Golf Canyon | Virgin River Gorge

Canyoneering Golf Canyon - Virgin River Gorge Canyoneering Golf Canyon

Virgin River Gorge

Overview

RATING: 3A

Tue

Rain showers after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. East southeast wind 8 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

65 | 46

Wed

A slight chance of rain showers before 11am. Sunny, with a high near 58. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

58 | 43

Thu

A slight chance of rain showers after 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 54.

54 | 38

Fri

Mostly sunny, with a high near 57.

57 | 38

Sat

Mostly sunny, with a high near 61.

61 | 39

View Full Weather Details
SEASON: Late fall through early spring.
RAPPELS: 14 to 30 m ( 99 ft. )
WATER: Generally none.
FLASHFLOOD: Low/Moderate

Tue

Rain showers after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. East southeast wind 8 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

65 | 46

Wed

A slight chance of rain showers before 11am. Sunny, with a high near 58. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

58 | 43

Thu

A slight chance of rain showers after 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 54.

54 | 38

Fri

Mostly sunny, with a high near 57.

57 | 38

Sat

Mostly sunny, with a high near 61.

61 | 39

View Full Weather Details
Jon on one of the big rappels.

Jon on one of the big rappels.

Looking down canyon from the first rappel.

Looking down canyon from the first rappel.

I had low expectations for Golf Canyon. On the map, it appears to be short and drops quickly. Not the type of canyon I generally enjoy. The canyon is a charmer, however. A 3-ish mile approach up a sandy wash and steep ridge get the heart pounding a bit before the short, but quite scenic technical section. The approach distance seems to make this a bit less popular than Cherry Canyon and some of the other Virgin River Gorge Canyons.

Some estimate the canyon at 7-10 hours. Golf Canyon is a canyon that has quite variable time. Our time was a little under 5 hours for a group of two and what we thought was a relatively casual pace. If you have a large or inexperienced group, the number of rappels can swallow time and make for a long day. Most of the anchors are deadman, so after a major flood, the canyon would take a bit more time to re-build anchors.

Note: Reaching the canyon involves wading the Virgin River. I would not recommend attempting this canyon if the Virgin is flowing at 200 cfs or higher. The crossing would likely be dangerous at those levels. At about 90 cfs, it was knee high and ice cold in December. A pair of sandals for the crossing and dry shoes for when you are across is highly recommended. CFS information is available on the USGS site.
Jon on one of the first short rappels.

Jon on one of the first short rappels.

Jon on a photogenic rappel.

Jon on a photogenic rappel.

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