Hey Everyone - new to this site and making our first trip to Moab. My wife and I are in our 60’s and have been rock climbing for years, so along with some climbing and seeing the parks, I’ve been thinking about doing a canyoneering adventure. We did one 3 years ago on our own in Yankee Doodle Canyon, north of St. George and had a blast. Looking for something similar in Moab that we can get down with 1 rope (80m) that I bought specifically for some longer climbs. Also, just one vehicle, so a loop/return to vehicle is a must. I’ve identified two so far, Bow & Arrow and Medieval Chamber. Any suggestions for others or opinion on these two? Just looking for a nice 2-4 hour trip with minimal hassle - ideally w/rap stations. I always bring some webbing & a rap ring, but it would be nice not to have to rig it if we don’t need to.
We will be in the area Sept 13th-19th and would like to do at least 1 canyon, maybe 2 depending on what else we want to see, how much climbing we do and backup plans if weather is an issue. We’ve climbed sandstone enough to know that we’ll be shot on site if we climb the day after a rain (at least in Vegas) but maybe in Moab they just torture and abandon you?
Medievel Chamber for sure is the classic! Not a canyon, but Elephant Butte is exceptionally fun if you are a climber. Bow and Arrow is fun, just not the classic Medievel is.
I second Elephant Butt (as my daughter refers to it). I did it last spring again and it is really fun and unique. The park was packed the day we did it, yet we felt like we were the only ones in the park once we started up the route.
Medieval is the classic. U-Turn in the park has some very nice views and is a canyon I really like. I think it is a good evening canyon to watch the evening light on the park.
We ended up doing Bow and Arrow Canyon one morning and were all alone the whole way up to Longbow Arch and all the way back to the river. Mostly hiked in the shade on the way up and then just followed the sun to the saddle! Great trip overall, we saw and did many cool things including Fiery Furnace and some climbing. Thanks again for all the info. PS: First rappel in pic below was totally fine, but might need new webbing next year. I always go first since I outweigh my wife by a good bit! That long rappel (#2 or #3?) was awesome with lots of “hang time” and a 70m is plenty of rope to do this route with a single rope. Outside Dog
Sounds like a good trip mixing up the canyoneering, Fiery Furnace, and climbing! Fiery Furnace is one of my favorite places to poke around. A very unique place. Thanks for the update, I always wonder when people ask for recommendations how they turned out.
