Sat Apr 12, 2014 6:37 pm

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

Awesome Blu! Some day when I have the other half of the equation, I look forward to being able to land wherever I want!
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Sat Apr 12, 2014 7:44 pm

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

shortfielder wrote:Blu
How much of a patch do ya figure is there for landin and takin off?
Gary


Google earth says its 350-400' but it feels bigger. That cliff at the end gives you and automatic 200' of altitude as soon as you go off it and its surprisingly smooth (no ditches or holes just some small bumps) with a pretty decent although curving approach.

I dropped all my extra gear and extra fuel at happy canyon strip first so i could make my exploratory landings extra light but now that i've done it i would land with a passenger and gear. Usual rules: in the morning, good weather,light winds ect.

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Sat Apr 12, 2014 9:36 pm

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

That video is great Blu, thanks for sharing the info.

Next time I'm in UT I'd like to make this hike, so please keep this thread alive with updated info.
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Sun Apr 13, 2014 8:53 am

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

Next time I'm in UT I'd like to make this hike, so please keep this thread alive with updated info

And, next time ya land, see if ya can't clear it out a little :lol:
Thanks Blu I would like to land there.
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Sun Apr 13, 2014 4:41 pm

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

Blu wrote:Went down to Happy Canyon this morning…….You can't always trust google earth [-X

I did find a good spot but none of the ones from google earth panned out. Its a good spot and only about 400 yards from where the canyon meets the river. You do have to walk down a steep trail and wade the river though. (its only knee deep)

Its a cool slot Canyon better than i expected and an easy hike once you get in it no drop offs and a sandy bottom.

Was a fun morning although no one showed up to work on the runway :cry:

On the plus side its really in great shape anyway

below is a link to a short clip of where i landed and some shots of the canyon…… if anyone wants to imbed it feel free

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXWOyvqAUs0

Just to point out the obvious its probably not a spot for everyone, you need the right plane and the right practice… but there are quite a few of those guys on this site so i thought it might be helpful to some and maybe entertaining for the rest :roll: (you know who you are)


We saw you flying over while we were down in the slot, that was my Maule at the happy canyon strip. The boaters were in the slot when we got there and told us all about your landing and joining them for breakfast!.
I'll put together a full report in the next day or so. Just washing all the mud off from the rain this morning.
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Sun Apr 13, 2014 8:59 pm

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

Rezrider wrote:I'll put together a full report in the next day or so.

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Tue Apr 15, 2014 3:13 pm

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

Well, here's how it turned out.
We decided against the bikes idea and choose to keep it light and simple.

I met my buddy at Hall's crossing and he left his plane there, we loaded his stuff into the Maule and headed for Happy canyon. It was a little windy and bumpy in the canyons with some impressive downdrafts too.
When we got to happy canyon strip the wind was blowing out of the south. I took a look at the north south runway and it didn't look too bad so landed on 18. A little rough but fine.
We tied down and setup camp for the night, the spring winds were picking up.

The next morning we got going early and hit the wash after tea and breakfast. We scouted out an easy route off the airstrip bench towards the west point the night before. The clouds were building making it perfect for hiking. It took about 3 hours to the top of the slot. The slot was great and got deeper as we neared the river.
Overhead we saw a yellow cub that we found out later was Blu buzzing around. We had a long lunch break at the river. Met the boaters who had breakfast with Blu. They told us about his 'crazy' landing on a bench above the river!

180 degrees later we were headed back up the slot that we just came through, only this time the sun's angle had changed making it look even better.
The slog back on the wash was starting to get a little long by the time we reached the airstrip. We found our scramble route up the mesa and was back in camp in time for beer and a sunset.
No other planes were there except us, I guess Blu made a visit but that was it.

The clouds were now producing a slight shower here or there which was refreshing on the hike back.
It took us 8 hours of hiking time to cover the 20 miles round trip. We kept it light and moved at a good pace.

After beers around the fire we ate and hit the sack. That night the clouds were blowing through with the odd shower. The winds picked up early Sunday morning and it started to rain. I thought that this was a typical spring shower that would blow through in 10 minutes, wrong!
It poured solid for about 45 minutes, my tent was starting to leak a bit. I bravely ventured out of the tent in search of tea and immediately got bogged down in the muddy quagmire!
Now I'm starting to wonder about getting out of here. It's pretty soggy out there although the runway was firmer than the surrounding areas.

We loaded up the muddy camping stuff, left behind the unused firewood and water, and blazed outta there on 27. Mud on the tires and splatterings on the wings and struts!
I made a landing and takeoff at Dirty Devil strip, it was damp but firm and in good shape.
Back to U96 then homeward bound.

A great trip, fantastic place to camp. The slot was worth the slog getting there and back. I still think bikes might be feasible from the dirty devil strip, the scramble to the top of the slot would be tough.
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Tue Apr 15, 2014 4:13 pm

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

Mike and I were hoping to make it to Happy Canyon over the weekend, but the weather on Saturday and Sunday made us change plans. This week we are operating out of Hanksville. Today we visited Hidden Splendor, Cedar Mountain, and Mexican Mountain. Met some backpackers at Mexican Mountain who got a video of our arrival. Back at Hanksville for this evening. We are enjoying the slightly bigger feet on the Rebel - 29 Airstreaks. Also glad for the gas bladder I won at BCP Fly-in last summer. We will be flying around here thru the end of this week (4/18) before moving this entourage back towards E98.
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Wed Apr 16, 2014 8:24 pm

Re: PITEPS Wanted: SE Utah

Enjoyed reading your report, wish I would of stayed in the slot a little longer would of been nice to meet up and visit.

Heck maybe i could of even given u a ride back to camp in trade for lunch :)

Nice maul by the way, was looking at all the gear u brought, be nice to be able to haul all that

Just a thought for the powers that be.....might be nice if reports like yours where categorized somewhere... Maybe they are and I just don't know..... But I'm always looking for good hikes or other entertainment......

like the friendly cave dwelling polygamists :shock:

Kinda fun if it was say on a map that u could mouse over and read the report and see a few pics

Anyway easy for me to say I don't have to do the work but I feel like there are lots of gems hidden away in all the old posts

Anyone know of any other good slot canyons in south eastern utah?


I'd like to go too some more, just something about the solitude and power it took to make them
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