Deaf Smith climbing

tenesmus wrote:I used your map link and sorta can see but I'm not sure what to look for on property ownership or easement?

Use the tools at upper left. The "i" for info tool will pull up owner info when you click on a parcel. That info will appear at upper right and you can click on a link there to get more details. Property ownership may or may not show up when you select a federal land parcel.

Use the hand to pan and the +/- to zoom. You won't get the parcel boundaries to appear until you zoom to the correct level.

Easements will not appear in this database.

I'm pretty sure we bushwhacked off of the peak above Lisa Falls down Deaf Smith, and it was also Seven Circles of Bushwacking Hell. Largely my wife was to thank for that descent. She was convinced it was going to be better than returning down Lisa, and nothing would dissuade her. It took something around 17 hours to get down that way. I don't recommend it, obviously. I lost my favorite jacket up there, and even though I discovered it was gone probably only twenty minutes after losing it, it wasn't worth going back up for it.
When we emerged, sometime around four in the morning, we were seriously dragging ass. Nobody came out, but I could tell I was trespassing. I didn't care, we were coming out one way or another. I would have walked through a wall of fire to get out at that point. It was dark, and we were covered in filth, spiders, and radiated ill will. I don't think anyone would have crossed us at that point.
If there is decent climbing up there, I couldn't see it because it was too dark and I was only going downhill by then. It would take an act of congress to convince me to return. Heh!

Dented wrote:I'm pretty sure we bushwhacked off of the peak above Lisa Falls down Deaf Smith, and it was also Seven Circles of Bushwacking Hell.

too bad man, Lisa Falls to BCC is one of the best hikes I have ever done.

Funny you mention spiders. When I got back from my Heugh's canyon scrubbing I had a couple of spiders crawl out of my shoes and shorts. Creepy, but I still had to chuckle.

There are way more routes in the canyon that are bolted than the 3 listed below. Many of the bolts are painted to disguise them so you have to look carefully. I live in house a couple blocks away from the base of deafsmiths and have been hiking up there since I was a kid. He only owns about 200 ft up the canyon. There is a trout trap that goes across the stream and a metal pole in the trees on the north side of the stream that marks his property boundary. If your worried about encountering him traverse into the canyon up on the mountain from the north side. If you decided to camp hike really far up. And watch out for rattle snakes. I encountered 6 on a 3 day backpacking trip up to the top of twin peaks. There is no trail past a certain part so bring a machete for brush and killing snakes. In the north fork after about 4 to 6 hours (depending if you can find deer trails through the brush) of the most brutal bush wacking and hiking you've ever encountered it opens up and flattens out and is a great place to camp. In the south fork you hike for about 3 cross a rock slide and then there is a man bridge crossing the river with an amazing camp site that has been built up over the years. Google indian ruins in deafsmiths and you'll see a picture of the sight i'm talking about. They aren't indian ruins though the only artifacts you'll find up there are decades worth of beer cans.

I grew up in golden hills and hiked up there a hundred times. Even in the 70's access was issue with the guy on the canyon yet I was never personally confronted. I recall an old road cutting above the houses from the next east west road to the north. At the point where it drops down to his property a short bushwack of a couple hundred yards would put one past his property. Don't know if it still exists but would assume so. Might be worth checking out. I'm sure it can be seen from the little hill west of Wasatch blvd. The trail used to extend to the meadows at 8,000 ft.but you had to know the route perhaps its overgrown now.Great camping at the meadow it opens up with view of the valley also easier to access granite at the top of right fork from there.

Looking down into deafsmiths from a ridge on twin peaks

This is the part of the hike where the trail temporarily merges with the stream bed

Waterfall a little bit up the canyon from the stream bed photo

after hours of bushwacking you may get lucky and find this remnant of a logging road

There was a fire a while back that burnt many of the pines trees growing in the cirque at the top of the canyon

the west side of twin peaks

looking into deafsmiths during the winter

Old post...new question....I'm wondering what, if any, climbs are located at the top of the right fork in Deaf Smith's? Looking up from Wasatch Blvd, there appears to be a large granite outcropping that straddles the ridge dropping into LCC. I'd love to get up there and explore a bit if anyone has a little info.

Might be some climbing up there, the trail up that fork of the canyon remains fairly unvegitated until you pass the campsite area, then it's a bushwack from hell if you stay in the canyon or you try and climb out and walk along the little Cottonwood ridge. From what I remember none of the granite cliffs there looked worth lugging climbing gear up to. If you go up there post some pictures of what you find! Good luck man.

The Bonneville Shoreline Trail is about to open up access to Deaf Smith (yes, both the North and South forks) by dropping into the split just east of private property. There has been climbing activity up there, it's true. Some of the rock is excellent, too... Albeit generally short like most Wasatch quartzite. The good rock starts above the dog legged choke in the creek that requires some scrambling to get past. 

The Drop Zone has a giant roof that is like 20  Black Mondays in size. There's also a stellar double finger/hand crack on the east end of that crag. We also climbed thin pillar in the west side of the giant roof. IMO, the Drop Zone is the best quartz up there until you're in the very alpine sections below Twin Peaks (which do have some interesting rock, too). We did a few routes up there. But, that roof is hard and insanely steep so we never got it equipped. There were many giant toprope swings out from under it though! Wild. 

The South Fork has a really beautiful bowl with generally decomposed granite. The north side of the Pawn and Goat Tower (now called Lizard Head) have been climbed. We approached that area from the north fork, traversing back west and upward before entering the cirque below the twins. Brian Wieland and I called that area the Last Oasis. There's more to be done up there. 

The mentions of snakes, spiders, and bushwhacking are all completely true. I personally have mixed feelings about it opening up... It's a special place up there but not one for most people. 

 I grew up near the base of Deaf Smith and trespassed sometimes daily to go up there and explore. Old man at the bottom gave up trying to get me to stop.  I am sad in some ways that there will be legal access but it is for the best.  It is a wild and beautiful place that is truly, truly infested with rattlesnakes and is incredibly overgrown past a certain point. Be on your toes, have a good snake flicking/clubbing stick, don't grab holds blindly, and I recommend leaving the dogs at home to avoid tragedy.  If heading up to Twin, if your lucky you may hit the old logging road that goes up the north fork to the cirque but not without losing a pound of flesh to the bramble first. Lower down near the bottom there a few sport climbs on some gneiss outcroppings that are quite unique to the Wasatch. I think Humane Society Wall at the base of LCC is the only place with similar rock. The bolts are sketchy and old though (70's or 80's??) and the routes have choss so climb at your own peril. All that aside, this place is a hell of a lot of fun. 

Hey all in this thread there is an effort to help save the access to Deaf Smith Canyon going on as it's access is currently threatened.

If you have visited and/or are interested in helping out please take this short survey (link below)

survey.savedeafsmith.com

Thanks!