Conditions:Illusions Canyon-20230517165408

Latest:	13 May 2023 (25 days ago)

Reported by:	RFontaine (125 reports)
Quality:	Amazing
Waterflow:	Low
Wetsuit:	Thick wetsuit
Water temperature:
Difficulty:
Time:	7 hours

Team: 4 people with experience level Advanced

Trip report URL:

Comments: Amazing conditions! Canyon was very full and had some flow! Very rare to see it like this so we savored every minute of it!! We all wore 7mm suits, 3mm gloves, 4mm booties, we were comfy but wouldnt want anything less. There were a couple of large snow piles in canyon we had to climb over. The log jam anchor after the fin rappel is washed out so we extended this rappel to a 2 stage. All other anchors still in good shape. Keeper pothole water line is 2ft above the lip. Exit is covered in landslide debris and multiple large snow drifts. 7hrs at a leisurely pace, fantastic day!

(P.S. we took some time to clear most of the fallen trees using my winch, from the 4x4 road right up to the exit. What we were unable to clear we drove around, a chainsaw would be helpful for cleaning up the rest)

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
6 Jun 2023	Great	Deep pools	Drysuit	Normal	6 hours	5 people	Nclegg (274 reports)
Comment: Snow has melted away and the canyon is no longer flowing but water level at the keeper is still a foot above the lip. Two of us wore drysuits and the others wore 4/3 wetsuits. Sneak exit route is mostly still intact but damaged and quite scrappy in sections.
13 May 2023	Amazing	Low	Thick wetsuit		7 hours	4 people Advanced	RFontaine (125 reports)
Comment: Amazing conditions! Canyon was very full and had some flow! Very rare to see it like this so we savored every minute of it!! We all wore 7mm suits, 3mm gloves, 4mm booties, we were comfy but wouldnt want anything less. There were a couple of large snow piles in canyon we had to climb over. The log jam anchor after the fin rappel is washed out so we extended this rappel to a 2 stage. All other anchors still in good shape. Keeper pothole water line is 2ft above the lip. Exit is covered in landslide debris and multiple large snow drifts. 7hrs at a leisurely pace, fantastic day! (P.S. we took some time to clear most of the fallen trees using my winch, from the 4x4 road right up to the exit. What we were unable to clear we drove around, a chainsaw would be helpful for cleaning up the rest)
7 May 2023	Amazing	Low	Drysuit	Normal	9 hours	2 people	Nclegg (274 reports),EMoorcroft (282 reports)
Comment: Approached from the 89A via AB Young and exited out West Fork. One of us wore a drysuit and the other a 7mm. Large trees have fallen into the canyon in several places and lots of new debris has appeared. We cleared out some inconvenient and precariously positioned logs and replaced damaged webbing at the final rappel. Low flow, crystal clear pools, and snow dams in a few places. One log which had previously been utilized as an anchor was flushed a few hundred feet down canyon.
22 Oct 2022	Amazing	Deep pools	Thick wetsuit		5 hours	2 people Advanced	RFontaine (125 reports)
Comment: Some of the best sculpting and most intricate features in AZ! Fantastic fall colors made for an extra pretty canyon! We parked at the exit and made a B-line down the slope as soon as we were able, to the drainage below. This was fairly easy and makes more sense then starting further back. Pools are super full with cleanish rain water, keeper is 2ft above lip! 7mm suits were perfect for enjoying the deep clean pools. As always, on the exit, STAY IN THE DRAINAGE. Avoid all the fail trails that lead up the loose slopes on the left and stay on the rocks for perhaps one of the easiest sneak exits in this area!
10 Oct 2022	Great	Deep pools	Thick wetsuit	Normal	5 hours	1 people	EMoorcroft (282 reports)
Comment: Potholes are very full and swimmers. 30 min approach 3 hours in the canyon. 1.5 hour sneak exit. Wore a 4/3 full and 2 mm shortie wetsuit, rain jacket, and 3mm booties and gloves. Felt warm and cozy. Fun solo.
26 Sep 2022	Amazing	Deep pools	Full wetsuit	Normal	6 hours	2 people Advanced	Cooper smith (11 reports)
Comment: Water levels are fantastic, all potholes overflowing. Wore a 2mm shorty under 3mm full body and felt great. 6 hours car to car. Beautiful formations and dark trickling pools are always incredible.
10 Jul 2022	Amazing	Deep pools	Thin wetsuit	Special challenges	6 hours	4 people Intermediate to Advanced	RFontaine (125 reports)
Comment: Incredible canyon, immensely beautiful, sculpted, twisted and wet! So much fun! Approach is fairly quick, we parked at the high clearance parking, end of road where exit comes up, and cut down into the drainage almost right away instead of going all the way around to drainage start. This was a good decision, made for quick drop in. Illusions technical starts out pretty neat but gets better with every turn until you are deep within an awe inspiring remarkable place! The larger rappels are pretty fun and beautiful, not too slippery with algae as have been in past, walls quite dry, water level low but still deep. I could just barely tip toe through a few swims. I was comfortable with my 4/3 wetsuit. Lots of twisted downclimb chutes which is such a neat feature! The final pot hole IS IN KEEPER MODE! Water was about 4ft below the lip. We used a hook with foot loop to get out without issue. (Picture is of final pothole after escape) Exit is a breeze if you stay on the rocks in the drainage all the way up to the top wall before cutting over to the left. No need to scramble on the terrible loose soil as so many side trails suggest. Awesome day, we really enjoyed ourselves!!
10 Jun 2022	Great	Deep pools	Full wetsuit	Normal	6 hours	3 people Advanced	Nclegg (274 reports),Doctors out (25 reports)
Comment: Final pothole was approximately 14” below the lip. Easy to reach the lip and climb out, but water level is lowering quickly. Rescued two king snakes that were trapped in the pothole. I was warm in a full 5mm wetsuit. One other in the group had 6mm total on their core (3+3) and was still a bit cold. Neoprene gloves were a luxury.
28 May 2022	Great	Deep pools	Full wetsuit	Normal	8 hours	3 people Beginner to Expert	Amains (10 reports)
Comment: Water is about 5 inches below the lip for the keeper at the end. Didn’t need gear to get out, but better to start carrying it. Chilly water, but staging people across the pothole swims so that no one is stuck in the water helped everyone stay warm through the day. Most anchors are in good condition, except for one anchor early on that will need to be replaced soon. A few anchors have extra (double) webbing on them, so choose your own adventure or cut it out. 8.5 hours total: 7:45 start 8:45 r1 9:25 register 10:15 wetsuits on 2:15 out of keeper 2:45 started sneak exit out 4:20 end Weather: low 48F to high 76F, sunny and slightly cloudy, overcast in the morning. Did not need an extra jacket.
28 May 2022	Amazing	Deep pools	Full wetsuit	Normal	8 hours	4 people Beginner to Advanced	Triggerfish (22 reports)
Comment: Vid: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fb8Zbl28YLc" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> Agree with all said by the team ahead of us. What an amazing canyon! Loved the narrows and corkscrews. There's a mostly decomposed bear cub early in the slot (up on dry ground). Nothing especially awful in the potholes, though several had an unpleasant smell, and none of the water we saw looked drinkable with any less than military grade filtration. We all did full wetsuits that averaged 5mm neoprene on the body core, with 3mm gloves and socks, and were glad for every bit of it. The water wasn't arrestingly cold, but the repeated exposure and minimal sunlight added up to mild shivers by the end. Rope pulls were easy. Aside from a slightly frayed sling early on, anchors were in great shape. A couple are double-slung, with one sling hanging cheap rolled "escape" rappel rings that are intact, but superfluous. Lots of fresh-looking downed trees in some areas, including a couple of the wet sections. Final big pothole waterline was about 5" below lip. The Pika Ibis 3 and other pothole escape tools sighed disappointedly from my deep in my pack as we simply grabbed the edge and crawled out. Other potential keepers were flowing over and similarly easy to pass. Had a spare 200' rope, but the pulls here were all pretty easy. Sneak exit is a bit of a grind, but direct and really pretty clean. Bit of easily avoided poison ivy on the entry hike and early in the exit hike.
15 May 2022	Amazing	Deep pools	Full wetsuit	Special challenges	10 hours		Stber321 (20 reports)
Comment: Time includes hanging out in west fork oak creek and exit via COTC. The canyon had prolonged cold pools, with water well above the lip on the last pothole. All potholes were overflowing. Some bear scat on the way out to the last rap and an assortment of beautiful little frogs.
9 May 2022	Good	Deep pools	Full wetsuit	Normal	9 hours	4 people Intermediate to Advanced	EMoorcroft (282 reports)
Comment: Keepers are overflowing. Easy/ cold mode. All anchors in good condition. Fresh log jams and tree debris made this run interesting.
9 May 2022	Great	Deep pools	Full wetsuit	Normal	9 hours	4 people Intermediate to Advanced	Rglenn (17 reports)
Comment: All pot holes overflowing. I wore dry suit, the others wore shorty wetsuits over full 3/4 wetsuits. This kept everyone reasonably warm, don’t recommend less. No dead animals in final pothole! Sneak exit is a chore with packs full of wet gear. Saw lots of very fresh bear droppings during sneak exit.
6 Sep 2021	Amazing	Deep pools		Normal	7 hours	6 people Beginner to Advanced	EMoorcroft (282 reports)
Comment: Keeper pothole is currently 2 feet above the lip. Water levels and temps in superb condition. We were able to skip a handful of rappels with jumps, downclimbs, and buddy assist. Extra tatt and handline at keeper were removed. All of our group wore wetsuits and did not start to get cold until the last few rappels. Rope grooves are getting bad on the lichen wall rappel. Be cautious of the misleading fail trails up the left side of the drainage, we avoided these and did not stray too far away from the main drainage. Great Canyon.
6 Sep 2021	Amazing	Deep pools	Full wetsuit	Special challenges	7 hours	6 people Beginner to Advanced	Jawx0420 (40 reports)
Comment: What an amazing route! Words can't explain how beautiful this canyon is. Now I know why it is among the highest rated in the state. All anchors were in good condition. The potholes are completely full thanks to recent rains. Easy to escape / exit each one without any special tools. Full wetsuits kept us warm and are highly recommended. We used a 200' rope which was more than enough for each rap without requiring an additional pull cord. The sneak exit was tough, especially when carrying all of your wet gear out. This route will always be one of my favorites. Enjoy!

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