The longest in the Dante's, Paradiso is also one of my favorites It has enough down climbs and challenges to keep you interested, but is not overly challenging or physical The canyon is a mix of narrow slot, interspersed with more open sections The final slot section and rappels, in particular, are stunning I would recommend Purgatory as the best introduction to the Dante's, with this canyon being a good second canyon in the area Note: The numerous downclimbs and narrow sections make this well suited to intermediat...

If there is a better non-technical slot in Escalante, it would be tough to name Egypt 3 is by far one of the most dramatic and narrow non-technical slots in the area The canyon offers a seemingly endless supply of narrow slot, that gets narrower and narrower as you progress A number of downclimbs and challenges along the way keep it interesting Narrow slots not exciting enough Need to get a rappel in to REALLY feel like your canyoneering After the non-technical exit, technical canyoneers can continue down canyon a ...

The South Fork of Maidenwater is a great canyon to practice your natural anchor and/or down climbing skills Although highly skilled individuals can descend the canyon with 1 or 2 rappels, many groups require 8 or more to surmount the numerous short drops The canyon can hold some pools, so be cautious if doing this one in cold weather I've shivered through one or two trips in the winter when water levels were much higher than I expected!

Upper Stair is a great, short outing Although not technical, it does involve a lot of chimneying and stemming, so is only recommended for technical canyoneers Being a short route, with no rappels, allows this canyon to be enjoyed while carrying minimal gear

Englestead has one of the most dramatic starts of any canyon in Zion It goes from an open, shallow canyon to a slot in one spectacular 300' drop! I first did the canyon in 2003, and over the years had forgotten the details, except that first rappel When I went back and re-visited it in 2012, the first rappel was indeed as spectacular as I had remembered The rest of the canyon is good as well, and offers two choices of exits: a spectacular, but longer exit out the bottom of Orderville, or a shorter, less good exit u...