Cottonwood Wash | Capitol Reef

Canyoneering Cottonwood Wash - Capitol Reef Canyoneering Cottonwood Wash

Capitol Reef

Overview

Wed Areas of smoke before 9am. Sunny, with a high near 100. Northeast wind 0 to 6 mph.
100° | 67°
Thu Sunny, with a high near 100.
100° | 67°
Fri Sunny, with a high near 101.
101° | 69°
Sat Sunny, with a high near 101.
101° | 69°
Sun A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Sunny, with a high near 100.
100° | 71°
RATING: 3B
SEASON: Spring, Summer, Fall
GEAR: Standard Technical Gear. Be sure to have quite a bit (10 m) of webbing.
RAPPELS: 3+ to 20 m ( 66 ft. )
WATER: Some pools. Wetsuit (3mm full) in all but the hottest conditions.
FLASHFLOOD: High
Wed Areas of smoke before 9am. Sunny, with a high near 100. Northeast wind 0 to 6 mph.
100° | 67°
Thu Sunny, with a high near 100.
100° | 67°
Fri Sunny, with a high near 101.
101° | 69°
Sat Sunny, with a high near 101.
101° | 69°
Sun A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Sunny, with a high near 100.
100° | 71°
Mark and Tyler early in Cottonwood.
Mark and Tyler early in Cottonwood.
Mark making the first rappel
Mark making the first rappel

Of the 3 canyons in this area (Burro Wash, Cottonwood Wash, and Five Mile), Cottonwood Wash is by far my favorite. With a shuttle, it is a very casual canyon, though will take a full day by the time the shuttle is done both ways. The narrow section is magnificent, and fairly continuous.

All drops are fairly short, with relatively straightforward anchors. That makes this a good choice for intermediate canyoneers, or even beginner groups with competent leadership. Some groups do 4+ rappels, though 3 seems to be the number of mandatory rappels with a few moderate downclimbs interspersed throughout the canyon as well.

Brrr - move fast!
Brrr - move fast!
Tyler downclimbing just below rappel 3.
Tyler downclimbing just below rappel 3.

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