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 Round Valley Draw - Info 
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Location: Utah, South  Kane County  Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
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Nearby:
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Gas, Lodging:  Tropic, Panguitch, Escalante, Page, Kanab
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Hikes:Hackberry Canyon, Spooky Gulch, Alstrom Point
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Attractions: Kodachrome Basin State Park, Lake Powell, Escalante State Park, Anasazi Village State Park
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Info:Moderate day hike
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 Round Valley Draw - Description 
Round Valley Draw is reached by going south in Cannonville towards Kodachrome Basin. Where the road is making a left turn to Kodachrome you have to go straight on a dirt road, the Cottonwood (Washboard) Road for about 6.5mi. There is a sign when the Round Valley Draw is crossing the Cottonwood Road. After that sign you have to take the next dirt road to the right for another 1.5mi. There is no real car park, just leave your car on an elevated sand bench in the wash. Driving time from Escalante was 85 minutes.
Left by the forces

Before we entered Round Valley Draw from the car park mentioned above we tried an entry/exit point near the Upper Slickrock Bench (described in Kelsey's Paria book). We found it much too steep (70m) and exhausting (dryfalls) to go down, explore the canyon and then have to climb up again.
So we drove to the car park described above and got a second chance. Relying on Kelsey again, we didn't enter at the beginning of the narrows, walked along the rim on the right side and tried to find the way down to the floor at the juniper tree mentioned in his book.
Looking for Indiana Jones

But there are too many juniper trees or not enough visible entries. At least we didn't find the one. The path on the right rim goes all the way to the Upper Slickrock Bench and the canyon is deepening so fast that it was impossible for us to enter. So we went back to the start of the narrows and entered there. Like many other canyons it starts abruptly. There is actually one difficult part around 8´ where you need a little chimneying and slipping to reach a steep chute in a 45-degree angle, which brings you to the floor.
Obstacles: Even they are beautiful in here

Total depth to that point added up to less than 20´. For us this way into the canyon was the most reasonable. Some minutes down the canyon we saw a place, which could have been the entry/exit mentioned by Kelsey. Steep and with loose rock. This would not have been our choice. If you want to try it anyway Kelsey suggests the use of an 80´ rope. By exploring the canyon, it soon became one of the most beautiful slot canyons we've ever seen. Every inch a stunning beauty changing between various subdued pastel colors. Extremely changing temperatures inside the canyon also added to this outstanding experience.
Stunning

A dryfall created by a huge chokestone blocked our way. Because of the time we wasted in the morning we decided those it was too late to find a way down and that we had to head back to our car. We will keep the part behind the chokestone for our next trip. A tree trunk we found near the entrance inside the canyon was very helpful on our way out of the canyon for the difficult part mentioned above.
Total round trip time was 4 hours but would be much longer if you go beyond the large chokestone (A 25 feet rope will be helpful). Mileage was 2.5 in total.
'Mr. Jones?'

You will find the map 'Round Valley Draw' here.
Round Valley Draw

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Further Reading:
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Round Valley DrawOpen this link in a new window
John Crossley
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