Witch's Cauldron - Trachyte - Land of Oz

Overview

Wed

63° | na°

Thu

62° | 44°

Fri

61° | 46°

Sat

59° | 48°

Sun

52° | 49°

( Rated 3.9 / 34 Ratings )

76 Todo Lists / 21 Ticks

RATING: 3B III R

LENGTH: 5-7 Hours (4.9 miles)

SEASON: Spring, Summer, Fall.

GEAR: Raps to 25 m ( 83 ft. ). Wetsuit needed. Keeper pothole gear required.

WATER: Generally a few avoidable pools early in the canyon, and a mandatory swim toward the end.

FLASHFLOOD: Moderate, but you can see the whole drainage and skies on the approach.

A permit is required for this trip. For permit information see this page.

Wed

63° | na°

Thu

62° | 44°

Fri

61° | 46°

Sat

59° | 48°

Sun

52° | 49°

MRK in Witch's Cauldron

Kent Down climbing

Ah, Witch's Cauldron Canyon, what a history we have together! I initially explored it with Kent Beverly, Mark McCray, and Penny Martens in about 2004. It was one of our first explorations, and we got shut down at the Cauldron.

A year or so later Kent, Penny and I gave it another go, getting slightly below the Cauldron before fearing it would get too narrow to pass through and reversing out. Foiled again!

Due to scheduling and partner conflicts, I had given up on finishing the canyon. In the spring of 2007 Mike Kelsey and I planned a trip to a canyon he had wanted to check out. The canyon turned out to be Witch's Cauldron. Better equipped, and way more experienced, we made the full descent easily. The crux for us that day was the cold. We found 4 or so inches of snow after the last down climb. That, coupled with a bitter wind, made for a cold spring day of canyoneering.

Witch's Cauldron Canyon is a great canyon, with several unique and amazing features. Enjoy.