Conditions:The Subway-20250616150418

Latest:	14 Jun 2025 (12 days ago)

Reported by:	Mastyle2000 (8 reports)
Quality:	Great
Waterflow:	Deep pools
Wetsuit:	Full wetsuit
Water temperature:	60 F
Difficulty:	Normal
Time:	14 hours

Team: 3 people with experience level Intermediate

Trip report URL:

Comments: We did Russell Gulch first and then continued on to Subway. Pools are deep enough in 3 places where you have to swim. Short swims. Longest swim is about 20 feet before your feet touch the bottom. Water temperature was little warmer than in Russell Gulch. Can do without wetsuit if doing Subway only. Weather was great for this trip. Clear, sunny day. Got warm. Shortly after the dinosaur footprint rocks, came across a snake on the trail. Bypassed it by going in the water and then resuming back on the trail.

Hike out from the junction to Southfork trailhead has sections of steep rocks and boulders. Can be tiring but those are short sections. Taking quick short breaks is very helpful.

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
22 Jun 2025	Good	Very Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	8 hours	12 people Brand new to Advanced	Tcarlisle (77 reports)
Comment: Group of 12 with mixed abilities ranging from brand new to advanced. Two Advanced leads, One Assistant, and others who were competent belayers. We started later in the day and found plenty of vehicles already at both the exit and starting trailheads so we expected to run into others and encounter frequent bottlenecks but that did not happen. We didn't run into anyone else, nor did anyone else catch up to us, until we finished the last rap into the subway proper. Even then we only saw 4 other people all day while on the exit. We kind of had it to ourselves which was very abnormal. The approach went smoothly. The "trail" that is depicted on most digital maps comes from OpenStreetMap and it is regularly maintained and is spot on. When there is any doubt about which way to go--such as when it appears you should deviate from the trail on the map based on what you see on the ground, don't deviate. Just follow the map trail and you will take the best course. The water is level is lower but there are still a few mandatory swims. Most or our group did not take a wetsuit. Some of the larger folks were fine, others without a wetsuit did shiver and get cold at times and wished they had one. The remaining members took wetsuits and were happy they did. As I mentioned we did not encounter others which is abnormal. While it is possible to do the Subway without a wetsuit in warm temps it is highly recommended to take a wetsuit because you can get cold waiting your turn at anchors and other bottlenecks in the canyon--whether waiting for other groups or for your own--you will have to wait. In addition there are portions of the canyon that always have windy updrafts "The Subway" proper is always very windy. Anchors are in ok shape. Half our group did the down climb to bypass the first drop and the rest body-rappelled off the anchor. The webbing on the Keyhole falls drop is setup to allow a limited dynamic range which is good. This webbing is in good shape and is a decent setup but it is a bit of an exposed reach so we had a person sit in the pocket with a safety tether clipped to the anchor and from here they could hand the rope back to assist others getting on rope. I did not inspect the final anchor as some one else was managing that station. Half our group hiked out quickly and recovered the vehicles while the rest moved slower managing some small issues and just thoroughly enjoying the exit. We mostly stayed in the watercourse as some of use with canyoneering boots preferred to keep their feet cool but the watercourse is often the most efficient path anyway vs the social trails on the sides. The exit is not all that long but can feel like it never ends. While I have felt that way in the past--and some in our group did feel that way--this time I found it a pleasant hike. The final up climb on the exit to the plateau can appear intimidating from below but it is not that bad. In all honesty it was far easier and less loose as I had remembered. However, some people will find it challenging and slow-going.
14 Jun 2025	Great	Deep pools	Full wetsuit	Normal	14 hours	3 people Intermediate	Mastyle2000 (8 reports)
Comment: We did Russell Gulch first and then continued on to Subway. Pools are deep enough in 3 places where you have to swim. Short swims. Longest swim is about 20 feet before your feet touch the bottom. Water temperature was little warmer than in Russell Gulch. Can do without wetsuit if doing Subway only. Weather was great for this trip. Clear, sunny day. Got warm. Shortly after the dinosaur footprint rocks, came across a snake on the trail. Bypassed it by going in the water and then resuming back on the trail. Hike out from the junction to Southfork trailhead has sections of steep rocks and boulders. Can be tiring but those are short sections. Taking quick short breaks is very helpful.
23 Oct 2024	Good	Deep pools	Thin wetsuit	Easy	5 hours	2 people Intermediate to Advanced	Ameister (43 reports),Dirk (8 reports)
Comment: That was a canyon, I guess? We intended to combine with Das Boot but got a late start due having a harder time than expected hitching to the top.
1 Jul 2024	Great	Deep pools	Thin wetsuit	Normal	9 hours	2 people Beginner to Intermediate	BryceM777 (17 reports)
Comment: A very fun beginner friendly canyon with great views and very scenic, clear blue pools this time of year. We wore 3/2 wetsuits at the start of the swimmer section just after R1 since we tend to get colder more easily. While wetsuits potentially make the canyon more comfortable, they were not required for this time of year. Since the canyon starts at a higher elevation, the hiking temps in July were also more pleasant along Wildcat canyon trail in the morning. We started just after 8 am and ended just before 6 pm totaling approximately 9 hours. Unless all members of the group are strong hikers/down climbers prepare for this canyon to last at least 8 hours as the hike out is pretty brutal with lots of scrambling and a long walk uphill. As other posts have hinted at, be sure not to fall into the trap of walking into Russell gulch as we almost made that mistake. It might be good to take extra rope to handle the longer rappels just in case the group falls victim to this route. We almost went this way, however tracking our position on AllTrails allowed us to get out of the gulch and back on the Subway route. Overall, minus a few sections, the Subway is actually pretty easy to follow as the washes going down to the canyon were well marked with footprints this time of year and was very helpful for route finding, especially since this was our first time descending this canyon.
27 Jun 2024	Amazing	Deep pools	None	Easy	6 hours	7 people Beginner to Expert	Ingalls (28 reports)
Comment: Awesome scenic canyon with a bit of a slog back to the lower parking lot
24 May 2024	Great	Very Low	Rain jacket	Normal	8 hours	5 people Beginner to Advanced	Johnbcaves (161 reports)
Comment: I think we ended up at R3 of Russell Gulch by accident, which took our longest rope and all our slings to fiddle. Oops. No real issues on-route. Enjoyed one good short wet slide just past the iconic log and one bumpy slide below the Subway. The Subway was very pretty, and the hallway above the last rap was probably better than the round Subway proper. Lots of hiking- scenic above the canyon, and somewhat tiresome creeking on the exit, followed by a steeper wake-up exit climb. Nice day for a hike.
12 Nov 2023	Great	Moderate	Thick wetsuit	Special challenges	8 hours	3 people Advanced to Intermediate	MRickerd (37 reports)
Comment: Procured permits the day prior, so we set off from the upper parking area after staging a car below at 8 am. Was ~29 degrees out as we started approach. Beautiful scenery during the approach. We went over to Russell Gulch to check out the first rappel, as one member had done it previously years ago. Ice was present in the water, so we backtracked and did the regular approach down into the canyon. At the first rappel off of the big boulder a large family caught up to us, with (3) very young kids. The water was a frigid 35 degrees (used Garmin watch with temp function to check) for the first several swims, got slightly warmer after the rocky section where additional water enters the flow. (2) of us in full 7mm (no booties or gloves) and (1) in a 5mm without sleeves. He loves the cold and was fine, but one swim felt like I was pushing my hands through knives. Purchased neoprene gloves and socks/booties after this canyon. That would have made a big difference. Managed to keep all bags dry. The section at the second rappel is beautiful. Played around in the shower room for a few minutes. The hike out was long, and the final climb was tiring after a long day in the canyon. Canyon is stunning, but you have to work for it for sure.
20 Oct 2023	Good	Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	8 hours	4 people Beginner to Advanced	Rbowru (54 reports),Knotpigeon (6 reports)
Comment: What an incredible place! I'm still impressed by the beauty of subway even after a decade of canyoneering. We combined subway with a russell gulch trip, which made for a good solid day for technical canyoneering. We were one of the first people in the morning permit line, but needing to wait for the office to open + the drive time still made for a later start than we wanted. We all wore full wetsuits, and still got a bit chilly at our snack break. We ran into multiple groups with no wetsuits who were not very proficient in rappelling, including a large family with kids. We finished the exit hike at sunset. We think at least one of these large groups was still in the canyon (hope they were okay).
7 Oct 2023	Great	Very Low	None	Easy	7 hours	4 people Beginner	Rpatt-kstew (12 reports)
Comment: Wayfinding was easy with downloaded AllTrails map. Google Earth didn't work so well. Water was cold but short swims, so wetsuits were not needed. All rappels were simple and short (10-30') and could be doubled, so no extra cord was needed to retrieve ropes. The first rappel has a bolt that is solid but the hanger is spinning due to erosion of the sandstone. Last rappel has a lot of wear in the sandstone where the rope has rubbed over many rappels. The area is beautiful--I would say this is a very simple canyon to navigate and can be easily done by beginners with a little experience.
6 Nov 2022	Great	Deep pools	Drysuit	Normal	8 hours	2 people Brand new to Beginner	Clarence (2 reports)
Comment: Team of 2 (1 beginner and 1 brand new) had a pretty easy time with The Subway, but definitely wouldn't be possible if we didn't have drysuits. Water was pretty cold but otherwise swimmable. Relatively low flow and anchors / webbing were generally in good condition. One white piece webbing on rap 2 should probably be removed, though.
26 Sep 2022	Amazing	Moderate	Thin wetsuit	Easy	10 hours	5 people Brand new to Intermediate	Grapefruit (34 reports)
Comment: Beautiful. Took wetsuits off 2/3 through the canyon. A few swimmers. Exit is tiring after a long day. Time includes Das Boot. We wore wetsuits and neoprene booties but didn't really need them in the Subway.
19 Jun 2022	Great	Low	Thin wetsuit	Normal	8 hours	4 people Beginner to Advanced	Nclegg (417 reports)
Comment: Low air temps today and moderate winds made for a cool descent. Wore a 3/2 shorty and would have liked something a bit more substantial. Technical section was beautiful. Several deep wades and a couple short swims. Exit was quite long, partially exposed, and more effort than expected.
10 Jun 2022	Amazing	Deep pools	None	Easy	12 hours	5 people Intermediate to Expert	Brdn.gonzales (44 reports)
Comment: First time through The Subway and man was it STUNNING! Didn't see a single soul in the whole canyon other than the people in our group, which I hear is very rare. Water was super comfortable, you could probably do it in a shorty or normal clothes. I had my 5.5mm suit (coming out of Das Boot) but would've loved something thinner. For the few rappels we had to do, all the anchors and webbing looked great.
28 May 2022	Amazing	Deep pools	Thin wetsuit		9 hours	4 people Brand new to Advanced	Kdinger (9 reports)
1 Jul 2021	Great	Deep pools	Thin wetsuit	Normal	7 hours	4 people Beginner to Advanced	EMoorcroft (451 reports)
Comment: Scenic the whole way. All anchors in good shape. wetsuit reccomended. Exit is a lot of small up and downs and boulder hopping down the creek. This was a great way to check out the Subway.

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