7 Things to Know before Canyoneering in Moab (2024)

Utah is filled with some of the most unique landscapes comprising of slot canyons, giant arches, rock cliffs, and mesas. With these dramatic features, Utah has become an ideal destination for all outdoor enthusiasts.

Although hiking allows you to see some incredible landscapes and viewpoints, there is another unique form of exploration that allows you to discover the terrain even further. This activity is called canyoneering and one of the best places to do it is Moab.

We spent several days discovering Moab, exploring Arches National Park, and white water rafting, but nothing compared to our experience canyoneering. With the help of a skilled guide, we were able to traverse normally unreachable terrain and see things totally off-the-beaten-path. The pinnacle of this experience, however, was rappelling 220 feet down a sheer cliff! We had personally chosen one of the more challenging Canyoneering expeditions but this activity can be suitable for all levels. 

Below we’ll dive into the 7 important things to know before canyoneering Moab, Utah! 

What is canyoneering?

Canyoneering, also known as canyoning, is an outdoor activity that involves navigating through rugged and difficult to access terrain with the help of specialized climbing equipment. Participants use a variety of techniques including climbing, scrambling, hiking, swimming, and rappelling in order to traverse the canyon’s unique features.

Whereas in rock climbing you are always harnessed up and climbing vertically upwards, canyoneering involves a combination of flat terrain, scrambling uphill, careful steep descents, and full out down climbing/rappelling. 

The typical canyoneering equipment includes a helmet, gloves, climbing harness, rope, and carabiner/belay gear. Since this is a highly specialized type of expedition, you are required to have a licensed and skilled guide to help you navigate through the canyons.

Canyoneering is an incredible adrenaline-filled activity that allows you to explore places others cannot reach, and to witness the full splendour of Moab’s red rock landscapes. 

7 Things to know before canyoneering in Moab

When we did our first canyoneering experience, we did not know what to expect. To ensure you get to fully enjoy the experience, here are 7 things you should know before canyoneering. This information will help you better decide if canyoneering is right for you!

1) What to expect in your canyoneering experience

With every canyoneering experience, you will be traversing a different route which presents its unique challenges. However, several elements are similar and do carry over in all canyoneering expeditions. Below we’ll dive into what our experience was like so you have a better idea of what to expect.

In our case, we did the route called Zig-Zag Trail.

Preparing for your trip

The Canyoneering trip starts at the head office where you assemble all the necessary equipment for the expedition.

These typically include a large dry bag backpack, helmet, rope, gloves, carabiners, and sometimes headlights. Your guide will then go through all the safety instructions and answer any questions you may have.

Scrambling

You will then head out in their vehicle and they will drive you to the starting point. To reach the unique landscapes, you will typically need to start by hiking up through some rugged terrain. For us, we had to scramble over rocks through a narrow uphill channel to reach the summit.

It is important to have a decent level of fitness, good balance, and grip as some points can be challenging. 

Slick rock descents

Once you reach the top, you get your first glimpse of the vast red/orange Utah landscapes. It is amazing traversing this terrain since there is no clear trail. You will be climbing up rock fins with cliffs on both sides which lead you to a seemingly un-passable ledge. But with the proper instructions from your guide, you will learn how to control slide to descend the slick rock.

At first, we were standing in front of this steep slope thinking to ourselves

“uh oh, we’ve clearly taken the wrong path because this looks like a dead-end”.

To our surprise, the guide told us that this is the right way down. Within a few seconds, she demonstrated the proper technique to descend the slope without slipping.

Our guide took the time to provide step-by-step instructions and was there beside us the whole time. At points, when we didn’t feel secure and like we were going to slip, she would push her hand against her shoe to provide some anchor. 

Although your experience may vary depending on the terrain, you will likely need to do some slick rock descents. This is also to say that your guide will be there to help you through the process.

Slot Canyons/swimming

In certain canyoneering trips, you will have the opportunity to climb down into slot canyons filled with water. Here you will be required to wade through or maybe even swim through the water. It is for this reason that you will be equipped by a dry bag.

Traversing this part of the trek is not difficult and will give you a chance to cool down. Since there are practically no trees in the Utah landscape, you will be in constant and direct exposure to the blazing sun. 

Wedging

There may be sections where you need to wedge yourself between two rock faces to cross horizontally. Essentially, we had to put our feet against one wall, and our backs against the other in order to be ‘wedged’ in between.

By shimmying slowly, you will be able to make your way across the horizontal crevasse. We had one such section in our canyoneering trip and it was quite fun! Once again, our guide was there every step of the way to show Nan how to do it.

Rappelling

One of the most exciting parts of canyoneering is the chance to rappel down a cliff. During our trip, we rappelled down 3 cliffs of varying heights. The first was 30 feet, second was 40 feet, and third was a gargantuan 220 feet! Most canyoneering trips will include a rappel ranging from 30-100 feet. 

In order to rappel down, you will don your climbing harness and gloves while the guide sets up the rope anchors. This will typically be on a rock or a very solid tree trunk. After that, the rope will be tied to your harness and weaved through the Figure 8 rappel device. Once secured, you will then slowly walk backwards to the edge of the cliff and then sit backwards to press your feet against the wall.

You will be responsible with pulling one end of your rope downwards against your figure 8 device. This will create a friction point and allow you to control the speed of your descent. The harder your grip the rope, the slower it will be. To speed it up, you just slightly loosen your grip so the rope can gradually slide through.

This may sound very scary and like it’s a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, but the guide has a second line to ensure your security. Even if you fully let go, the guide’s rope will prevent you from falling.

Rappelling down a cliff is a thrilling experience! Dangling high above the ground, you will have the opportunity to really admire the landscape from a unique perspective. That is if you are not freaking out from the heights!

As you slowly descend, be careful to not touch the Figure 8 device with your hand as the friction will heat it up tremendously. At one point of my descent, a part of the rope was wet slid through the loop and I saw steam coming out as the water evaporated.

Hiking

Once you finish your rappel, you will unclip your gear and wait for the others to come down. Make sure to take a photo of where you rappelled down to show your achievement!

The exit from the canyon will typically involve an easy hike through a dry riverbed to return back to the vehicle. 

2) Canyoneering will allow you access areas other tourists cannot reach

One of the most unique features of canyoneering is that you will be able to access areas that other hikers and tourists cannot reach.

There were several points during our hike where I just stared at the terrain in front of me and I thought to myself “there is no way we can get through there, or no way we can climb down there and then back up”. The fun part of canyoneering is that with the proper gear and navigation, you realize that all these obstacles are reachable. 

You really get a sense of exploring the lands unknown. What would normally be a dead-end cliff is just simply another rappel along your exploration. You will walk along tall rock fins hoping that there is a way down after.

Through all of this, you will also learn to have confidence in your own physical capabilities. In fact, this experience really helped us when we had to hike the red rose valley in Cappadocia since the landscapes and obstacles were quite similar. 

We could really see the difference as compared to hiking Cassidy Arch where we had to stay on the designated trails and were highly limited by the landscape. Although we would’ve loved to rappel down Cassidy Arch and see it from all new incredible angles, we could not. This is why canyoneering provides you with such a unique experience.  

3) Canyoneering is suitable for all levels, not just adrenaline-junkies

Although canyoneering can be an amazing adrenaline filled experience, there are canyoneering trails that are suitable for all levels. As you will see below, canyoneering is even kid-friendly!

Some trails will feature high rappels, whereas others feature more interesting scrambling through slot canyons. There are multiple options suitable for beginners and there are some full 8-10 hour day challenging trips. Make sure to pick the expedition that is suited to your interests.

4) Canyoneering in Moab is kid-friendly!

When we went, we had chosen the Zig Zag Canyon since I really wanted to experience the highest rappel. Nan is not an adrenaline-junky but she still enjoyed the experience. 

As a general guideline, the minimum age requirement to participate in canyoneering is 10 years old. Your kid will need a sense of adventure, feel comfortable walking through uneven terrain, climb a little bit, and be willing to follow instructions. Certain companies offer private canyoneering tours and allow kids of all ages to participate, since they have a higher level of supervision.

Canyoneering in Moab has been considered an excellent activity for the entire family to enjoy together!  

5) You can do canyoneering even with a fear of heights

Yes, you can do canyoneering even if you have fear of heights. Nan has a pretty big fear of heights and she was able to take on a 220ft rappel. Although I had to coax her quite a bit before she was willing to do it, she was able to face her fears.

What also helps is knowing that you are fully secured not only with your own harness and rope, but also with the secondary line from the guide. 

Instead of feeling like you are balancing on your feet near the edge of a cliff, in rappelling you are sitting back in your harness secured by the rope. Somehow, that is less fear inducing. 

In fact, Nan’s fear of heights was more induced when we had to descend the slick rock slopes rather than the rappelling portion.

We had made a huge leap choosing the 220 ft rappel, but if you have fear of heights, you can always choose the smaller rappels. For example, the Bow & Arrow canyon has 4 rappels ranging from 15ft to 80ft, allowing you to gradually work your way up in the challenge. 

6) Make sure to wear proper clothing and shoes

It is very important to wear the proper clothing and shoes when participating in Canyoneering. As you will be traversing uneven terrain, make sure to wear good hiking shoes that will provide you good stability and grip. Some of the things that would be important to evaluate is if:

• The shoes have good sole grip? you will be walking on slick rock so you need to have good grip
• Do your feet slide forward in the shoes when you push it forward? as you will be descending slopes too, make sure your feet don’t slide forward otherwise it can injured your toe or toenail
• Does the top cap have protection? Since you will be going through loose rock terrain, having toe protection will ensure you don’t stub your toe or wedging it against a rock

Wearing running shoes can be okay but we would recommend the extra support and protection of hiking shoes. Wearing sandals is definitely a no.

Clothing-wise, just make sure to wear breathable and resilient clothing. Since you will be wearing a harness when rappelling, there will be some friction against your clothes. Also, while scrambling across rocks or slot canyons, the rock can brush up against your clothing. 

7) You do not need any previous climbing experience

For the most part, you do not need any previous climbing or canyoneering experience to participate in the activity. This is because every trip is led by a very experienced guide who will provide you with all the necessary support.

No matter which obstacle we faced, our guide led us with easily understandable instructions and walked us through step by step. 

Before our expedition, we had never done slick rock descents nor rappelling. However, with the support of our guide, both my wife and I felt very comfortable with all the challenges we faced.

As a point of reference, Nan has a fear of heights and is used to hiking, but not climbing. Although she found it challenging, she was able to fully complete the entire experience. The expedition we chose was considered moderate to difficult, so you can always choose an easier level of difficulty if you’re a beginner. 

Best canyoneering tours in moab

In the Moab region, there are several options for canyoneering tours.

Each will bring you along a different route which has its unique features. Some will focus more on rappels, others on slot canyons, whereas some are a mix. Check out below for some of the best canyoneering trails as well as how to book with them.

This post is part of our series about Utah. If you want to learn more about Utah, planning your trip, and some of the best experiences there, check out the guides below:

Cassidy Arch Hiking Guide: Uncover Capitol Reef’s Hidden Gem

Kayak Horseshoe Bend: Ultimate Guide to Kayaking the Colorado

Southern Utah Road Trip: Ultimate Two Week Itinerary

Where To Stay NEAR Zion: Comparison of Towns Near Zion

Best time of year to do canyoneering

The ideal months to do canyoneering are from March through May, and then September to late October. During these periods, the weather is pleasant and the sun is not yet too hot. We did our Utah Road trip itinerary in early October and experienced perfect sunny weather in the high 20s C. 

From June to August, the temperatures in Moab can reach close to 40 degrees Celcius (104 F) with constant sun exposure, making it very uncomfortable. Keep in mind that you will also be wearing a helmet, and lugging a pack of equipment and rope, which will add to the overall exertion. If you will be visiting during these hot months, then some of the shorter hikes or those with some water immersion can still be doable.

Other areas in Utah that you can do Canyoneering?

Moab is one of the best areas in Utah for canyoneering due to the unique landscape features of that region. However, there are also several other areas where you can do canyoneering in Utah. These include:

• Escalante National Park
• Cedar Mesa
• Zion National Park, they also have Angel’s Landing and Narrows hike here
• Capitol Reef National Park, this is also where we hiked Cassidy Arch
• Goblin State Valley Park
• San Rafael Swell

Recap: Canyoneering in Moab

Canyoneering was one of the most exciting activities we experienced during our 2 week Southern Utah Road Trip. Although it may seem scary at first, canyoneering is actually an excellent activity for the whole family.

It is safe, will help you overcome your fears, and will help you build confidence in your physical capabilities. Through all this, you will get to reach some of the most off-the-beaten-path places in Utah and see some truly spectacular landscapes.

If you are seeking other special activities to do in Utah, we would recommend you check out our paddleboarding Horseshoe Bend and hiking Cassidy Arch posts!

We hope you found this guide helpful!