Latest:	9 Sep 2023 (12 days ago)

Reported by:	RFontaine (145 reports)
Quality:	Amazing
Waterflow:
Wetsuit:	None
Water temperature:
Difficulty:
Time:	5 hours

Team: 4 people with experience level Intermediate to Advanced

Trip report URL:

Comments: Absolutely gorgeous, top notch route! Probably a bit less water than the week before but still lots of swims. I wore my cavesuit with wool base layers and was comfortable in the water. Big sequence went smooth, we biner blocked the 120. A slow methodical pull from the intermediate station with a quick whip out at the last second keeps the rope from getting stuck in the crack. Fiddled the 320. We retrieved Josh’s pack and arrived at the beach in 5hrs. Hired Dave to pick us up. His info is on the beta page.

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
9 Sep 2023	Amazing		None		5 hours	4 people Intermediate to Advanced	RFontaine (145 reports)
Comment: Absolutely gorgeous, top notch route! Probably a bit less water than the week before but still lots of swims. I wore my cavesuit with wool base layers and was comfortable in the water. Big sequence went smooth, we biner blocked the 120. A slow methodical pull from the intermediate station with a quick whip out at the last second keeps the rope from getting stuck in the crack. Fiddled the 320. We retrieved Josh’s pack and arrived at the beach in 5hrs. Hired Dave to pick us up. His info is on the beta page.
3 Sep 2023	Great	Deep pools	Thin wetsuit	Normal	9 hours	7 people	Jawx0420 (42 reports),Nclegg (296 reports),EMoorcroft (310 reports)
Comment: Heavy rain the prior day filled the canyon. We counted 14 swims in total. One of us wore a 3/2, a couple people wore thin vests, and others went without neoprene. Some of the recently installed ladders have been washed down canyon by floods. Someone in our group left their pack at the top of the last rappel. We'll pay a finders fee to whoever returns it!
23 Jun 2023	Great	Very Low	None		6 hours	7 people Intermediate to Expert	Pam (14 reports)
Comment: With 7 of us, we got through faster than expected, although we had a fast team. Parked the car at 7:30am and were at the river at 1:30pm AZ time. I attribute the fast pace to several things since last time I went through (on Sept 2022): ladders sped up downclimbs through the upper part of the canyon, very dry conditions with most mud all dried up (except the one pool), and at the big sequence we sent all but the last person off the (middle) anchor in the crack. The last person moved the 380' rope we used to the lower anchor for the straightforward fiddle pull. It was very hot. When we were at the top of the big sequence, we didn't have much wind and were in full sun. Early Sept last year, I remember freezing there in the shade & wind. The pool was about waist deep, but was quite pleasant in the heat. In the narrow keeper before the big sequence, we sent 3 people down into it, completely dry, and 2 of us were able to easily partner assist our friend up and out the other side to set a rope at the anchor. Then, everyone else had the option to hand-line up, ascend, or 2:1. Worked well to set up another rope on the same anchor to send people down the next rap & free up space on that small saddle.
4 Jun 2023	Great	Very Low	None	Normal	6 hours	4 people Advanced to Expert	Erek (201 reports)
Comment: Capable of staying dry up to pool before big rappel with some good stemming. Pool was stomach deep. Time is start car to river. Did boat pickup.
1 Apr 2023	Good	Deep pools	Thin wetsuit	Normal	7 hours	6 people Beginner to Advanced	Nclegg (296 reports),Coalemus (154 reports),Erek (201 reports)
Comment: Several deep wades and a healthy amount of mud. The pool before the keeper was a swim on canyon right, but a wade on the left. Keeper was completely empty but we climbed around on the right. We put wetsuits on early and some of us were warm through the first half of canyon but all were cooled down and some chilly by the time we reached the big rap sequence. The pothole below the first mandatory rappel was empty and required a partner assist to escape for some of the more vertically challenged group members. We caught up with one other party of three who also had worn wetsuits. There are now several ladders placed in the upper narrows (of Lower Waterholes) and no, that's not an April fools joke.
5 Sep 2022	Great	Deep pools	None	Normal	6 hours	6 people Advanced	EMoorcroft (310 reports),Nclegg (296 reports)
Comment: Awesome Team and a Fantastic canyon made for a great day. Canyon is muddy and wet enough to be cold on a 105 degree day. Knee to chest high pools and one swimmer. The mud made for some slippery downclimbs. For the big rappel one member manned the big drop at the chains, while another cleaned the 120 by rapping 90 to the first bolts, then 30 to the big drop anchor. Lamar Fiddle sticked the big drop. No issues. Big drop can be done with a 300' but you will need to extend the pull side to at least 330'. Our group of 6 made it through the canyon and to the beach in 6 hours. On the Fly fishing charters picked us up and a had a cooler of cold beverages for the 15 minute boat ride back to Lee's ferry. We were hounding down wings and ice cream at marble canyon lodge by 3 pm.
5 Sep 2022	Great	Deep pools	None	Normal	6 hours	6 people Advanced	Jawx0420 (42 reports)
Comment: By far one of the best canyons in Arizona! I highly recommend doing this route at least once. This was our first time and every one wants to go back. I would prefer for the canyon to be dry the next time we do. The mud was challenging but it made it fun at the same time. Worst part is cleaning all of your gear / ropes once you get home! Our team of 6 worked well together and we moved quick. The big rappel sequence was a blast! I loved the more technical aspect of it. Definitely had to put some thought into it and plan ahead for things to go smoothly, which they did. I was the last man down and had to clean the first stage at the second rap station, used that same rope to get down to stage 3 where another team member was waiting. We cleaned the remaining rope / pull cord together. He descended down and I re-rigged the anchor with the fiddle stick. My 300' pull string was hanging a few feet of the ground. Once down, I extended it to make the pull easier. No problems. Total time from start to the river was 6 hours. We then took an awesome boat ride back to Lee's Ferry which took 15 mins and spent about 3 hours at the local restaurant eating and laughing together. Despite the mud and the heat, this canyon was absolutely worth it! BUT it wouldn't have been as good without an amazing group of friends!
3 Sep 2022	Great	Deep pools	None		11 hours	5 people Intermediate to Advanced	RFontaine (145 reports)
Comment: Another awesome and successful Waterholes trip under different conditions! This time around, the canyon was very muddy in the slotted sections, with lots of ankle to knee deep pools and a few swimmers! Got a late start, dropped into canyon around 9:30am, had the whole route to ourselves. We started out spending time attempting to avoid the mud, stemming over pools, zip lining packs, etc. While this was fun, we eventually decided just to accept our fates and plow through. The mud is very smooth, slick clay that sucks you in and sticks to everything. It was evident that we were the first group through in a while and that the canyon had flashed hard prior. A few anchors have been rebuilt. There is a deep keeper pothole at the rappel just before the big sequence. The original anchor to get down lies just after the pothole, however, there is a single bolt up high RDC requiring an exposed traverse but avoids the pothole. The big sequence was fantastic as always! Throw rope bag out far on the 300, otherwise you may not hear or see it hit the ground. Radios are helpful on this sequence. Despite the 100 degree temps, we were in the shade for most of the descent except a few very brief instances which was nice to warm up from the water exposure. Overall temps in canyon was pleasant. The water was cold but not terribly so, definitely bearable for me without a wetsuit, however, one of of team was getting chilly. (As he usually does) We got to the river at dusk and packrafted out to Lee's Ferry in the dark which in my opinion was perfect! Lovely night paddle with minimal wind and perfect temps! We definitely took our time through and enjoyed it. The mud slowed us down quite a bit but it was an interesting new dynamic added to this already incredible canyon. However, I would definitely prefer to return when it has had a chance to dry out! FYI: We were harassed by a local yelling at us from the bridge as we started our descent. He kept telling us we had to come back and that the canyon was closed. We insisted we had a permit on our car for the canyon and he said "it wasn't for this canyon and that he was going to call the cops if we didn't come back up" We proceeded down anyway. When we came back to the car, it was still there with no citation or damage. A friend of ours called the local DPS to see what they thought, and they told him they didn't care if you parked at the bridge if you have the permit on your dash and would not do anything about it. So rest assured, Waterholes is open and legally accessible with the permit, despite what locals may say.
16 Apr 2022	Amazing	Dry			8 hours	6 people Intermediate to Expert	RFontaine (145 reports)
Comment: Absolutely incredible canyon!! A MUST DO atleast once!! Highly recommend abrasion resistant clothing/bags for this one, dress accordingly and ENJOY this spectacular gem!! Canyon was totally dry. No need to rush through technical section prior to big rap, take time and enjoy it, it is shorter than you think, and over before you know it! We eventually caught up to another group at the big rap sequence. This sequence takes quite a bit of time and we sat around for awhile up top waiting for them and also at bottom as our group descended/cleaned. Continuing out to the river, we planned to packraft out but once in the water we were warned by others of the dangerous conditions up river. One person told us that if we went back to the beach he would come pick us up. We did so and waited almost 2 hours before flagging down another fisherman who graciously gave us a ride. Once halfway down the river we realized this was the right decision as the white caps and wind were way worse than at the beach and surely would have been a challenge, if not dangerous! On the boat ride back, we never did see that other guy that offered to come back for us.... If we didnt get slowed down at the big wall and the beach it would have easily been a 5-6hr canyon/ Still an incredible, memorable experience! Beta has been tweaked and updated for ease of use/reading.
9 Apr 2022	Amazing	Dry	None	Special challenges	8 hours	5 people Intermediate to Expert	Amains (10 reports)
Comment: Fantastic canyon! Most anchors in good condition, some webbing starting to look old / may need replacing in the future. Added chains to the 320’ rappel on a previous trip 4/2. Great teams both times. Did not packraft. NOTE: we pulled a yellow dynamic rope off the big wall that must have been left during the week between my trips. If you know the owner please contact me.
9 Nov 2019	Amazing	Dry	None	Normal	9 hours	6 people Intermediate to Advanced	Erek (201 reports)
Comment: Time includes packrafting out and waiting at big rap for a group in front of us. Thin wetsuit nice to have for packraft only. Ziplined everyone except one over one pothole before big rap, stomach deep and cold. No water elsewhere in canyon to worry about. Cold at start, but great temperature overall. All bolts in good working condition. Super fun packrafting out. No idea why any real canyoneer would do a water taxi.
28 Mar 2018	Amazing	Dry	Thin wetsuit	Advanced	8 hours	5 people Advanced to Expert	DMonroy (182 reports)
Comment: A perfect day in a perfect canyon! The canyon was beautiful, the crew was super happy and fun. No wind on the packraft out, which took us 1 hour 7 minutes. We removed some ugly purple 1/2 inch webbing from the big wall (WHY?!? Totally unnecessary to have 5 separate webbings!)
10 Mar 2018	Great	Very Low	None	Advanced	7 hours	5 people Beginner to Expert	Danielson (93 reports)
Comment: Anchors were looking good. Dry except for the pothole before the big drop sequence which is only ankle deep DCL. There is a hanging rebelay station 15 feet below a tight perch perch big enough for 2 people. The perch had good chains and the pull might've been ok, however LAMAR rerigged to the hanging station anyway. Reports say the rap is only 310' from this station which could be accurate. The packraft was calm. No troublesome winds. Be prepared to go to multiple permit offices to find the one issues permits.
18 Feb 2018	Amazing	Very Low	None	Advanced	10 hours	3 people Advanced to Expert	Nathandonny (7 reports)

11 Nov 2017	Amazing	Dry	None	Normal	7 hours	3 people Advanced	Estunum (32 reports)
Comment: The only pothole with water is the usual one right before the big drop. Pothole is thigh to waist deep. There is a cow that has fallen shortly after the car wreck. Bolts LDC for 60' drop will need replacing soon.