AKA BBB.
Big Bad Ben has one very good section of canyon, and then a few cute narrows, and... and... it makes for a pleasant day out. The technical part is short. Some stemming and climbing, some nice bits, a pretty good rappel (careful with that anchor, please - no boltage)... But the good part is so short, it does not give much bang for the buck.
Could tag Chambers on the way out.
Marco Coiro:
One rappel and a section of thigh deep wading plus a short swim at the end. The wade was in a pothole with a slick rounded edge, we used a partner assist to get the first person out and they lowered a rope for us to batman out. Nice canyon but the technical section was short!
Canyon Profile
Logistics
RATING
III 3B SLOT PG ★
TIME REQUIRED
5-6 hours
PERMIT
Not required
ACCESS
Loop route. Requires high-clearance 4WD vehicle.
SEASON
Winter, spring, or fall
LONGEST RAPPEL
One rappel to 60 feet (18 m)
Equipment
ESSENTIALS
As little as possible. Full body armor, bunny strap, gloves, webbing to build an anchor.
COLD WATER PROTECTION
Commonly has pools to waist-deep. Can be higher after storms.
DRINKING WATER
Bring plenty.
ANCHORS
Natural
Difficulties
FLASH FLOOD RISK
Low
Skills Required
SKILLS REQUIRED
A few narrow sections. Anchor for the rappel may be difficult to use (R).
A note on access
A 4WD high-clearance vehicle is required for short section of road below White Roost Campsite. Park a car at the end, then walk or spot another car 2.0 miles back along the road.
This Chambers Canyon area driving map will help you locate Big Bad Ben.
The Approach
Park a car at the end of the road, as for Chambers. Walk or drive back 2.0 miles, then head northwest to the edge of the canyon. Find a place to slip over the edge and into the bottom of the drainage. Follow it down for 1-1/2 miles to where it drops into a canyon coming in from the right. Follow the rim of the new canyon up-canyon until you can drop into the wash easily. Pad up and enter the canyon.
The Business
Continue downcanyon. The good bit is quite short.
The Exit
Continue downcanyon about 2 miles to where a major canyon comes in from the left, almost within sight of the Dirty Devil River. This is Chambers. Walk up Chambers a short way, then climb up right onto the bench. Find a reasonable climb up to the next level of bench, then head left and up, generally working up the ridge, then up to the drainage, to the rimrock and back to the carpark.
Up on top, you should be near your car. Or you have a 2 mile walk back to the start.
Trip Reports
I descended Big Bad Ben in November 2006 with Steve Ramras and family and friends. He suggested the name Big Bad Ben to honor his friend Ben, who had just gotten out of the pen. The canyon was listed on the project map as "BBB".
Maps
Click for higher resolution