Overview

Hype:

Slideanide Canyon makes for a great half or three-quarter-day trip. The canyon has lots of great drops and downclimbs and slides. Skilled downclimbers can make it through the whole canyon without any rappels, but most groups will choose to harness up for several of the drops.

Canyon Rating: 3A/B

Time: 4-6 hours

Length: 3.5 miles

Longest Rappel: 0-4+ to 100 ft

Gear: Standard canyoneering gear

Fees: None

Recommended Ages:

	0-3
	4-11
	12-19
	20-49
	50-69
	70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Getting There

Navigate to 38.092558, -110.526040.

Park in the pullout on the north side of the road.

Route

Approach

From the parking area, head north. After 0.3 miles, you'll cross a wash. This leads down to Arscenic Canyon. Cross the wash and hike up a side drainage to goes northeast. Work your way northeast until you come to the next major wash. Follow the wash down to the top of Slideanide Canyon.

Canyon

There are two ways to drop into Slideanide Canyon. The first is to rappel right into the head of the canyon. This option requires two back-to-back rappels up to about 50 feet. Alternatively, you can bypass the first two rappels and rim-walk about 300 feet along the east rim to a break in the cliffs that you can scramble down. This option doesn't miss any good sections of the canyon, and it lets you keep the ropes in your bags for a while longer.

Drop: Short 10-foot slide.

Drop: 10-foot rappel over a chockstone. Can be downclimbed.

Drop: 8-foot downclimb over a chockstone.

Drop: 8-foot downclimb over a chockstone. Small people can slide through a hole on the side.

Drop: Long (100 foot?) 45-degree crack downclimb. Many will want a rope for a handline or for a rappel line. There are a few portions that want to spit you out. There are many wedged boulders on the way down.

Drop: 20-foot drop over a chockstone. Many will rappel, but it can be downclimbed.

Drop: 10-foot downclimb over a chockstone.

Drop: Final downclimb sequence with multiple drops and slides. Starts off with a 10-foot slide where a handline or partner capture can be helpful. Then there's a landing area before an exposed drop that turns into a long slippery slide under a bounder. There's hardly anything that can be used to slow you down, so many will want a rope. The slide ends in a crack that turns right. Climb or rappel down the crack. The last 10 feet is the trickiest as it flares out and ejects you. However, there was a fixed line at this location that could be used as a handline if you're not rappelling.

You'll know you're past the last obstacle when you see a giant boulder in the middle of the canyon floor.

Exit

Follow the canyon down until you see a major canyon joining on the left. Turn south and climb the fin between the two canyons. Generally stay along the ridge until you reach the plateau edge. Head south back to the parking area. 

Maps

Closest City or Region: Poison Spring, Utah

Coordinates: 38.101489, -110.520438

Interactive Guide Map

Download Guide Map

View map fullscreen.

April 24, 2021 Trip Report

By Tara Dye

Story

We went to a Canyoneering Chicks meetup, but we didn't like the canyon options that the others were doing, so the four of us split off an did our own canyon. Ondy and I were in the front and we had fun singing random songs.

Pictures

March 12, 2021 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Savannah Dye, Madilyn Dye, Cooper Dye, Ondylyn Wagner, Killian Wagner, Matt Laurendeau, Amanda Laurendeau, Alex Laurendeau, Caleb Laurendeau, Rose Laurendeau,

Logistics

Start: 10:00 a.m.

End: 5:30 p.m.

Story

We did a rappelling practice session with the Laurendeaus at Anthony's tree house the week before, and this was their first canyoneering adventure. They did awesome! We had a lot of kids, so it took some time getting everyone down the bigger drops, but I think we did really well to get everyone through as quickly as we did. The long 45-degree downclimb in the middle of the canyon was especially fun because several of the adults had two kids with them, and it was really hard to keep the kids close enough in that area. I did the whole canyon without a rope, but everyone else used the rope several times. We really enjoyed the sustained but not overly complicated nature of the canyon. On the hike out, Madi and I lost our footing and slid about 10 down a section of slickrock - that was exciting!

View map fullscreen

Pictures