Lomatium Canyon - Arches National Park

Lomatium Canyon

Arches National Park
Canyoneering

Lomatium Canyon, pronounced "low-MAY-she-um," is a mysterious defile snaking its way through a land of geologic anarchy in the center of Arches National Park.

General Information:
Lomatium Canyon is suitable for intermediate canyoneers and beginners with skilled leadership. This canyon requires complete technical gear. Lomatium Canyon is rated 3A II using the Canyon Rating System. Total time required form trailhead to trailhead is approximately 4 hours. This canyon is accessible year round. This is an excellent winter and cold weather route.

Navigation for this route is extremely difficult. A GPS is useless in this puzzling maze. The USGS 7.5' Maps titled "The Windows Section" and "Mollie Hogans" show the Fiery Furnace. All waypoints and maps for this route use the WGS84 datum. This canyon has a minor flash flood danger.

In normal conditions the route will contain a couple small water filled potholes that can usually be avoided with minor effort. There are two rappels in the canyon with the highest being 130-feet. Two 60-meter ropes are required for this route, additional gear should consist of several shoulder length slings, a couple double length slings, 100 feet of webbing, several rapid links, and a prusik system. The anchors in this canyon are all easy to locate, but the first anchor requires a substantial amount of webbing to create, make sure you are carrying at least 100-feet.

Warning:
Lomatium Canyon is buried deep in the heart of the Fiery Furnace. By virtue of this feature the route and area are always on the radar of Arches National Park. Because of this high profile problem it is highly suggested that you go with someone who has done the route before. If this option is not available you will need to complete the Fiery Furnace Ranger Guided Tour first to become familiar with the maze known as the Fiery Furnace.

Between first and second rappels in Lomatium Canyon

Permit:
Every visitor entering the Fiery Furnace must obtain a hiking permit at the visitor center. The cost as of 2012 is $5 per person for a self guided hiking permit. Keep your group size small, under 6 members, so canyoneering will maintain a low profile on the National Park Service radar.

Cryptobiotic Soil:
This route crosses area covered with cryptobiotic soil. Please avoid disturbing all cryptobiotic crust. Stay on existing trails, walk in wash bottoms or on slickrock. Go out of your way, literally, to avoid cryptobiotic soil. Cryptobiotic crust requires years of undisturbed growth before it becomes visible as an irregular, blackish mat on the soil surface. A single footprint by a careless hiker can destroy years of growth.

Trailhead Information:
Follow the main road into Arches National Park and do not turn off until told to do so. From Arches National Park Visitor Center drive into the park for 14.0 miles to the signed "Fiery Furnace Viewpoint" turn-off. Turn south (right) into the Fiery Furnace Viewpoint and find a place to park (N38° 44' 34", W109° 33' 58"). The trailhead is identified by a large paved parking lot that will accommodate many vehicles. There is a pit toilet located at the trailhead. The trailhead is accessible to all vehicles in all weather conditions.

Surprise Arch - This is your first rappel.

Video:
Here is a short video of a trip through Lomatium Canyon.

Route Information:
To complete this route you must first locate the "Kissing Turtles". If you do not know where the Kissing Turtles are located inside the Fiery Furnace I suggest signing up for the Fiery Furnace Ranger Guided Tour or completing this route with someone who has done it before.

Beginning from the Kissing Turtles, head up to the drainage to the north (right). Stay at the base of the right-most fin as you're heading northwest, up canyon, and it will be hard to get lost.

Kissing Turtles looking west from the Rock Garden

Below is the view from the Rock Garden where Kissing Turtles is located. You can see the correct drainage on the right.

Continue up the drainage heading northwest. Route find you're easiest way while upclimbing. You'll come to a point that looks like the picture below. Stay to the right of the big fin in the middle of the rubble.

Keep looking for a small saddle to your right as you upclimb. If you continue past the saddle the hallway ends in a wall of very loose rubble that would be dangerous to upclimb. If you reach the dangerous upclimb, you've gone too far. Retrace your path, the saddle is about 50-feet before the end of the hallway.

Near the end of the hallway you'll see the saddle to the right that looks like the picture below. At the base of the saddle there is a catwalk. This is sometime called "The Black Wall" because of the dark varnish. Follow the catwalk and get into the saddle. At this point you will have made a U-turn and will be heading in the opposite direction.

In the picture below is the view of the same saddle while looking down canyon.

When standing in the saddle the view will look like the picture below. Climb through the crack and get on top of the fin. Once on top of the fins you have a great view of Arches National Park. You should be heading southeast with the La Salles Mountains on your left.

While traversing the fin look LDC (Left Down Canyon) and you will notice a small drainage that looks like the picture below. Find your way down off of the fin and snake your way into the drainage. There are several trails where the rain water has trickled its way into the drainage so do your best to stay off of the cryptobiotic soil. Once in the drainage you are at the head of Lomatium Canyon. Begin hiking downstream and its hard to get lost.

looking southeast from the top of the fins

When hiking down Lomatium your view will look like the picture below. Near the canyoneer in the photo there is a crack that can be downclimbed, this will eliminate a short rappel. Beginners might require a little assistance getting into the crack.

          A short distance beyond the crack you come to a rubble field on the right. Rigging a rappel would be easy. However, there is a large boulder with a hole under it that will accommodate everyone but the largest canyoneers.

          After the rubble field there is a dryfall that normally has an unavoidable pool of water at the bottom. The pool is shallow and standard procedure is to remove your shoes and wade through.

          Continue downstream until the bottom drops out of the canyon. You can not see Abbey Arch and your first rappel station from this point. Follow the small trail to the east (left) a short distance to reach Abbey Arch. Abbey Arch is your first rappel anchor. The rappel is 130-feet and the last portion of the rappel is free hanging. It takes about 100-feet of of webbing to rig the arch. The webbing is usually removed from this arch so you will presumably be forced to rig it. The rangers recommend leaving no webbing behind.

Once you rappel from Abbey Arch, the canyon is basically over so take your sweet time. The second, and last, rappel is only 150-yards away. The second rappel is 60-feet and has two bolted anchors.

From the base of the second rappel head downstream and after 150-yards you will be at the base of Skull Arch and back on the ranger guided tour.