Scimitar Canyon

ACA Canyon Rating – 4A II

Experienced Canyoneers Only

requires a full range of ropes and technical canyoneering equipment as well as special anchors…!!!

NEVER ENTER ANY SLOT CANYON WHEN HEAVY RAIN IS IN THE FORECAST…!!!

A noble Toad “guards” 200-foot deep Scimitar Slot Canyon - Benjamin Chesebrough Photos

For more photos and info see: https://imgur.com/a/98Cdm13

beta facts:

name- Scimitar Canyon Slot

length of slot canyon- maybe one-third mile

elevation- 7250’at the top down to about 6950’ the bottom

GPS coordinates- +35.730554°, -106.651206°

flow- intermittent

season to visit- most anytime except winter may have ice & NEVER ENTER ANY SLOT CANYON WHEN HEAVY RAIN IS IN THE FORECAST…!!!

accommodations- none

ownership- Santa Fe National Forest

access- is from Forest Roads 269 & 136… see the map below

nearest town- Jemez Springs is about 4 miles west of here

fun fact- seen from the air, this canyon appears as the Aladdin’s Scimitar

First known Descent: May 12, 2019 - described below

text by Benjamin Chesebrough

Access: Located in the Santa Fe National Forest. The only access road is often closed through the winter until April due to poor road conditions. Even in the best road conditions, a high clearance
vehicle is required. Alternatively, one can park at 35.676655°, -106.662683°, and walk the 8 miles to the canyon on the road. This is what we first did, to scout the canyon.
 
Scimitar Canyon is a 4AII canyon with substantial slot depth descending through beautifully sculpted Jemez Tuff. The slot canyon portion stretches roughly one third mile and reaches a maximum
depth exceeding 200 feet.
 
See map below for vehicle access from the town of Ponderosa, NM. 
 
The approach: Enter the brushy tributary canyon to the west of Scimitar. Follow it down until you can't. Once at the edge of Scimitar, follow a small game trail up canyon for about 100 yards until
you are in the watercourse proper, then descend.
 
The Bidness: There are 6 rappels: R1 30 ft, R2 30ft (downclimbable by the stem savvy), R3 160ft off of a cairn anchor (Very awkward rappel start with bonus points if you screw it up, because it's
tall), R4 30ft, R5 30ft off of a cairn anchor with a questionable safety factor (Send all but your best rappeler down using a meat anchor, and have LMAR use the cairn anchor and low friction
rappelling techniques), R6 30ft.
 
Exit: Hope you have long pants. Lots of thorns between the last rappel and the exit. Make your way to the base of a 600ft tall talus field, shown on the map. Carefully pick your way up. I should
note that this is by far the most dangerous part of the canyon, and it is very important to stagger your group, not have one above the other. Many loose rocks and large boulders just waiting to be
set off - Close calls have been had. Keep your wits about you. Once back on the ridge, figure your way back to your wheels. Worst case, you can follow the edge of the canyon back to the tributary
you used to enter.

Right-click-save-as on our map below, to print your own “hand-held” copy for your trip

Enhanced USGS topo map

The Red Lines depict sections of “slot canyons”

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