Water Pockets Canyon
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| | Difficulty:3B V R (v5a2 V) Raps:10, max ↨300ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:Required 120 min Vehicle:4WD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 27 Apr 2025
"Back again! 30min approach, 5hr canyon, 3.5hr exit. Water was cleanish and low, multiple wades up to chest deep, 1 brief swim, no wetsuit needed, neo |
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| Best season: | spring, fall
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36.9649, -111.6811
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WaterflowIntroduction[edit]
Water Pockets Canyon is a remote, unique and interesting canyoneering route that is tribitary to the Paria River in northern Arizona with many minor keeper potholes and sections of sculpted, deep sandstone narrows. Intermediate to advanced understanding of construction and evaluation of natural anchors is required to safely complete this canyon. Very small chockstone and deadman anchors were needed to complete the descent, and since they were placed directly in the watercourse it is assumed that some of the anchors will eventually be washed away in flash flooding. It is a good idea to scout ahead and make sure you find an anchor present or enough good material to build a new one before committing the last of your party through the previous rappel in case you find that anchor material is lacking at a drop that must be rappelled - in which case you may want to move material forward from before the previous drop for new anchor construction. Sand trap anchors would prove useful in one or two spots if this is the case (though they aren’t necessary) - water trap anchors would not. Though it may be prudent to bring a bolt kit to ensure the safety of your group through this canyon, keep in mind that bolting is illegal in Glen Canyon National Recreational area and must be done only in a life-or-death situation when all other options are completely exhausted. No bolts were used in the first descent through trip.
Water is usually available in the potholes of Water Pockets Canyon, but many of the pools are littered with dead animals, making them less than desirable for filtering. The water in Paria Canyon also seems to be rarely suitable to filter as it is typically quite silty and muddy. The best approach seems to be to carry enough water with you for the entire trip from the beginning.
The easiest way to complete the canyon is to leave a shuttle vehicle at Lees Ferry at the confluence of the Paria and Colorado Rivers and to approach the canyon from the Paria Canyon overlook located south of Big Water, Utah.
Car spot: from Phoenix, drive north on I17, east on I40 to then drive north on SR89 towards Page, AZ. Turn left onto SR89A to cross over Navajo Bridge and the Colorado River, shortly afterwards turning right following signs for Lees Ferry. After 5.5 miles park at the 14 day extended parking area on the left to park a shuttle vehicle.
Trailhead: From the Lees Ferry extended parking area, drive back the 5.5 miles on Lees Ferry Road to turn left onto SR89A, then turn left onto SR89 after 14.3 miles towards Page, AZ. After driving through Page, AZ, then eventually Big Water, UT, turn left onto Cottonwood Canyon Road (unsigned to the south, though you may notice a sign for north Cottonwood Canyon Road on the right) between mile markers 17 and 18. Total mileage from the Lees Ferry car spot to Cottonwood Canyon Road is about 70.4 miles. South Cottonwood Canyon Road is a fairly well-graded gravel road, but is a bit sandy, rocky and slow in a few sections the farther you go. Stay straight at any road junctions you pass as you go, to eventually turn left after about 16.3 miles. After another 1.7 miles (18 miles overall) you will reach a parking area/nice campsite at a beautiful overlook of the Paria River. This is the trailhead for the canyon - park here.
Approach[edit]
From the trailhead, hike north back on the road you drove in on for roughly half a mile to reach a small pull out by a small tree on the right to begin the descent into the canyon. Pick your way down the steep, rocky slope, heading north where you reach cliff bands to find a more easy way past the cliffs to eventually drop into a sandy wash below. Follow the wash east and into the main branch of the canyon and turn right to head down canyon. A short drop of 10 feet is easily bypassed on the right, to re-enter the canyon shortly afterward as you reach a slickrock slide to hike down. At the bottom of the slide there is an interesting petroglyph on the left. A short hike down canyon through the sand will bring you to the first rappel.
Descent[edit]
The anchor for the first drop is located high on canyon left from a small arch and is about 60 feet down to a shallow pool (ankle deep). A few dry, easy, shallow potholes lead to a downclimb of about 10 feet where you may wish to lower packs to make the downclimb easier. The downclimb drops you into another easy, normally dry pothole about four feet deep. A few more short drops afterward can be downclimbed/slid with care, again lowering packs will help make the descent through some of these obstacles more easy, though some may wish for a body belay or capture to negotiate the drops safely. Another 15 foot, steeper downclimb into a crack and some sandy hiking will bring you to two relatively deep twin keeper potholes, one right after the other. The potholes are about six feet deep each, seem to usually be about half full of water and can be defeated easily by boosting, then pulling the last out. After the twin potholes are two more steep downclimbs of about 15 feet each where again it is helpful to lower packs (for the first downclimb, anyway) and again, some may wish for a rope to assist with the climb.
More sandy hiking will bring you to another short,scenic section of potholes that can either be descended or bypassed easily on the left - I expect most groups will skip this section since it is short and so easily bypassed. If choosing to descend this section, you can rig an anchor from a small tree on the left to rappel about 20 feet into a knee-deep pool, then climb through a pothole to drop into another pool, then out and into another pothole, then another before this section opens up. It may be most efficient to send one member of your party to hike around this section to assist with the exit of this last keeper pothole. After turning a corner, the canyon descends into a nice section of scenic narrows that begins with a rappel of 20 feet from a chockstone anchor. A few fun downclimbs will bring you to a short downclimb/rappel through a tight crack of about 15 feet into a keeper pothole (usually about chest-deep) that can normally be boosted out of or use a hook hole in the wall to aid your escape. After this obstacle is another short drop of 10 feet into a shallow pool with an easy pothole escape - body belay the first, then capture the last of the group, or lower your pack and use a few small features on the right to climb your way down.
The canyon opens after this section to a sandy hike before reaching the next section of narrows. After turning a corner, you will find yourself in a long, straight hallway almost 800 feet long. The hallway begins with two downclimbs, the first being a vertical elevator downclimb of about 15 feet, the second is an easier stair-step downclimb of about 25 feet. After the long hallway the canyon twists and begins to drop more steeply into a deep and dark section of tight narrows. The first rappel in this section is about 50 feet, followed by a 30 foot downclimb under a log through a somewhat tight, but easy, angled crack. The easiest way to pass this section is to have one member of your party lower packs from on top of the far side of the log since getting under and past the log would be too tight to keep your pack on. Climb out of the dry pothole at the bottom of the drop to reach the next rappel of about 40 feet into a deep pool that may require a very short swim to reach a moderately easy escape on the other side. The anchor for this rappel is a small chockstone in the crack at your feet, you may want to hang your pack to make downward progress through this tight crack rappel easier.
After the pool is another tight, grinding rappel of about 30 feet from another small chockstone a short ways down in the slot. The next rappel is found almost immediately afterward and is anchored from a small, somewhat marginal chockstone anchor in the crack at your feet - this is one of those drops to be sure you have a good anchor before your entire party reaches the drop in case you wish to “farm” anchor material from farther up canyon. The rappel is about 60 feet and drops you into a scenic, sandy alcove. A short rappel of 15 feet from a good deadman anchor brings you to a fun, thoughtful downclimb of about 10 feet between two stone shelves before reaching the next rappel. The anchor for the next drop is two small cobbles wedged firmly in a crack on the right; the rappel is about 30 feet. A short sandy hallway brings you to the last drop in this section of narrows which is about 40 feet from a small deadman anchor above the drop. Very carefully inspect and test this anchor before committing your party to using it.
After this drop the canyon begins to open and another short hike will bring you to the edge of a tall cliff band that stands before you and the Paria River below. The rappel through this cliffband is about 300 feet, mostly free-hanging and anchored from a tree about 15 feet back from the edge of the drop. A short walk around on the right gives a good vantage point to make sure the rope is on the ground, though use caution while traveling on the fractured cliff-top. Carefully evaluate this anchor - to ease rope retrieval the anchor should extend just over the 90 degree edge of the drop. It would be wise to protect any wear points for the webbing used for the anchor in any way you can - we placed a potshot bag under the webbing where it was rubbing on the edge. Since some abrading of the webbing is inevitable here, it may be wise to back up this anchor with a second strand of webbing in case the first becomes compromised. The tree used for the anchor seemed solid enough at its roots, but was unstable above that. You may want to back up this anchor from another, more solid tree 20 feet behind it for all in your party but the last.
After pulling the rope, head down the boulder field below by scrambling and downclimbing as you go to reach the Paria River.
R1: 60' LDC small arch.
R2: 40' chock stone.
Hallway.
R3: 60' chock stone, tight start.
30' downclimb into pothole.
R4: 60' chock stone, tight start.
R5: 40' chock stone, tight start. Possible downclimb, last 10 feet very challenging.
R6: 50' rock chock.
Opens up.
R7: 30' up and LDC off boulder.
R8: 50' chock stone.
R9: 40' chock stone RDC.
R10: 305' tree back. Adjust rope with each rap. Sharp edge. Rope protection highly recommend.
Exit[edit]
Once you reach the Paria River, turn left to begin the nine mile hike back to Lees Ferry and your shuttle vehicle. The steep enbankment on the opposite side of the river can be scrambled up a short ways down river (left) to reach the trail above. Turn left and follow the trail as it meanders above and through the river. Decent campsites can be found shortly past the scramble up to the trail at river level, or about 1.5 miles down river on the right at a sandy clearing next to the river at a spot with nice, rocky shelves to lay out your gear to dry. Additional campsites can be found farther down river along the trail, but are a bit scarce - if you find a good spot and feel like you are done for the day - take it. You may lose the trail occasionally, but if you do, just follow the river and you will surely pick up the trail in time as it becomes more defined (and is marked with small rock cairns) the closer you get to the trailhead. After passing Lonely Dell Ranch, follow the obvious road on the right, passing through a gate, then cross over a bridge that spans the river and turn left to reach the parking lot where you left your shuttle vehicle.
Red tape[edit]
A permit is required from the Paria Canyon/Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness chapter of the Bureau of Land Management to complete this canyon. Day use permits are $6/day and there are no limits to number given. Overnight permits become available to book three months in advance (book as close to the 12PM opening on the 1st of the month three months in advance as you can to ensure you get as many permits as you need), and cost $5 per day in addition to the day use fee. Group size is limited to 10 people. The trailhead you will be using is the Paria Canyon overlook, though it is not currently listed as one of the options. Though the trailhead is not listed as one of the options for hiking in the area, I have been assured from officials at the BLM that entry to Paria Canyon through Water Pockets Canyon is legal as long as normal BLM wilderness rules and regulations are followed. Stay on designated roads in the area; no permanent anchors (bolts) are allowed; pack it in, pack it out - you know the drill. Permits are available at: https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/permits-and-passes/lotteries-and-permit-systems/arizona/paria-canyon
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
Background[edit]
After a few initial exploratory trips to the canyon, I estimated that the full descent might only take 5-6 hours since the early canyon is so mellow with only a small handfull of short drops and obstacles. The first full descent in fact ended up taking our group of four 10 hours to complete to the Paria River after being significantly slowed by the last, most technical section where it took us 5 hours (including time for anchor construction, future groups may move through this section more quickly) to descend only a few hundred feet through the canyon through the six tricky rappels in the last unexpectedly deep and technical section of narrows. Luckily we had just enough rope to negotiate the final rappel (by about 5 feet) and managed to complete the descent to the river about an hour before dark.