Headless Hen and Raven Canyons |

King Mesa

Canyoneering Headless Hen and Raven Canyons - King Mesa Canyoneering Headless Hen and Raven Canyons
King Mesa

Overview | Getting There | Route | Photos | Maps | Comments

Overview

Sun

Sunny, with a high near 66. Breezy, with a west northwest wind 6 to 11 mph becoming southwest 17 to 22 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph.

66 | 37

Mon

A 20 percent chance of rain after noon.  Mostly sunny, with a high near 62. Windy, with a south southwest wind 9 to 19 mph increasing to 34 to 44 mph. Winds could gust as high as 60 mph.

62 | 41

Tue

Mostly sunny, with a high near 45.

45 | 30

Wed

Mostly sunny, with a high near 51.

51 | 28

Thu

Mostly sunny, with a high near 54.

54 | 33

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SEASON: Any, although summers can be very hot.
GEAR: Standard Technical Gear, pothole escape gear and wetsuit for Headless Hen. No wetsuit needed for Raven
RAPPELS: 0 - but a 25 m ( 83 ft. ) rope may be useful.
WATER: Headless Hen has many potholes, Raven can usually be done without getting very wet.
FLASHFLOOD: Low to moderate.

Sun

Sunny, with a high near 66. Breezy, with a west northwest wind 6 to 11 mph becoming southwest 17 to 22 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph.

66 | 37

Mon

A 20 percent chance of rain after noon.  Mostly sunny, with a high near 62. Windy, with a south southwest wind 9 to 19 mph increasing to 34 to 44 mph. Winds could gust as high as 60 mph.

62 | 41

Tue

Mostly sunny, with a high near 45.

45 | 30

Wed

Mostly sunny, with a high near 51.

51 | 28

Thu

Mostly sunny, with a high near 54.

54 | 33

View Full Weather Details
Headless Hen

Headless Hen

Two small forks of a small side canyon with vastly different personalities. Both are challenging. Both are recommended for experienced canyoneers. Intermediate canyoneers can visit Headless Hen if they are with experienced leaders, but Raven requires everyone be experienced.

Headless Hen is all about potholes. The canyon contains many potholes that are a little bit challenging to get out of, but are generally more challenging to get into than out of. You will need a good climber in the group, or a lot of excellent team work. A minimum group size of 3 is recommended, although more is better. Be very careful getting into the potholes, as some of the downclimbs are tricky, and anchor possibilities are slim.

Raven is my favorite of the two. Raven starts out with some high stemming sections. Nothing particularly difficult, but enough to keep your attention. After a couple of section of stemming comes the fun part, an amazing section of potholes. The trick here is to climb around, instead of through the potholes. None are particularly difficult, but some require interesting climbing moves to get by. A short rope could be useful if a member of your group went in.

Due to their length, it is highly recommended to visit both on the same trip and fill out the day. Unfortunately I have never gotten good pictures in these canyons. The pictures presented don't do the canyons justice. They are fun canyons for an experienced group.

Potholes!

Potholes!

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