Canyoneering in Colorado?

[joshschutz]

Does anybody know of any canyons in Colorado? This summer I did Snake River Falls near Arapahoe Basin (friggin cold!) I was wondering if anybody knew of any other canyons in the state? I would imagine that there are a bunch near Grand Junction, but have never heard of anything.

[deagol]

I have not done them, but there are some on the west side of vail pass, some near Dinosaur, Some in Mesa County, some near Wolf Creek pass (East side), etc...

[yetigonecrazy]

Hi Josh,

While not blessed like AZ or UT with slots, Colorado has a few canyons worth checking out.

In a similar area to the Snake, people do some waterfalls with mini slots outside of Breckenridge, as well as Booth Creek and Black Gore Creek outside of Vail.

Ouray is the gem of COs slots. C Canyons with good raps. Easy and hard. I think Durango could also turn out to be a Mecca for it once the locals open up their treasure chests a bit. Pagosa, the Piedra and its tribs are promising. The west side of Wolf Creek Pass (Wolf Creek itself) is where the goods there are.

As for sandstone, there are several in NW Colorado, including the Buckwaters, Scoggins/Outlaw, and the Bull Canyon area. Junction has some mediocre canyons, not as many as you'd think. The Dolores system is bound to hide some. Do a search for "Co canyons", its s thread I started not too far back that's got good info.

[dude9478]

Ouray has a bunch of really nice canyons, though that season is over now. There is one in east Vail called Booth Creek which is supposed to be nice, also one in Breckenridge called Spruce creek. Take a look at this site for beta on various canyons in CO...

http://www.canyoneering.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?76-COLORADO

[joshschutz]

Thanks guys!!! If only it weren't so damn cold out right now. I guess I'll have to wait until late spring to give some of these guys a shot.

[Scott P]

The ones in Dinosaur are still in good condition-for now. We were just there last weekend.

Scoggins Draw is the best canyon down there, but you have to wade the river.

http://www.summitpost.org/scoggin-draw-outlaw-arch-canyon/231295

Outlaw is pretty good too, but you have to wade the river too.

http://www.summitpost.org/outlaw-canyon/240565

Buckwater South is pretty good, but fairly short:

http://www.summitpost.org/buckwater-draw-south-fork/151990

Grand Junction has plenty of canyons, most just aren't slots. I know of three very short slots done there, but they aren't at the same quality as say the Roost or North Wash. As mentioned, they are also very short. The Grand Junction/Fruita area has more in common with say Moab than the Roost.

There are still good things to see around Grand Junction though and this time of year is usually pretty good. Try the Mee Canyon Alcove, Rattlesnake Canyon Arches, Monument Canyon or Devils Canyon for some very scenic hiking. Devils Canyon also has a semi-technical section through the granite that is fun, but it's more a diversion from the main Devils Canyon hike (which is very scenic) than a destination in itself.