Canyoneering is, at its simplest, the art of descending through canyons — rappelling down cliff faces, navigating through carved narrows, scrambling over sandstone obstacles, and emerging from places most people never see. Moab sits at the centre of some of the finest canyoneering terrain on earth, and the people who guide here know it as well as they know their own kitchens.
You do not need prior experience. What you need is a willingness to commit to the moment, trust your guide, and take one step backwards off a ledge when the time comes. The rest they teach you.
Entrajo Canyon — The Classic First Experience
Entrajo Canyon is Desert Highlights' most popular introduction to canyoneering, and for good reason. Two rappels — fifteen feet and eighty feet — about two miles of hiking through water-carved narrows, and terrain that has been sculpted by millions of years of flash floods into something genuinely otherworldly. The canyon walls close in above you. The light changes as you descend. By the end of the eighty-foot rappel, most people are hooked.
No experience required. The guides spend the first portion of the trip teaching rope technique on low terrain before you commit to anything serious. By the time you're standing at the top of the main rappel, you know exactly what to do.
Medieval Chamber — The Dramatic Option
Two ninety-to-hundred foot rappels. A hike across ancient sand dunes to reach the canyon entrance. A descent into a deep, narrow slot with walls that tower above you on both sides. The Medieval Chamber earns its name: it feels like dropping into a cathedral carved by water.
The tour ends near Morning Glory Bridge, one of the longest natural arches in the world — a finale that most people don't see coming. Half a day, and you'll feel like you've been somewhere genuinely remote. Because you have.
Zig Zag Canyon — For the Committed
A 220-foot rappel. A loop hike with scrambling sections. Rock art panels that nobody else is looking at. Unparalleled views across the canyon country at the top. Zig Zag Canyon is Desert Highlights' most ambitious canyoneering route, and it's priced to match — but the guides who lead it describe it as one of the finest half-day experiences available anywhere in the desert Southwest.
Suitable for people with moderate fitness who don't mind committing to a full five to seven hours. The 220-foot rappel sounds terrifying and turns out, according to pretty much everyone who does it, to be the best moment of the trip.
What to Wear and Bring
Comfortable athletic clothing you don't mind getting dusty. Sturdy closed-toe shoes — trail runners or hiking shoes are ideal, not sandals. Sunscreen, water (the guides will tell you exactly how much), and a snack for the mid-route break. All technical gear — harness, helmet, ropes, descenders — is provided.
All Desert Highlights tours are private: just your group and a guide. No strangers on your rope, no waiting for other parties at the anchors. That matters more than you'd think.
"The moment you commit to the rappel and the rope takes your weight, something shifts. Fear becomes focus. That's the whole thing." — Desert Highlights guide
