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...

For our trip to Sardinia this year, Cristina managed to find and hook us up with 2 very talented local canyoneers, Guido and Betty. They offered to join us for a couple of days in Dorgali to show off some of the best local canyons. We had already done one in the area (Orbisis) on a previous trip, so were anxious to see some of the others.   First up is Flumineddu and Gorroppu, a full combo of about 10 hours PLUS a 2 hour each way car shuttle. Given the shuttle length, we got a crack...

Maple Canyon likely needs no introduction for most climbers If you are not a climber, however, you may have never heard of it Maple Canyon is a large conglomerate canyon near Fountain Green The rock has eroded into a surreal landscape of spires, steep overhanging walls, deep alcoves, narrow fissures, and the occasional arch The climbing here tends to be steep, well bolted sport lines with options for most any ability In addition to the climbing, however, Maple is a rich area for hiking, camping, and off road vehicl...

The Great Gallery is often referred to as the pictograph panel that all others are compared to, and the best preserved Barrier Canyon Style panel in existence today If you are interested in Native American art, this is an absolute must see The Great Gallery is a single panel about 200 feet long with about 20 images, but the hike itself visits several other panels along the way as well, making for a full day with lots to see The panels are believed to be between 1500 to 4000 years old, and were created during the la...

The Leprechaun Canyons are many people's first canyons Easy access, and relatively straight forward, they are a good choice Even a few scenes from the movie 127 Hours were filmed here, just below the confluence of the fork, in a stunning cathedral type section This is one not to miss, and one of my favorites in the area Choose your fork wisely if you are a beginner, the middle fork is tight and harder than the left or right NOTE: Those that are not technical canyoneers can still enjoy the canyon from the bottom The...

Pool Arch Canyon is more of a hike than a technical hardcore canyoneering adventure It provides lovely views and visits two arches en route to the technical section of the canyon Often dry, it is a good choice in cooler times of the year The route gets quite a bit of sun, so is not recommended in the heat of the day during the summer It's short technical section, and easy nature make this a good choice for beginners Beware, the anchors have changed a few times over the years, with pitons and webbing being removed N...

When I first started going to Escalante in the 1990's, I heard about Red Breaks Often described as one of the best canyons around, it wasn't until 2015 when I finally was able to visit What took me so long!!! The canyon is exquisite! This route, the Upper Red Breaks Loop, visits the two most stunning sections of Red Breaks The adventure requires good navigation skills or a gps, technical skills for the single short drop, and some climbing skills to surmount the dozen or so minor up climb challenges getting back to ...

This is a short canyon with a bit of spice Each of the Shinob forks Timpie, Na-Gah, and Nighthawk have their own very distinct personality With this one, Nighthawk, the personality is potholes The meat of the canyon is a short section of many potholes leading to a final dramatic rappel into Timpie This is a good team work canyon, offering plenty of opportunities for problem solving and partner assists A Note On Time: This canyon will vary greatly depending on the experience of the team Many of the pothole entrances...

Seldom visited, Sams Mesa Box Canyon makes a great outing for beginners or those looking for a less technical outing in Robbers Roost The canyon is not very technical with two rappels, though most will downclimb the first, and the two slot sections are both short That said, the canyon is beautiful and well worth visiting Two options are presented The short version visits all of the good stuff, and only takes 3-5 hours There is also a slightly longer version that continues down, seeing more of the canyon, and return...

I had low expectations for Golf Canyon On the map, it appears to be short and drops quickly Not the type of canyon I generally enjoy The canyon is a charmer, however A 3-ish mile approach up a sandy wash and steep ridge get the heart pounding a bit before the short, but quite scenic technical section The approach distance seems to make this a bit less popular than Cherry Canyon and some of the other Virgin River Gorge Canyons Some estimate the canyon at 7-10 hours Golf Canyon is a canyon that has quite variable tim...