Conditions:Waterholes Canyon (Lower)-20241203010700
Latest: |
30 Nov 2024 (6 mos ago) |
|---|
| Reported by: | RFontaine (276 reports) | |
|---|---|---|
| Quality: | Amazing |
|
| Waterflow: | ||
| Wetsuit: | ||
| Water temperature: | ||
| Difficulty: | ||
| Time: |  8 hours
|
|
Team: 4 people with experience level Advanced
Trip report URL:
Comments: Always an incredible route! Top notch sculpting and fun! We started at 9:30am and moved at a leisurely pace. Most of the canyon was shaded all day, just a tad chilly. Very dry, very little mud. One unavoidable pool that we floated across in a packraft. Potholes are still very scoured out. Paddle back to Lees took us 1 hour with no wind. We all wore 4/3 wetsuits and were warm on the river.
All condition reports
| Date | Quality | Waterflow | Wetsuit | Difficulty | Time | Team | Reported by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazing | Very Low 
| None 
| Special challenges |  9 hours
| 8 people Beginner to Advanced | Mchlprk11100 (12 reports) | |
Comment: Excellent conditions have made for the best waterhole experience thus far. There was no water or mud at any point except for R7 (guided rappel section), which had a stinky pool of water that you could bypass DCL. If you know how to set up a guided rappel and set up an efficient re-belay then you're good to have a great day down Lower Waterholes. We set the pull cord for the fiddle stick and rope DCR at the big rappel to avoid sticking the rope.
| |||||||
| Good | Dry
| None
| Normal  | | 2 people | Nclegg (409 reports) | |
Comment: Only descended the narrows above the first rappel. Some of the ladder installations from 2023 are still present, yet severely damaged, and others have been swept down canyon by floods. Canyon is the driest I've seen it.
| |||||||
| Amazing | Dry
| None
| Normal | 5 hours
| 4 people Intermediate to Expert | Natureboytimflair (68 reports) | |
Comment: Cayon was currently 99% dry until the last pool before the big rappel sequence. The pool can be bypassed on the left side. Team went fast and light with Glacier Black ropes (6.5mm-7.5mm). Hired Dave to pick us up at the beach (amazing guy) and highly recommend him if your not looking to pack raft out. 4 hours from bridge to beach. Got to beach four hours to early, for boat pickup. We were able to messege Dave on our Inreach, and he came and got us early, again super happy to have hired him.
| |||||||
| Amazing | | | | 7 hours
| 5 people | RFontaine (276 reports) | |
Comment: Beautiful canyon never gets old! Super dry with zero mud. The one deep pool is still there. First person paddled across and we set up a guided rap for the others.
Took us 5.5 hrs to reach the beach. Spent 30 mims on beach blowing up rafts. Paddle out took 1 hr 10 min with favorable winds to start then turning unfavorable near the end.
| |||||||
| Amazing | Dry
| | Normal | 9 hours
| 4 people Advanced | Cooper smith (30 reports) | |
Comment: Beautiful conditions. Great temps, redbuds are blooming through canyon. Water is minimal except for pool before big sequence. 300' rope (canyon prime) reaches with stretch included, but 315' would be more comfortable.
| |||||||
| Amazing | Very Low
| None
| Normal | 8 hours
| 4 people Intermediate | Stber321 (38 reports) | |
Comment: A beautiful canyon only slightly diminished by trash from the highway and pipes/ladders.
It didn't seem to be a problem, but some people driving by told us the police were on the way and we should maybe wait for them to check our permit. We did eventually go since they did not seem to be close. I am confused what was being communicated or who this guy was. Some cool (not too) tight downclimbs, many have unnecessary bolts. We took the fun guided rap opportunity at the pool, it's about waist deep but cold and VERY muddy. Other than this there was no real water. The big rap sequence is spectacular and makes a very satisfying fiddle. However we got our rope damaged by the sandpaper-like rock just below the chain anchors. Even with good rappel tequnique, rope protection would have been nice for my bluewater canyonator(which has a weak sheath).
| |||||||
| Amazing | | | | 9 hours
| 2 people Intermediate to Advanced | RFontaine (276 reports) | |
Comment: Another fantastic Waterholes trip! One of my favorite canyons, never disappoints!
We started at 10am. The canyon was very dry, hardly any mud, only one pool as always. This time of year, the sun doesn't quite reach down into the canyon, except for a few open areas early on. We were fine with tshirts initially but layered up once arriving at the waterhole before the big sequence. At the pool, I inflated a packraft, paddled across, and set up a guided rappel for my partner. Remember to get a full send start with pulley on tether for this guided rappel or you may get stuck in the middle as my partner did. Easy enough to throw a rope and pull them across if this happens. At the big sequence, it is usually breezy and chilly up top and on the wall in the winter with no sun. We were happy to have midweight layers and windbreakers! Nothing quite compares to the incredible feeling of being on that huge wall, rappelling down, then looking back up in that massive room. Always euphoric! Got to river 30mins before sun dipped behind the canyon walls, and inflated out packrafts. No wind, nice temps! On the river I wore wool base layers under rain pants and paddle jacket. Was very comfortable! Paddle out took us 1 hour.
| |||||||
| Amazing | | | | 8 hours
| 4 people Advanced | RFontaine (276 reports) | |
Comment: Always an incredible route! Top notch sculpting and fun! We started at 9:30am and moved at a leisurely pace. Most of the canyon was shaded all day, just a tad chilly. Very dry, very little mud. One unavoidable pool that we floated across in a packraft. Potholes are still very scoured out. Paddle back to Lees took us 1 hour with no wind. We all wore 4/3 wetsuits and were warm on the river.
| |||||||
| Amazing | Deep pools
| Thin wetsuit
| Advanced | 7 hours
| 2 people Advanced | Triggerfish (62 reports) | |
Comment: Stashed most of our ropes, water, radios, and packrafts at the mid-lower junction/sneak point the evening before, to minimize pack volume/weight. Gave us a little edge getting through the narrows above, and marginally worth the half hour it took to go up and retrieve it all. Prob not worth doing if team is 3 or more.
Minimal mud. One very cold 50’ swim. Unfortunate amount of trash, including mangled ladders - it all decreases with distance downcanyon. Downclimbed several of the rappels. Working carefully through the big sequence was a cool challenge. Went smoothly with a toggle rigged about a foot below the anchor link, where it stayed clear of the wall. Reached beach about 4pm. 1:20 packraft got us to Lees Ferry just before dark. Wetsuits helped in the packrafts, but in retro, we’d have skipped them if not packrafting (we couldn’t find anyone running water taxis this late in the year). The one swim was brutal cold but brief - my friend swam it in his unders and re-dressed on the other side.
| |||||||
| Amazing | Deep pools
| None
| Special challenges | 6 hours
| 4 people | Reiternick (35 reports) | |
Comment: Great conditions. Group wore long sleeve shirt and either pants or shorts. Only cold after a swimmer pothole. Pothole escapes with just partner assist. Some single bolts, spinners, and very old hardware that will definitely require an upgrade someday with bolt remover kit. 5 star canyon, starts as a wavy slot, ending with big sequence, then swimming in Colorado river. Used Dave for boat taxi.
| |||||||
| Amazing | | | Special challenges | 10 hours
| 4 people Beginner to Advanced | RFontaine (276 reports) | |
Comment: Incredible canyon! Stunning sculpting, fun and engaging riddled with little challenges.
We dropped into the canyon at 11am. Lots of dense slick clay mud through out. All the pot holes are scoured out and deeper than Ive ever seen them making for plenty of partner captures and buddy boosts. Definitely added to the challenge and fun of the route. Everything was made harder with muddy shoes! It was clear the canyon had flashed recently and we replaced a few anchors that were in disrepair. A few swims and wades in canyon, the water exposure felt super nice. Despite the hot day, there was plenty of shade throughout the canyon. The lighting in the canyon this time of day is amazing and perfect! Definitely worth getting a late start to see it! The big sequence was smooth and fluid. Be sure to biner block and follow the tail of the 120’ up as you pull making sure no loops occur to get stuck in the crack and whip the tail out of the quick link at the last minute to keep it from falling into the crack. We fiddled the 320’ as always. Got to the river at dusk, water level was up high and moving quick. We inflated our packrafts and paddled to Lee’s in 1hr 40min under a lovely moon! | |||||||
| Amazing | Dry
| | Special challenges | 6 hours
| 6 people Intermediate to Advanced | Desertnights (37 reports) | |
Comment: Ending with a swim in the river after a hot but dry run of this canyon. The long sequence is the highlight. It's dry and hot now and there were 2 groups behind us so plan on an early start.
| |||||||
| | | | 6 hours
| 5 people | EMoorcroft (450 reports) | ||
Comment: Mostly dry with one knee deep pool. We set a guided rappel to avoid getting wet. Stayed dry. Anchors looked....marginal. Big rappel sequence was the highlight.
| |||||||
| Amazing | | | | 8 hours
| 7 people Intermediate to Advanced | Cheveran (92 reports) | |
Comment: Fantastic day. Gorgeous canyon! Water was very low. I went knee deep in a pool that from previous TRs can hold a lot of water and rigged a guided rappel to keep everyone else dry. We caught a water taxi out.
| |||||||
| Amazing | | None
| | 5 hours
| 4 people Intermediate to Advanced | RFontaine (276 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.
| |||||||
