User | laurajdunham

Second time running this canyon. Made sure this time to bring keys for the shuttle vehicle. Ran it the same day as the Moab Marathon. Road to Grandstaff Canyon closed at 7:40a and we almost had to abort but were just barely able to drop a shuttle car at the Grandstaff Trailhead as they were closing the road. Grateful we got an early start. Talked to a guide enroute and he said it is a great canyon to run later in the day because the majority of the hike out is shaded in the late afternoon/evening hours and you will most likely have the place to yourself. Found the hike out lovely! but definitely hot near the end. Walked along a creek most of the way out. Rappels were both fun. No water at the bottom and a small pool on the ledge on the first rappel. Would like to try the anchors on the other side next time to try and avoid the water on the ledge. Ran with Ray, Brooke, Jason, Kyler, Olivia, and Eden. Ray added a little too much friction to Kyler's rappel as we had brand new figure 8s for Kyler and Jason and he wanted to ensure they didn't fall too fast on the free hang section of the last rappel. Apparently this is a popular canyon for guided tours. We encountered two different guided groups but only had to wait for one of them as they got their groups through fairly quickly.

Ran this canyon with Ray, Olivia, Eden, Brooke and Kyler during spring break. Access to canyon was straightforward. Found several unavoidable potholes at the beginning of the hike but then encountered three unavoidable swimmers. I needed a little boost to get out of the second pothole (I think Olivia, Eden, and Kyler did as well) but Ray and Brooke were able to get out unassisted. Water was frigid because nighttime temps are still in the low 40s even though daytime temps neared 90 degrees. Wouldn't want to stay in the water long so getting out quickly was important. Tops of the raps were tight but not difficult. Ray definitely stepped in some quicksand on the walk out. He also lost his ascender in the pool at the bottom of the second rappel. Ray really enjoyed the challenge of the potholes as this is the first time we have encountered unavoidable potholes with water in them.

Completed with Ray, Eden, and Olivia. I was the first one down on the rappels. Normally Ellen leads but she was not with us so Ray asked me to be the leader on the rappels. I was a bit apprehensive but was able to safely lead the rappels. Gaia GPS tracked us walking 6 miles. Had a great day at a leisurely pace. It took six hours with a stop for lunch and some rope instruction from Ray. Ray said it was his favorite canyon in the Moab area to date. I think my favorite hike to date was Medieval Arch (minus the mishap with Lillie's keys).

Left a trip report in the comments. Went with a group of 9 family members took 10.5 hrs to complete. Kayleigh's first canyoneering trip. Fall colors were gorgeous. Wetsuits made the trip more enjoyable but still experienced some cold as we waited for our turn to rappel. Canyon was spectacular! Would love to do it again. Climbs down in and back out were very steep. Views were incredible the whole way.

Took Morgan and Caleb on their first canyoneering adventure. They both did well and enjoyed it! All had wetsuits and were glad to have them. Brooke chose not to use hers and said she was fine but there were some areas were we had to wait to rappel in cold water and those spots were not fun. Would have liked having a wet suit jacket as well and liked having neoprene socks and gloves. Lots of downclimbing in this canyon. Fairly short approach but a very steep climb down to first rappel. Exit to the canyon is at the road.

So glad to have both Brooke and Ellen on this trip. Ellen is my brave canyoneer who is always willing to descend first. Brooke would also be happy to descend first but she waits patiently to the last and helps Ray carry the rope bag. Planned and fretted for weeks about this trip because of all the betas about being cold. Ended up using a 4/3 wet suit and was still cold whenever not moving, ie waiting for my turn to rappel or waiting for others to rappel. Lots of bouldering, downclimbing on the exit. Took us 8 hrs from start to finish with a group of six. Lots of awkward starts on rappels. Ray did an excellent job of guiding our group. Felt very safe at all times. Ray, Laura, Brooke, Ellen, Olivia and Eden.

Ray, Laura, Ellen, Olivia, Eden. Fun single rappel. Hiked it backwards the first time and were unable to do the rap so returned a year later. Took some route finding skills.

Fun short canyon. Lots of downclimbing and tight slot areas. Some stunning areas.

Super fun. Rappelling off an arch is always a blast. Took us about 5 hours to complete. Went with Ellen, Olivia, Eden and Ray.

Ran it late in the day with 5 in our party. Canyon was mostly dry but did find small amounts of water. We ended up finishing in the dark and found the last rappel a bit awkward in the dark. Super fun canyon!

Made a quick stop in Moab to do this route on the way to McKay's wedding and meeting Kayleigh. Fun free hanging rappel to begin the technical section.

Fun little canyon. Steep climb up but short and easy to find. Long rappel to finish the route.

Fall break trip to Moab with Ethan and Lily. Left shuttle car but then left the keys in the van so we had to route find through the desert back to our drop off car. Worried we might be spending the night in the desert. Wish we could have called an uber but we didn't have cell service. Not the most fun but glad to have a gaia map. Loved, loved rappelling next to the arch. So beautiful! Love canyoning esp with my family!

First guided canyon trip. Lots of fun. Free hanging rappel. Ray, Laura, Ethan, Brooke, Ellen, Olivia, Eden.

Our very first canyoneering adventure was so much fun. Biggest challenge was finding the anchors and the exit. Luckily Ray remembered he had the gps waypoints so after passing the exit we returned to the spot indicated on the gps and easily climbed out. Exit was a bit steep but not too bad. Ray, Laura, Brooke, Ellen, Olivia and Eden