Golf Canyon | Virgin River Gorge

Canyoneering Golf Canyon - Virgin River Gorge Canyoneering Golf Canyon

Virgin River Gorge

Overview | Getting There | Route | Photos | Maps | Comments

Overview

Tue Patchy blowing dust between 10am and 2pm, then a chance of rain showers and patchy blowing dust. Mostly cloudy. High near 77, with temperatures falling to around 70 in the afternoon. West southwest wind 9 to 33 mph, with gusts as high as 46 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
77° | 64°
Wed A chance of rain showers before 10am, then a chance of rain showers and patchy blowing dust between 10am and 11am, then patchy blowing dust and a slight chance of rain showers between 11am and 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 74. West southwest wind 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
74° | 56°
Thu Sunny, with a high near 78.
78° | 54°
Fri Sunny, with a high near 71.
71° | 47°
Sat Sunny, with a high near 78.
78° | 47°
View Full Forecast
RATING: 3A
CURRENT CFS: Getting current CFS.... Full Details
SEASON: Late fall through early spring.
RAPPELS: 14 to 30 m ( 99 ft. )
WATER: Generally none.
FLASHFLOOD: Low/Moderate
Tue Patchy blowing dust between 10am and 2pm, then a chance of rain showers and patchy blowing dust. Mostly cloudy. High near 77, with temperatures falling to around 70 in the afternoon. West southwest wind 9 to 33 mph, with gusts as high as 46 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
77° | 64°
Wed A chance of rain showers before 10am, then a chance of rain showers and patchy blowing dust between 10am and 11am, then patchy blowing dust and a slight chance of rain showers between 11am and 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 74. West southwest wind 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
74° | 56°
Thu Sunny, with a high near 78.
78° | 54°
Fri Sunny, with a high near 71.
71° | 47°
Sat Sunny, with a high near 78.
78° | 47°
View Full Forecast
canyonintermediateaccess: paved
Jon on one of the big rappels.

Jon on one of the big rappels.

Looking down canyon from the first rappel.

Looking down canyon from the first rappel.

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 time. Our time was a little under 5 hours for a group of two and what we thought was a relatively casual pace. If you have a large or inexperienced group, the number of rappels can swallow time and make for a long day. Most of the anchors are deadman, so after a major flood, the canyon would take a bit more time to re-build anchors.

Note: Reaching the canyon involves wading the Virgin River. I would not recommend attempting this canyon if the Virgin is flowing at 200 cfs or higher. The crossing would likely be dangerous at those levels. At about 90 cfs, it was knee high and ice cold in December. A pair of sandals for the crossing and dry shoes for when you are across is highly recommended. CFS information is available on the USGS site.
Jon on one of the first short rappels.

Jon on one of the first short rappels.

Jon on a photogenic rappel.

Jon on a photogenic rappel.

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