Upper Black Dragon Wash
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| | Difficulty:3B I (v3a2 I) Raps:max ↨50ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:Passenger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 27 Jun 2026
"Pot holes were mostly full of water. This canyon is a great introductory canyon for new people. Very easy to bail if needed as the canyon has easy spo |
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| Best season: | Mar-Nov
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38.9341, -110.4919
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WaterflowIntroduction
Not a destination canyon, but good for being right off the freeway. Pretty colors, but it is a wash and not a slot canyon. There is minimal shade in the wash and you can scramble/climb out of the wash at nearly any point you choose should you need to bail.
Approach
Park at the Black Dragon View Point (38.940007, -110.482792). Recommend hiking along the freeway until you have to traverse to the drop in. This will save the ups and downs of hiking through the rolling hills. This hike in is short but, will still be miserable in hot weather. Follow the map for the best spot to cross the barbed wire fence.
Descent
Easy descent, all rappels could be bypassed if desired. There are quite a few pools of water.
Rappels
- R1: 15 feet - Drops into a pothole that potentially is a keeper.
- R2: 30 feet
- R3: 85 feet - The drop is about 45 feet but the anchor is set back quite a way so more rope is needed for this rappel.
- R4: 50 feet
Exit
Hike until you can see the lamp posts of the parking lot where you parked your car. Hike out of the canyon up to your car and you are done.
Red tape
Beta sites
RoadTripRyan.com:Upper Black Dragon Wash