ISO Advice for 5 Day Trip Options

My brother and I are former trad climbers who are trying to get together for a week of canyoneering. We know anchor systems and are solid with long backpacking trips. We are trying to piece together one or a group of routes that would be great for a dedicated trip. Can be anywhere between Texas and California. We are NOLS graduates in reasonably good shape (32 and 43 years old).


Do you have suggestions for routes to scope out? Get us pointed in a direction and we will be very grateful.

Thanks,
Chris

If you are talking canyoneering and slot canyons you definitely want Utah. Everywhere else is a distant second when compared to quantity and quality.

Two important questions are what time of year are we looking at? And what part of Utah are you interested in?

Different areas have different canyoneering seasons, for example Zion is considered a summer destination as most the routes contain lots of water and swimming. Other areas, Like Robbers Roost and The San Rafael Swell are avoided in summer because of the heat and/or lack of water and done spring and fall.

Also in the southwest monsoon season is July - September and extra care and backup plans are required to avoid flash floods. It doesn't rain everyday during the monsoon season, but afternoon cloud bursts that cause flash floods are common enough to require planning and concern.

Most canyoneering routes are setup to be done as a day trip, and are combined in various ways depending on area and length of stay. Anyhoo... answer where and when and we'll give you our thoughts.

Thank you very much for the guidance.