Winter Canyoneering Along the Arizona Strip, A Day in Rock Canyon.

Exploring the Canyons South of St. George

South of St. George along the Arizona Strip lies a collection of obscure canyons, one of these is known as Rock Canyon. Not to be confused with the "other" Rock Canyon located closer to Zion National Park. This region is frequented more by dirt bikers and OHV enthusiasts than by canyoneers, yet it can still provide a quality outing under the right conditions.

Weather Variations and Experiences

Last year, the temperatures in the area were significantly colder, resulting in some of these canyons freezing solid, which created a winter canyon experience. In contrast, this year has seen a lack of moisture throughout the winter and much higher temperatures. Consequently, these canyons did not come close to freezing. While the swims remained very cold, the narrows are short, allowing for opportunities to warm up in the sun between cold plunges.

Conservation Efforts in Canyons

On a different note, every time we are out in canyons, we always try to pack out more than what we pack in. Sometimes it's energy bar wrappers left behind from a previous party or something that falls out of someone's pack. However, on this occasion in the canyon, we discovered two full-size bouldering pads that had been washed down during flooding and were half-buried in debris and mud.

Our Experience

We managed to pack one of the pads out, but the thought of carrying both out over several miles of hiking, swimming, navigating narrows, boulder hopping, and dealing with slippery mud, along with our normal canyon gear, was a bit too much to ask of the group. Nonetheless, even getting one pad out is a net positive, helping to reduce human trash left behind in the desert canyons.

First pool in the canyon

Andrew getting going on the 200' rappel

Top of rappel 3, Andrew finding his comfy place

Lunch break along the spring, it sure doesn't feel like February.

Philip Fell heading down the 200' rappel.

Fossils found in the stream bed along the route

We found two bouldering pads that got washed down in some flooding. We were able to pack one out, we named it Matt.

Phil hiking out with Matt and all his canyoning gear

Matt on the final Rappel, he opted to go without the rope.

White out in February. Changing out of our wetsuits and putting our hiking cloths back on.

Bottom of the final rappel in January 2025. Conditions then were far different than February 2026.

The bottom shuttle vehicle was waiting for us in Werner Valley.