Conditions:Wilbur Canyon-20250528042257
Latest: |
27 May 2025 (13 days ago) |
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| Reported by: | Dyln cole (75 reports) | |
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| Quality: | ||
| Waterflow: | Deep pools |
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| Wetsuit: | Full wetsuit |
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| Water temperature: | ||
| Difficulty: | ||
| Time: |  2 hours
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Team: 5 people with experience level Intermediate to Advanced
Trip report URL:
Comments: Webbing looks good, fiddled off a log for the first drop.
One of us wore no wetsuit. He's tough and got through but uncomortably, the 2 swims were not great though. I would recommend a 4/3 as ideal now, maybe less if you move quick but the swims are still very cold. Would also recommend keeping the suit on till the exit gully, it's not long and you can keep it easy in the water. I wore 5/4 and felt comfortable.
Hang right on the exit gully when in doubt and it will be more comfortable, kml is pretty spot on.
All condition reports
| Date | Quality | Waterflow | Wetsuit | Difficulty | Time | Team | Reported by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep pools
| Full wetsuit
| | 2 hours
| 5 people Intermediate to Advanced | Dyln cole (75 reports) | ||
Comment: Webbing looks good, fiddled off a log for the first drop.
One of us wore no wetsuit. He's tough and got through but uncomortably, the 2 swims were not great though. I would recommend a 4/3 as ideal now, maybe less if you move quick but the swims are still very cold. Would also recommend keeping the suit on till the exit gully, it's not long and you can keep it easy in the water. I wore 5/4 and felt comfortable. Hang right on the exit gully when in doubt and it will be more comfortable, kml is pretty spot on.
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| Great | Deep pools
| Drysuit 
| Normal  |  6 hours
| 3 people | AZ Advocate (55 reports) | |
Comment: Very rare for the WCC access roads to be open this early, but that's the kind of winter, or lack thereof, we've had this year. The main roads were mostly fine, just some snow patches left. 142C had some mud which could prove tricky but we did make it all the way to the end.
The canyon itself was amazing. It was still holding snow/ice and several of the pools had ice covering them, so we were very appreciative to have dry suits for this trip. The water was clean but very cold, no big surprise there. Due to icy conditions we set R0a and R0b which the next team will encounter prior to R1. The webbing at those locations should probably be removed, as once the canyon thaws out they won't be needed anymore. Thank you in advance for the folks who hike that out for us. WCC proper also had snow on the ground but the water felt a titch warmer which was appreciated. The hike out was steep but also a fun scramble. Great day out!
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| Amazing | | Thin wetsuit
| | 5 hours
| 4 people Beginner to Advanced | RFontaine (276 reports) | |
Comment: Back again with 2 beginners who did very well! Moved at a leisurely but efficient pace with no issues. R1 is back in play now that the downclimb log has moved. I usually opt out of a wetsuit on this one but my 3/2 was very nice to have this time around! Pools all very full. Still one of my favs in the area!
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| Amazing | Deep pools
| None 
| | 8 hours
| 3 people Brand new to Advanced | RFontaine (276 reports) | |
Comment: A gorgeous canyon and one of the best in the WCC area! Sculpted walls, fun rappels and downclimbs make this a full featured worthwhile route! With the recent rains all pools are very full. Water is cool but bearable without wetsuit. We spent considerable time teaching a brand new beginner who had a fear of heights. This route can easily be done in 5hrs but it was nice to slow down a savor this beautiful place.
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| Good | Deep pools
| Thin wetsuit
| Normal |  4 hours
| 3 people | Nclegg (413 reports) | |
| Good | Deep pools
| Thick wetsuit 
| Normal | 5 hours
| 2 people Advanced to Expert | Arielsnothererightnow (19 reports) | |
Comment: Canyon was great. Water is very full everywhere (you will get wet starting on R1, last two raps are full on swimmers. Most of the others are waist deep. We accidentally took “wrong gully” as the exit (GPX was not working until it was too late) and decided to continue w that exit all the way to the rim. DO NOT DO THIS. It was very difficult (I’m a 5.12 climber & avid canyoneer) & so unnecessary. If the exit feels wrong, it is. Turn around quickly & try again. Water is VERY COLD. Thick wetsuit highly recommended.
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| Good | | Thin wetsuit
| Normal | 2 hours
| 2 people Advanced | EMoorcroft (450 reports) | |
Comment: 2.5 hours car to car. Wetsuits were nice. Sneak exit was burned in and easy to follow. Single bolt anchors are good enough.. but in a trade route/ az classic? My favorite of the WCC routes.
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| Good | | None
| Normal | 6 hours
| 4 people Intermediate to Advanced | EMoorcroft (450 reports) | |
Comment: We opted not to bring wetsuits and were able to stay mostly dry until the last 2 short swims at the end. The swims were short and starting to warm up and things are getting shallow. Algae blooms in wcc made for slick travel. Exit was straightforward.
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| Great | Deep pools
| Thin wetsuit
| Normal | 4 hours
| 2 people Advanced to Intermediate | MRickerd (37 reports) | |
Comment: This was our second time to Wilbur. On FR9353 wife and I moved downed tree covering trail. Trail out to the start of the canyon is rocky, but only required 2wd (lifted and armored Tacoma at full tire pressure on aggressive Hybrid MT/AT tires). Donned 3/2 wetsuits shortly after first rap. Beautiful conditions. No flowing water, but pools of varying depths everywhere. Final two slot pools were very cold. All anchors/webbing looked great, replaced nothing. All retrievals were without issue. Relaxed down at WCC for ~1/2 hours soaking up the sun. Replaced cairn at exit out of WCC up steep gully. Trail is steep but still easy to follow.
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| Great | Very Low
| Full wetsuit
| Normal | 7 hours
| 4 people Intermediate to Advanced | Rglenn (19 reports) | |
Comment: Water in pools was cold and clean. Replaced webbing on 2 anchors. Other webbing good. We used a variety of wetsuit thicknesses from 4/3 to 7mm. No one was too hot. 4 wheel drive high clearance a must.
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| Amazing | Deep pools
| Full wetsuit
| Normal | 6 hours
| 2 people Advanced | Cooper smith (30 reports) | |
Comment: We found the anchor for the first rappel washed out below the drop. The log it was on has been washed away. Either ghost from log above or be prepared to mine resources from above as this level has little anchor material. All other anchors present once debris was cleared. A few may need new webbing soon, one is particularly frayed but functional. I was using a 4/3mm wetsuit, vest, and merino base layers and was more than warm enough. Canyon was beautiful and clean water made this run a treat! Water dogs, frogs, and even a snake in the canyon. Caught some rainbow trout at the bottom from clear creek. Spring is here!
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| Great | | Thick wetsuit
| Normal | 6 hours
| 2 people Advanced | EMoorcroft (450 reports) | |
Comment: R1 Anchor and log washed away. We ghosted off another log wedged down on the lower tier. It appeared as if we were the first through since winter. We had to move quite a bit of debris around near anchor locations. Thick wetsuit were toasty but nice in the short narrows swim toward the end. Time includes slaying trout at the creek before the sneak exit.
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| Good | Deep pools
| Rain jacket
| | 5 hours
| 3 people Brand new to Advanced | Davidsnaz (23 reports) | |
Comment: All the pools are still completely full. The water temperature made made having a thin wetsuit worthwhile. The log rappel setup before the first traditional rap1 could be replaced but the downclimb on canyon right is still manageable with care due to the moss.
The creek was definitely a warm reprieve.
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| Amazing | Deep pools
| Thin wetsuit
| | 5 hours
| 2 people Advanced | RFontaine (276 reports) | |
Comment: A wonderful enjoyable full featured canyon! Great rappels, fun downclimbs, beautiful slots and some swims! Almost like a mini Illusions. My top favorite in WCC area. All pools were full to the brim, WCC has lots of deep swimming pools along the exit hike too. The exit ascent is also fairly easy for a WCC exit and beginning was marked with cairns. As you travel down WCC, pass the first possible exit gully, the next one is the one you take! Such a fun quick route, a must do!
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| Great | Deep pools
| None
| Normal | 4 hours
| 2 people Advanced | Erek (206 reports) | |
Comment: All pools were completely full. Water was cold, but able to get out pretty fast. Did not regret not having a wetsuit, with two was able to keep moving, a thin wetsuit would have been nice. All webbing looked good. Road to canyon is getting worse, a lot of mud and ruts.
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