Quandary Canyon is one of the San Rafael Swell classic canyons It offers great scenery while giving the adventurous a chance to try their hands at pothole escapes and creative natural anchors A bypass is available to avoid dealing with the keeper potholes, but if you are doing Quandary, the direct section through the potholes is the recommended way It makes the canyon, and is one of the most beautiful sections Because of the potholes, and anchors, a minimum group size of 3 is recommended, as well as having pothole ...

Pandora's holds a special place in my heart It was one of the first canyons I explored without beta The first time we checked it out, we found no signs of passage, and fixed the first several drops Impressed by what we found, but out of rope and time, we retreated to come back and finish it another day Since then I have done the whole canyon several times, and just the upper section another 3 or 4 times It never fails to impress The canyon was done without the use of bolts Pandora's has a unique character The canyo...

Climbing Cleopatra's Chair is something I had wanted to do for a long time The 56 C0 rating made it sound fun, the "shoulder stand" made it sound adventurous True to my impression, it didn't disappoint The route is not for 56 leaders! We avoided the shoulder stand at about 58, but above that move there is a good section of runout climbing A slip would be disastrous, and help a long way off Cleopatra's Chair is a true adventurous desert summit best left to those with a bit of experience The summit is amazing, howeve...

Assembly Hall Peak looms over the San Rafael campground Although the upper pitches are poor quality, the first pitch is really good, and the views from the summit are second to none I know several groups that have bailed from the start of the third pitch It is indeed run-out and looks tricky Those comfortable with desert runouts and sketch factor only!

The Tomsich Butte area mines were started by John Tomsich in 1951 and are steeped in history The area is a plethora of mining ruins, old cars, and even a lonely cabin Mining commenced in the area during the 50's, ending in the late 50's or early 60's Towering over Muddy Creek, Tomsich Butte proper, is a seldom visited summit with a surprisingly moderate route The top provides outstanding views of Hondoo Arch, Muddy Creek, and the area of the Swell south of I-70 The technical climbing is short 5 m, but be warned, th...

Home and Marge is a unique tower, or rather 2 towers than have leaned on each other over time Similar, I assume in the first ascenders mind, to how Home and Marge lean on each other in a symbiotic relationship Not very interesting climbing leads to an amazing summit on a unique feature I recommend this one!

Crumbling Canyon is a canyon that truly lives up to its name! The canyon, cutting a steep path down through conglomerate rock, is more of a steep gully than a canyon This is an outing I wanted to love It has a lot going for it on paper, a short approach, a short canyon section, and only a few relatively short rappels It seemed the perfect family outing! Well, it turned out more crumbly and more arduous than perhaps it looked on paper The approach is short, but steep! Once up, the descent down into the canyon is ste...

Aaron Ralston made Blue John Canyon famous He became trapped there in May of 2003 when a rock shifted and pinned his arm in the lower section Five days after becoming trapped, he amputated his arm with a small knife and freed himself The canyon complex itself is many people's first canyon experiences, and for good reason The different forks of Blue John offer different challenges and scenery but are very accessible to beginning canyoneers Several options are available for combining the forks, depending on time avai...

The eastern reef, near where I-70 enters the San Rafael Swell from the east, is one of the most dramatic parts of the Swell to visit The Navajo and Wingate uplift is dramatic from a distance, and even more so up close Buckeyes Canyon is one of those rare canyons that descends from the top of the reef In its short, but steep descent, it passes through the Wingate and Navajo layers in a series of 10 rappels En route, it also passes through several unnamed natural bridges and gives a rare view of Tip Top Arch One of t...

Weeping Springs is often touted as the best technical canyon in the Black Canyon area Starting high above the Colorado River, Weeping Springs is a hike until not far from the river, where the canyon deepens in a series of fairly quick rappels It is a dramatic set of rappels in a deep section of canyon The canyon ends with 2 choices, packraft 1/4 of a mile down the Colorado River to Bighorn Canyon for the exit, or hike cross-country to Bighorn Canyon and skip the packraft I liked Weeping Springs, but thought the exi...