Long Canyon is a little slice of sandstone heaven only a half hour drive from Moab. If you dig Indian Creek but get tired of waiting in line, check out this little gem. There are routes here that would get climbed hundreds of times a year if they were at Indian Creek, but in Long Canyon they retain an air of adventure and discovery. Splitters are the name of the game. The stone is high quality Wingate - just decide what size you want and you can find it, from desperate tips to menacing offwidth. Fret not, there are some top of the line hand cracks too.
The canyon offers two main areas, The Maverick Buttress, and The Shipyard. Maverick is better with a wider selection of routes and good shade. The Shipyard offers sun and a few good routes. There are also a number of very good climbs scattered about the canyon walls, many of which are not in any guide book so expoloration will reward the motivated. The canyon is huge and there is vast potential for new routes if you seek them out.
Bring a rack big enough to make any stripper jealous and some real beer from out of state. Free camping is readily available along the canyon floor and is generaly quiet and clean except for the occasional jeep drive by or desert-love-child beating their drum at 2 in the morning. The nearest facilities for water, ice and food are in Moab. A high clearance vechicle is recommended for the road up to Maverick Buttress but is not critical. Although the Wingate is of excellent quality, it is still sandstone and some of the lesser climbed routes hold dangerous loose rock, use caution, have fun.
Getting There
Long Canyon is easy to find, it's right off Potash Road. From Moab drive North on US 191 to Potash Road. Follow the Colorado River towards the potash mine. Pass the Potash climbing area on your right and continue on until you see a sign for Jug Handle Arch on the left side of the road, which is about 15 miles from the junction of Potash Road and US 191. The arch is on the right side and is not obvious until you have passed the sign. Take your first right turn after the sign and you will be on Long Canyon Road which leads past The Ship Yard (park at the first campsite on the right) and continues up to some switch-backs and Maverick Buttress.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Long Canyon:
Refer to description for Hot Toddy for general location info. Route begins immediately right of Hot Toddy atop a large block. Crux is right off the deck in tricky but easily-protected finger crack. Continue up the splitter with perfect hands. Joins Hot Toddy for final 10'. Rap 80' to ground....[more]Browse More Classics in UT
Some of the other developed areas in Long Canyon are; Deadman's Buttress, Off-Width City, Reptilian Wall, and Jug Handle Arch. Eric Bjornstad's "Desert Rock: Wall Street to San Rafel Swell" is the most comprehensive guide book
With the current state of the road up to Maverick Buttress, a high-clearance vehicle is definitely crucial. Also, the canyon is steep and narrow enough that there really aren't many good places to camp. The roadside spots on the Potash road are an option. Another option, especially if you have a low-clearence vehicle is to camp on the top of Island in the Sky and hike the one mile down Long Canyon to Maverick Buttress.
The no-camping statment is partially true. There are posted areas where you may not camp. There are also areas where you can, but not down in the heart of the canyon.
As of 2004, Free camping is on top of the plateau, accessing Maverick from the North. The dirt road is almost as good as paved. The views are beautiful, and you're on BLM land if you are on the plateau (but not on it's very southern tip, which is part of the canyon).Furthermore, you'll have to walk 20 mns to go down to Maverick. An experienced 4WDriver can make it back up the loose, steep sandy road that separates the top of the plateau from the bottom of Maverick.
The recent rain (October 06) has all but wiped out the road. A cehicle with a short wheelbase and very high clearnace, or a rental car, is required to get more than a mile up the canyon. You might be able to reach Maverick from 313, but you really don't want to take your standard 4WD through the washouts from Potash Road.
Word of Caution....when the road gets a decent amount of rain on it, the dirt turns REALLY slick. I was going down the first switchback below Maverick at about 5mph and it was like trying to stop on ice.
Road condition update: 3/22/09 - Road is in good shape, passable to anything with 4 wheel drive (we saw a Subaru and Ford Escape). Also, there is NO CAMPING in Long Canyon. If you want to climb at Maverick Buttress, you can camp on top of the mesa above Long Canyon for free. Maps at BLM.gov show you must be a mile from the "main" roads in the area unless in a "designated site", but there aren't any of those, so camp a mile from the road, and stay away from the oil rigs.
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