Gravel vs Long?

[Scott P]

I don't think we'll have anyone else interested to do our planned river trip over Memorial weekend, so I may switch it to a mellow canyoneering trip. I've seen most of Gravel, but not the technical part of Long.

Scenery and difficulty wise, how does it compare to Gravel? Is Gravel better and should I just do that instead, or is Long pretty good too? Is Long tough with backpacks?

Other possibilities might be full Eardley or Burro, Cottonwood, Fivemile, or maybe even Davis Gulch, but Davis is a long drive for us and I'm already familiar with those areas.

In any case, we'll be looking for something mild (my dad will probably want to come).

[goofball]

I don't think we'll have anyone else interested to do our planned river trip over Memorial weekend, so I may switch it to a mellow canyoneering trip. I've seen most of Gravel, but not the technical part of Long.

Scenery and difficulty wise, how does it compare to Gravel? Is Gravel better and should I just do that instead, or is Long pretty good too? Is Long tough with backpacks?

"better" is a relative term, but long is a great canyon. similiar to gravel, maybe shorter slot sections ? but minus all the bouldering at the top. which, by the way, none of our group minded when we went thru. it added some diversity and character, and was fun ! you would have no problem w/ the difficulty and i would think overnight packs (if that is what you mean) would not create a big hassle if any at all..

http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?41024-Long-Canyon

[nat]

Yeah, both Long and Gravel are really good. There are many ways to do each. I did Long from the top. It makes for a long day hike, perhaps 10+ hours, and a long drive back to the upper trail head. The upper technical part had 4 straightforward rappels if I remember correctly. You could also do it as a 2 day hike. Personally, I think Gravel is a little better, maybe more interesting and darker slots. Also of course, there are the ruins. Gravel makes for a good 3 day backpack trip. Also, many side canyons to explore.

Nat

[Scott P]

Thanks for the info! Just what I was looking for.