The Black Hole is often touted as one of the best canyon adventures around It has amazing beauty, challenging obstacles and is a lot of fun Be warned, however, flash floods have taken lives here Competent leadership is required for a safe and great adventure Several years ago the canyon flash flooded and filled with immense log jams, making it very difficult to descend After several years, these washed out, and the canyon is back to its former self Beware, though, it is a canyon that can change dramatically Many gr...

Smiling Cricket Canyon, also known as Poe Canyon and even L Canyon, was first descended by Mike Bogart and Jenny Hall in 1981 and called Poe Their bold descent went unrepeated and more or less unknown for almost 30 years In 2007, Jason Pease wandered the area looking for canyons and re-found Poe, naming it Smiling Cricket He descended it in the summer of 2008 with Mark Fleck Of the three canyons in the area Happy Dog, Laughing Baboon, and Smiling Cricket, Jason and Mark ended up in the biggest of the three He and M...

Elephant Butte, at 5653 ft, is the highest point in Arches National Park The route, winding through the maze of entrada fins, requires good route finding or persistence, a rappel, and a bit of lower 5th class climbing to reach some of the best views around Elephant Butte makes a great outing for those canyoneers with a little climbing experience, or climbers It is not very technical, but very rewarding with excellent views Caution: I've had several groups e-mail me recently that Elephant Butte had very challenging ...

Starting at the same trailhead as the far more popular Notch Peak hike, Hell‘n Moriah Canyon seems like an overlooked gem to me The canyon is wide open at its head, but has a short and dramatic section that cuts through a limestone layer The section that cuts through the limestone is high walled, and very scenic One of the prettiest sections of canyon I have seen in the West Desert so far For hikers, you can visit most of the narrows as an out-and-back hike, which is likely how I would most recommend it Those wanti...

Fallen Roof Granary is one of the more photographed ruins on Cedar Mesa Its image is often seen in calendars and photos, and for good reason, the ruin and aspect make it very photogenic and scenic The lighting on the ruin can be really dramatic In addition to Fallen Roof, Road Canyon contains the Seven Kivas Ruin and several other fantastic ruins This is one of my favorite hikes on Cedar Mesa, both for the ruins, as well as the views from the canyon rim The lower trailhead, in particular, offers excellent primitive...

This is a canyon that the few people that I knew to have done it had left me with the impression that it would be a dud; not worth the time or energy So, when I visited, I had fairly low expectations As often happens in life I suppose, having low expectations led me to be very pleasantly surprised! Seager's Window Canyon, though not nearly as narrow as its neighbor Seager's Hole/The Squeeze, has larger and much more ominous keeper potholes The difficult potholes are passable with interesting climbing around the sid...

When I first saw pictures of Messin Around Canyon, I was impressed and surprised I had missed it One of Road Trip Ryan's best kept secrets is the camping up off the road to Upper Stair I've spent many a nights camped up there, away from the often hectic and boisterous Sandthrax campsite I've also spent quite a bit of time wandering around the Upper Butler Canyon forks, its one of my favorite places to wander Summer 2015, I finally got a chance to descend the canyon I'll admit to being a bit disappointed! It is quit...

One of the popular stops on the Burr Trail, I view Singing Canyon as a must do if in the area The canyon, a short side canyon of Long Canyon, is an easy side hike that visits an impressive dryfall and acoustic chamber It is easy to see where it gets its name The echo of sound is quite beautiful at the end of the canyon For hikers and those seeking a roadside attraction, the hike to the end of Signing Canyon takes just a few minutes The sand floor trail is wide, well-trodden and suitable for pretty much all Trees an...

If it weren't for the rather lengthy approach, this would be a classic! How can such a great canyon be so far to get to Such is life I suppose Urban Cowboy does have a long approach and exit The exit is somewhat mitigated by being a great hike with an additional rappel The approach Well, I guess it's a case of eating your vegetables before getting desert To the canyon connoisseur, don't be deterred by the approach This is a full day, but a beautiful and rewarding one The canyon is short, but seldom visited, and off...

Cowboy Canyon is touted by some to be one of the better slot canyons on Cedar Mesa The narrow section is relatively short, but very nice Coupled with being technically very straightforward, this is a great outing for beginners and seasoned canyoneers alike Be warned, though, it can hold water and be cold in the spring and fall The route described here is a fairly casual 1/2 to 3/4 of a day There are two options for the return The short route, which most do, and a slightly longer exit down Gravel The long exit adds ...