Egypt 3 Canyon - Canyoneering Escalante, Utah

Egypt 3 is part of a series of Egypt canyons in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. One amazing feature of Egypt 3 is that if you are over 200 pounds you are not recommended to go down this canyon. The extreme narrows was something I had to see. The canyon report said there were stretches that would be only 8 inches apart.

The hike to Egypt 3 canyon was a short half mile from camp which led you to believe the total hiking time would be short. I have found no hiking time is short as it relates to canyoneering. Find the canyon was pretty easy though it is important to not accidentally drop into Egypt 2 or Egypt 4 as they require big ropes for long rappels. On a side note we did find the drop in point for Egypt 2 which is a sheer fall of some 260 ft. We found the walk in point for Egypt 3 though we decided to rap in anyway. The one person who did hike down had to be helped by bringing a rope to him as the last 15 ft are sketchy with a good 30 ft slide down if you slip.

Egypt 3 canyon consists of a series of scrambling around pot holes and extremely tight slot canyon walls. We did a lot of stemming including times when we were completely stretched with both hands on one wall and both feet on the other to reach.

It really is hard to describe how tight many sections of Egypt 3 is. When reports say don't be over 200 lbs they mean it. I am fairly skinny and at times had both by chest and back pressed up against the canyon walls.

There are two sections that are extremely tight. Most of the entire canyon is tight though two stretches take the cake. The first tight slot section you are about 15 ft off the ground completely stemming with your back and chest pressed against the rock. You don't want to drop anything as you will not be able to get down to the floor. I was wondering what would happen if I slipped though I realized that if I slipped I don't think I could fall any where it was so tight. One of our team that was carrying some of the ropes had to push with everything he had to get his pack through the crack. The second ultra tight section you are on the canyon floor which makes it easier though it was even tighter and I had to suck it in just to get through.

The temp was in the 80s and I was looking forward to getting wet to cool off. The water doesn't really come in till the end as you can climb around or stem passed the earlier pools. There is a long rappel close to the end that you need a 200 ft rope for. You would think that means a big drop off though you would be wrong. You tie off at a arch and then take the rope with you through a big pot hole where is the first legitimate place you will get wet. On the other side of the pot hole is a 30 ft drop which you rappel down. The whole distance is probably 150 ft of so though the rappel is pretty short.

If you thought you were done you would be mistaken as Egypt 3 winds through even more tight spaces and then finishes with a good 200 ft of more of wading through freezing cold water up to your waist at points and so tight I had to lift my backpack above my head. Two members which had bigger packs struggled through this area and had to submerge their packs to get them through.

Egypt 3 is an extremely fun canyon with many climbing and scrambling puzzles in the tightest slot canyon I have been down. I highly recommend bringing the smallest backpack possible though remember you do need ropes and the rest of your rappelling gear.

Neon Canyon - Canyoneering Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

This Memorial Day I found myself canyoneering in Utah in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Neon Canyon to be precise on Saturday. Neon Canyon is a technical canyon famous for the cathedral which is a big hole in the rock that you finishes the canyon. With temps in the 80s and not a cloud in the sky you could ask for better weather.

The entrance to Neon Canyon is a 3.5 mile jaunt which we turned into a 5 mile plus route finding mission. In the sideshow you can see the nice photo of everyone hovering over the map. With most canyons getting there is just as much adventure as the canyon itself. The entrance to Neon Canyon is actually the finish point so you get to climb up the sides to look for a way to drop in. After about two miles or so there is plenty of drop in points if you have a 200 ft rope and pull cord which we didn't as the canyon info said we needed only 100 ft ropes. Eventually we found a crack to down climb though we did tie into ropes for safety. The down climb is easy though and could be performed by most people.

Once in the canyon you find tight slots and plenty of water to wade through and swim. Even in the 85 degree day you still need wetsuits as the water is cold. We all had 7 mm suits though I think 3 mm would have been fine. Everyone in this group was from Phoenix and sometimes we need the extra warmth protection.

Neon Canyon has plenty of down climbs to figure out and yes you will get wet. There is plenty of wading through water and a few swims. There is one really good swim of at least 200 ft or more at one point. For those of you who like to jump into a pool of freezing water, Neon Canyon delivers that too.

Only enter Neon Canyon with three or more people as there is one legitimate keeper pothole with requires some skill. I got to tread water for a while in the freezing water as we attempted a buddy climb to get out.

Neon Canyon finishes with the cathedral which is an amazing hole in the rock formation which you rappel through. Underneath the cathedral is assessable by hikers so there were plenty of day hikers from their campsites taking in the scene as these strange guys in wetsuits drop out of the big hole. It is quite the sight looking down through the hole seeing the completely still pool.

Neon Canyon is fun for anyone who wants to play in freezing water and find there way through a slot canyon. The rap at the cathedral makes the route though the entire canyon has plenty of fun spots.

Crawdad Canyon - Canyoneering Outside Phoenix Arizona

Crawdad Canyon is my latest canyoneering trip that I found myself scrambling and swimming my way through. Crawdad Canyon is not the official name this canyon goes by though the group I go with switched the name to Crawdad to keep people away from the canyon that my trash it. It is disappointing to see the lack of respect some people have for beautiful places.

Crawdad Canyon starts slow with a dry drainage or entrance canyon until we run into a nicely flowing stream. I was pleasantly surprised with this canyon as I expect most scrambling with a few places where we would wade. Instead we spent the entire time in the water. There were numerous pools that required swimming and we spent the entire trip in a good flow of water. The flow also kept the water clean which was a nice change from the stagnant water you can find in some canyons.

Crawdad Canyon is not a technical canyon though it is well worth the effort. There are plenty of challenges throughout the canyon at a moderate level. There is nothing of exceptional technical ability though you will have your fair share of endurance as the canyon took close to 7 hours to get to our shuttle car.

Our groups given name of Crawdad Canyon is because of the thousands of crawdads and tadpoles that you find in the water. The whole canyon was streaming with wildlife from fish, snakes, butterflies, and even a havalina that we scarred up. I missed the wild pig as it was behind me which sucked.

If you want to find out where this canyon is you will have to email me using the contact form on the right hand nav and if you are lucky I will tell you. What I will say is that this canyon was a lot of fun and a great canyon to do on a hot day.

Canyoneering Trip Sundance Canyon & Bear Canyon Same Day

If you want a complete day of canyoneering you can take on Sundance Canyon and Bear Canyon in the same day. Both canyons are outside Camp Verde, AZ. The unique aspect of these two canyons is that they are right next to each other.

When you finally get to your place to park, you have Sundance Canyon on your right and Bear Canyon on your left. Both of the canyons end up in West Clear Creek Canyon, and you follow the same up hill path back to the truck for both.

You do need to start early. You have to give yourself at least 4 hours each to get through the canyons. That is 8 hours total of just canyoning time. If you group moves slower than you need to keep that in mind.

Both canyons are technical canyons that require rappelling and wetsuits. Sundance Canyon finishes a dramatic 180 ft rappel that will get your heart pumping. Bear Canyon starts slow, though it finishes with a great narrows section that is tons of fun. Bear Canyon is a little deeper and colder than Sundance Canyon so your hands will feel great.

If you want a full day of canyoneering I highly recommend Sundance and Bear Canyon.

Canyoneering Bear Canyon - Keeper Pot Holes & Rappelling into Ice Cold Pools

Bear Canyon is right next to Sundance Canyon. You actually park in the same spot and find your way back to the truck using the same route for each canyon. After getting done with Sundance Canyon by just after noon we decided to take advantage and head down Bear Canyon.

The trick to getting into Bear Canyon is that there is a short gully in the way. Many people think they are in Bear Canyon only for it to end with no where to go. You have make your way through gully and over the next ridge to get into Bear Canyon.

Bear Canyon starts with a canyon hike through fallen trees and boulders. After just rappelling 180 feet out of Sundance Canyon we started to wonder if Bear Canyon had anything to offer. Then you hit Bear Canyon's narrows.

Bear Canyon has a cool section of narrows which require multiple rappels and swims through even colder pools than Sundance Canyon. An excellent section of pot holes leads you into the depths withoug obvious places to set anchors. After a keeper pot hole there is a bolt placed in the wall for the largest rappell of 40 feet.

The pools in Bear Canyon are colder than Sundance Canyon just next door. The slot canyon walls are higher and lack even more sunlight. This is also obvious with the presence of snow and ice we found deep in the canyon. I highly recommend wetsuits as you make your way through the narrows.

The narrows of Bear Canyon make it a fun canyon well worth the trip.

Sundance Canyon Canyoneering Photos - Narrows, Pot Holes, & Rappelling

Canyoneering Sundance Canyon - Rappelling Swimming - Cold Pools - 180ft Rappel

Start 25 min. Canyon Swim - First Water Canyon

Swimming Freezing Pool - Fish Creek Canyon

Canyoneering Backpacking Buckskin Gulch Paria River Longest Slot Canyon

Buckskin Gulch - Paria River Canyoneering Backpacking

I just spent the last weekend swishing and splashing my way through Buckskin Gulch. Buckskin Gulch is the longest slot canyon in the United States outside Page, Arizona. Buckskin Gulch is part of the Paria Canyon/Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area which is gives new meeting to middle of no where. I have two thoughts before I describe our trip; Buckskin Gulch is absolutely amazing and a must see, and at the same time is a true test of true endurance.

Our trip is to take Wire Pass trail to Buckskin Gulch, and then exit through the Paria River the following day. The total trip is 21 miles.

Our trip started Friday in a wind storm. The wind had gusts up to 50 miles an hour from Phoenix all the way to where we were heading outside Page. It is something driving for 6 hrs on your way for a weekend trip with horizontal rain and snow blowing and pushing your truck off the road. The wind was blowing so hard it broke our windshield wiper, which was fun to fix in the pleasant weather. We made the guy wearing his shell jacket in the truck go outside. He was the only guy wearing a jacket.

We did make it just in time for the all you could eat the Paria Outpost, which was a good thing since I didn't see a single thing open in Page when we drove by. Paria Outpost is quarter of a mile from the White House campground where we camped and we used them as a shuttle.

Saturday morning we take our shuttle to the Wire Pass trail head which is shorter route to getting into Buckskin then starting at the Buckskin trail head. I always go into canyons in nice weather as getting wet when you are cold is no fun, so this was some start at 40 degrees and wind blowing as we leave for the trail.

Wire Pass is a short hike to reach the entrace to Buckskin Gulch. Wire Pass in itself has some cool narrow slots of its own which make for a good start to the day. Where Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch meet gives me visions of entering a Indiana Jones movie. A couple hundred foot sheer walls welcome you into their depths.

Bucksin Gulch consists of mile after mile of narrow slots and lots of getting your feet wet in muddy and cold pools. The best piece of gear you can own is a pair of neoprene socks. They help out a ton. Most canyons have short sections of narrows. Buckskin has miles of them.

You do get a break every once and awhile and get pieces of sun with huge openings with walls towering over your head. You will spend most of your day and what can best be described as a dungeon deep in the canyon and with limited light. It may be noon though Buckskin doesn't care how much light you think should be there.

There is no way to describe the experience of being deep in a canyon with mile after mile of narrow slots that get just a couple feet wide. It is something you have to experience for yourself.

What I will say is that fitness does help. It tooks 9.5 hrs to get from the start to our campsite. You may think you can do it fast though a backpacking group did it 1 hour faster and they didn't stop to take the video you did. So if you are a consistent backpacker than plan on 8.5 hrs if you don't stop much. Either way you have to be prepared to spend a long time hiking, scrambling, wading, and more. One thing to keep in mind also it is easier to make good time on a groomed trail then it is in sand, mud, more mud, water, rocks, and boulders. They take a little longer and little more toll on your body. Just ask one of the people in our group who lets say gained new understanding on his personal ability to keep going. One more note on time because this is an overnight your pack is full of extra gear like tent, sleeping bag, food, and so on.

You camp in sand benches that nature has provided. It is 14 miles the first day. There is no way to miss them and they come shortly after a rock jam that you have to climb down and a huge boudler stuck in the slot over your head. Our backdrop for our campsite was a small stream heading for the Paria River and 200ft or more canyon walls that made your neck hurt just to look that straight up.

The next day starts with a short hike to the Paria River which leads to the Colorado River at Lee's Fairy. We headed north instead of South to the Colorado for our exit. The Paria River is very slity and doesn't make good water to filter. Though the Paria River's canyon walls are farther apart the river takes up a lot of it as your wind your way. Be prepared for more in and out of water and just to make you feel better the Paria River water is colder than the water in Buckskin. The Paria River gives a whole new experience of sheer canyon walls hundreds of feet above your head as your follow a river as it has carved its way millions of years ago.

The best part of the Paria River exit is the sun came out and we spent extra time relaxing in the sand watching the river and burning my nose. You forget after a day in the dark that you need suncreen on the way out.

We exited the Paria River at White House campground where we left our truck with totaly exhausted and elated minds and bodies.

Buckskin Gulch is one of the coolest canyoneering experiences that gave dramtic sceanry, experiences, and complete effort to complete.

Agua Fria River Canyon - Canyoneering Photos

Canyoning Aguq Fria River Canyon Video

Agua Fria River Canyon - Canyoneering North of Phoenix

So we went down the Agua Fria River Canyon today. Overall a fun canyon for a February where the goal was to do no swimming. A little wading would be find and just wanted to get outside and enjoy a nice Arizona canyon.

One thing to keep in mind is that I thought this canyon would take 4.5-5.5 hrs to complete. Nine hours later we got back to the truck. A slight miss understanding to the time it takes to get through the canyon. This is the most off by time to complete I have been in a canyon. I will tell you later what took so long.

The canyoning trip starts with an easy hike down the Badger Spring Wash which leads to the Agua Fria River. The river had good water flow though the canyon was wide and made for scrambling and bouldering to stay out of the water. Though the temperature eventually hit 75 degrees outside the water was still freezing and swimming or constant wading through the water would have been hypothermia.

The Agua Fria River Canyon is full of boulder mazes which you can find your way through. There are plenty of small water falls which keeps the scenery going. The canyon changes quite a few times from different types of rock. I enjoyed scrambling over some cool blue boulders for a good stretch of the canyon.

There were a few instances where we did get wet up to our waist though most of the canyon was scrambling and just some ankle deep wading. Though with any good canyon trip we did find a way to make one short freezing swim. This could have been avoided though the path we took through a water fall left us no other choice. The hot sun made it easy to warm back up.

So what took so long? The Agua Fria River Canyon itself took a little longer than I anticipated though nothing much. Most of the extra was spent find routes to stay out of the freezing water which would be faster in the summer when we would have gone right down the middle of the canyon. The extra time was spent in a side canyon we were taking out. The canyon takes you close to interstate 17 at mile marker 252 which we were going to take a cow trail back to the truck. The side canyon was a mile and I didn't think it would take very long. Over 3 hours later I was mistaken.

The side canyon was overgrown with vegetation which made travel almost impossible at times. The scrambling around these areas was full of cacti which wasn't much of a better idea. After two hours of going no where I decided we could climb out and just find the trail we wanted. As we got higher we saw there was a primitive trail on the other side of the canyon. After finding the climb more of a problem then we thought we had to find our way back down and to the trail.

Standing in our way of the trail was 10ft high stalk plants of some kind that we as thick as naturally possible. We had to fight our way which was one of the most ere experiences stuck in the middle of these plants and using all my might just to move an inch.

We did make it through and found the trail which made for a tired though fairly easy walk out of the canyon where we found our trail and back to the truck. It never sises to amaze me how exiting a canyon can be more of any adventure than the canyon itself.

Canyoneering Peters Canyon Near Tortilla Flat, Arizona

With the winter I hadn't been scrambling around any canyons lately. Last night around 9 o'clock I just decided I am going down a canyon the following morning. I wanted to find a fun bouldering and scrambling canyon where I wasn't going to have to swim since the water is still freezing.

I picked Peters Canyon which is off highway 88 or Apache Trail Rd in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona. Peters Canyon is easy to get to as you park at Tortilla Flat a little restaurant and ice cream parlor next to Canyon Lake.

Right at Tortilla Flat is Tortilla Flat Creek which was flooding the road when I got there. Always an interesting way to start a canyon trip when the creek you are entering is flooded. The lack of narrows makes the canyon a low risk for flash floods. You scramble along the back for about a quarter mile and you reach the conflux with Peters Canyon.

Peters Canyon consists of a boulder maze of scrambling, bouldering, wading through no more than shin deep water, and hiking through some sand. The canyon was full of water and had a good stream going which created a fun challenge of figuring out how to get past. Many spots had the stream split into three or four separate streams with their own small waterfall. The neat thing about this canyon as is does provide a fun experience without having to get completely wet when you want to go out on an Arizona winter canyoning adventure.

Two and half hours into Peters Canyon is a 10ft waterfall which takes a little climbing to the left on some boulders to get on top of. This is pretty much the end of anything fun in the canyon. The canyon widens and flatens out past the waterfall. On top of the waterfall is a great place to take a break and have a snack. This canyon is an out and back.

The thing I really liked about this canyon as there were so many different options on how to get through the canyon that the way back was a completely new experience of the canyon for me. I found myself plenty of times in different parts of the stream where I spent more time wading on the way back. This made coming back down the same canyon more fun than I have had on any out and back canyon.

I highley recommend this canyon to anyone who wants to get out during nice winter days in Arizona. Once the heat comes though I would find a canyon where you get more wet and can cool off.

Canyoning Sycamore Canyon Video by Nogales, Arizona

Canyoneering Sycamore Canyon Photos

Canyoneering to the Mexican Border

One of the intriguing ideas of the Sycamore Canyon route was that at the end was the international line separating Mexico from the United States. With the continual fight and debates over illegal immigration from Mexico, I couldn't pass up the idea of myself hiking to the border to see what is there.

A note about Sycamore Canyon: it may be the least technical canyon I have down yet; it is the most abusing on the body of any outdoor activity I have done. I have climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and hiked plenty of more strenuous miles before in a day though I wasn't prepared for what 10 plus miles of constant hiking in sand, rocks, boulders, and water would do to my feet and my hips on down. I was never physically exhausted just physically worn down.

Sycamore Canyon runs straight into Mexico so if you follow it long enough you will reach the Mexican border. I had read that there is fence protecting the international border and this is something I wanted to see. I wanted to see what is blocking people from crossing into the United States.

It was almost laughable once we arrived. My first view of the fence was that there was a ditch underneath it that allows anybody to easy slide underneath the fence. It is possible that the ditch underneath was man made.

It gets better when I look to my left I see this fence of international protection just lying on the ground. This is the photo shown in the post. Yes, you don't even have to go over or under the fence to get in you just have to step over the fence.

I find it literally fascinating the big official borders with all the officers asking you questions when just a few miles away you can just walk in and not even have to figure a way around a fence. Not that the fence would really stop anybody who wanted to get in just the personal idea that you can bypass the lines at the gate to just walk across yourself.

Sycamore Canyon Canoneering in Southern Arizona

I just finished Sycamore Canyon which is just a few miles west of Nogales. Yes, Nogales which means we were practically at the Mexican border. You have to read my up coming post if you want to find out what happened when we got to the Mexican border which we did.

I chose Sycamore Canyon for one important reason; I didn't want to freeze my butt off. The last canyon much farther north at Christopher Creek was the coldest I had ever been. I take that back summitting Mt. Kilimanjaro was the coldest I have ever been. Yes we could have brought wetsuits to Christopher Creek though it was 80 degrees outsite and Christopher Creek is open to the sun.

Sycamore Canyon has constant running water though the canyon is wide enough with a little scambling and climbing most of it can be avoided if you don't want to get wet. This was precisely my goal since it is now November in Arizona and not June any more.

Because you are not getting wet it makes canyoneering Sycamore Canyon mostly a hike. There is one stretch of narrows where we did swim two pools which were freezing to say the least. I did my best Bear Grylls jumping jacks in the sun to warm up. These pools can be avoided with some decent climbing skills though I had a new guy with me that I was going to make sure got wet at least once.

We covered over 10 miles of sand, rock, water, and boulders which is a lot of miles for going through a canyon in one day. I guarentee you will feel your hips after this canyon.

Sycamore Canyon is an out and back so you can turn around when ever you want. The scenry doesn't change much past the narrows though I would spend a little more time beyond. For those who want to put in the miles you can keep going all the way to the Mexican border where a fence tells you that you have reached the international line.

I recommend this canyon if you are looking for a winter canyon trip that you don't have to worry about getting cold. By the way we climbed around the two pools we swam on the way out.

Canyoneering Christopher Creek Canyon Video

PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait... I: wait... wait... C: wait... SD: wait...