Uploaded May 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Babe's Hole Canyon - Sycamore Canyon Wilderness
Several years ago, I descended Little Lo Canyon in the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness. Little Lo is a technical canyon known as a great place to practice pot hole escapes. Which is precisely why I was there. I was practicing for the notoriously difficult Illusions Canyon outside Sedona, Arizona. On the way out, we passed a smaller drainage known as Babe's Hole Canyon.
I walked a little way up Babe's Hole and it was beautiful, so I noted it and decided some day I would be back. Well, this was the day. Nick and I decided to head down Babe's Hole Canyon, back into the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness. The approach is filled with boulders and showed many signs of erosion. The Sycamore Canyon Wilderness had recently experienced a huge wild fire, which I had heard decimated much of the forest. Although there was plenty of damage, I was happy to see that it wasn't as bad as I expected.
After a bit of walking, you finally come to the technical section. It's short, but pretty. And also fairly straightforward. But it's also not very popular, so if you go, bring the knowledge and gear to make your own anchors. We had to replace two and even came to a spot with no obvious natural anchors. We were able to fix a deadman's and keep moving along.
Finally, we were at the bottom, in Sycamore Canyon itself. It's absolutely beautiful. And extremely rugged. The boulder hopping looked like it went on forever. But, if you really don't want to see other people, the Kelsey Trail (and Sycamore itself) is a great option. There was a nice spot you could camp right beside a flowing stream in the bottom of the canyon.
But then there is the Kelsey Trail itself. It's short, but in that short span it gains over 1,600 feet of elevation. More than enough to get the heart pumping.
So if you want a short but pretty technical canyon, check out Babe's Hole. (You can do Little Lo, climb halfway out and descend back down Babe's Hole if you don't mind elevation gain.) And if you want solitude and nice scenery, maybe backpack Kelsey Trail.
Oh, and high clearance 4WD is highly recommended. The last few miles of road are rough.
Music by Epidemic Sound:
I Can Not Explain - The Big Letdown
Grandma's Cherry Yum Yum - Sarah, the Illstrumentalist
If you click on the links below - and especially if you buy from these links - I'll get compensation. So that would be cool. No, I'm not sponsored by them, but I love the products.
Filmed on:
GoPro Hero 9 Black:
amzn.to/3qAGJcv
Canon EOS R:
amzn.to/3HkhRvn
Canon 35 mm f1.8 lens
amzn.to/3neJL3S
Weebil S gimbal for your DSLR:
amzn.to/3csvBWZ
Babe's Hole Canyon - Sycamore Canyon Wilderness
Several years ago, I descended Little Lo Canyon in the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness. Little Lo is a technical canyon known as a great place to practice pot hole escapes. Which is precisely why I was there. I was practicing for the notoriously difficult Illusions Canyon outside Sedona, Arizona. On the way out, we passed a smaller drainage known as Babe's Hole Canyon.
I walked a little way up Babe's Hole and it was beautiful, so I noted it and decided some day I would be back. Well, this was the day. Nick and I decided to head down Babe's Hole Canyon, back into the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness. The approach is filled with boulders and showed many signs of erosion. The Sycamore Canyon Wilderness had recently experienced a huge wild fire, which I had heard decimated much of the forest. Although there was plenty of damage, I was happy to see that it wasn't as bad as I expected.
After a bit of walking, you finally come to the technical section. It's short, but pretty. And also fairly straightforward. But it's also not very popular, so if you go, bring the knowledge and gear to make your own anchors. We had to replace two and even came to a spot with no obvious natural anchors. We were able to fix a deadman's and keep moving along.
Finally, we were at the bottom, in Sycamore Canyon itself. It's absolutely beautiful. And extremely rugged. The boulder hopping looked like it went on forever. But, if you really don't want to see other people, the Kelsey Trail (and Sycamore itself) is a great option. There was a nice spot you could camp right beside a flowing stream in the bottom of the canyon.
But then there is the Kelsey Trail itself. It's short, but in that short span it gains over 1,600 feet of elevation. More than enough to get the heart pumping.
So if you want a short but pretty technical canyon, check out Babe's Hole. (You can do Little Lo, climb halfway out and descend back down Babe's Hole if you don't mind elevation gain.) And if you want solitude and nice scenery, maybe backpack Kelsey Trail.
Oh, and high clearance 4WD is highly recommended. The last few miles of road are rough.
Music by Epidemic Sound:
I Can Not Explain - The Big Letdown
Grandma's Cherry Yum Yum - Sarah, the Illstrumentalist
If you click on the links below - and especially if you buy from these links - I'll get compensation. So that would be cool. No, I'm not sponsored by them, but I love the products.
Filmed on:
GoPro Hero 9 Black:
amzn.to/3qAGJcv
Canon EOS R:
amzn.to/3HkhRvn
Canon 35 mm f1.8 lens
amzn.to/3neJL3S
Weebil S gimbal for your DSLR:
amzn.to/3csvBWZ
