Headless Hen and Raven Canyons | King Mesa

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

King Mesa

Overview

Fri

Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. South wind 2 to 9 mph.

87 | 53

Sat

Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. West southwest wind 3 to 8 mph.

84 | 53

Sun

Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.

82 | 54

Mon

Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.

79 | 54

Tue

Sunny, with a high near 77.

77 | 50

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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+ a 30 m ( 99 ft. ) or longer rope may be useful, especially if water levels are low.
WATER: Headless Hen has many potholes, Raven can usually be done without getting very wet.
FLASHFLOOD: Low to moderate.

Fri

Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. South wind 2 to 9 mph.

87 | 53

Sat

Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. West southwest wind 3 to 8 mph.

84 | 53

Sun

Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.

82 | 54

Mon

Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.

79 | 54

Tue

Sunny, with a high near 77.

77 | 50

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 cautious getting into the potholes, as some of the downclimbs are tricky, and anchor possibilities are slim.

Warning: In very low water, potholes can be immense and quite difficult to get out of, and there is more need to be able to rappel into potholes instead of downclimb. Sandtrap and water type anchors may be useful.


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 sections 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 canyon's justice. They are fun canyons for an experienced group.

Potholes!

Potholes!

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Videos

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Raven Canyon (No Crux Footage)

By: Flapbag

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