Sheepbone and Quarry Canyons form a technical canyoneering loop near Lake Mead. The route climbs Sheepbone Canyon, which has a handful of dry falls to surmount, typically with fixed ropes in place. Leaving Sheepbone Canyon, the route hikes over a pass and descends Quarry Canyon, which requires rappelling. Though right next to each other, the two canyons have different characters. Sheepbone Canyon is more narrow, convoluted and lovely, while Quarry is more open. Of the two, Sheepbone was by far our favorite.

With a competent leader, this makes an excellent beginner-friendly canyoneering outing. The obstacles in Sheepbone are a little challenging but never very hard, and the rappels in Quarry Canyon are all easy starts and very straightforward. The description below has rappels for all of the anchors we encountered, though a few of them are easy to moderate down climbs.

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