Canyoneering Nighthawk Canyon

Please note, several canyons and routes close seasonally each year for the protection of sensitive natural resources. For 2026 -- effective April 1 through August 31, 2026, the following routes are closed:

The heads of Burro Wash and Fivemile Wash continuing east two miles (top-down routes).
Shinob Canyon and any route descending into Shinob including Na-gah, Nighthawk and Timpie.
Arch Nemesis

Overview

Thu

78° | 54°

Fri

73° | 52°

Sat

74° | 47°

Sun

78° | 52°

Mon

81° | 55°

( Rated 4.0 / 21 Ratings )

90 Todo Lists / 9 Ticks

RATING: 3 A/B

LENGTH: 4-7 hours (3 miles)

SEASON: Spring, Summer, Fall

GEAR: Standard Technical Gear - Pothole Skills/Tools

RAPPELS: 6+ to 63 m ( 207 ft. )

WATER: Possible water in potholes. Wetsuit in cooler seasons

FLASHFLOOD: Moderate, but you can see the whole drainage and skies on the approach.

A permit is required for this trip. For permit information see this page.

Thu

78° | 54°

Fri

73° | 52°

Sat

74° | 47°

Sun

78° | 52°

Mon

81° | 55°

The first couple of avoidable potholes in Nighthawk

The potholes from the top of rap 3.

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 are downclimbs and/or require teamwork. Because of the difficulty, this is an intermediate or better canyon for people with pothole and natural anchor skills. I know several groups have taken 7+ hours to work through the canyon. Our group (5) was made up of mostly climbers with not a lot of canyon experience. Our time was 2 hours to the start of the pothole section, and just over 4 hours car-to-car. This is with a fast group that was comfortable with the downclimbs.

I would guess an average group will take about 6 hours, but many may take significantly longer if inexperienced working through pothole difficulties and partner assists. This is a canyon that can change dramatically with floods. Be sure to have solid pothole skills, they may be needed if sand washes out of some of the deeper potholes.