My husband were able to spend a couple days with Chris gaining and practicing new skills that are necessary to safely navigate some of Utah’s canyons. Chris is knowledgable, methodical and sequential with his teaching. We are excited to come back next year to practice!! I love canyoneering!!
Visit a seldom-seen canyon
Explore Hollywood-famous Bluejohn Canyon
Challenge yourself with the support of a professional guide
Even though Bluejohn Canyon was featured in the Hollywood film, 127 Hours, expect Utah wilderness at its finest on this canyoneering adventure. Our journey will take us through what may be the most famous and storied slot canyon in southern Utah.
Be prepared to challenge yourself both physically and mentally by joining us on this epic adventure that includes tight and narrow slots, exciting potholes, daring down-climbs and awe-inspiring rappels. The canyon system includes three separate forks that can be enjoyed as a 1-day or multi-day adventure.
From $349 per person | 8 to 10 hours | Snacks included
Trip Details
Price
From $349 per person
Make it Private!
Private Tour: $1,799 for 1-5 people
Departure time
7AM
Meeting point
Hanksville, Utah.
Meeting location will be provided in your pre-trip information packet.
Availability
March through November
Contact us for availability from December through February.
Duration
Full day (8-10 hours)
Group size
2-10 people
If you have more than 8 people in your group, contact us about doing a private tour.
Experience level
No previous experience required
This trip is suitable for beginners of all ages who are looking to enjoy an active, adventurous, and educational outdoor experience. Adult participants should be able to carry a pack weighing 10-20 pounds.
Difficulty rating
3-4
Level 1
- Activity:
- Hiking: Easy hiking on well maintained trails
- Canyoneering: Easy hiking and scrambling using hands and feet for balance and support A rope may be used for handlines, belays, rappels and lowering packs
- Distances: Hike up to 2 miles
- Surfaces: Easy terrain
- Elevation Change: Little to none. Short sections of uphill travel.
Level 2
- Activity:
- Hiking: Easy to moderate hiking
- Canyoneering: Easy to moderate hiking and scrambling using hands and feet for balance and support. A rope may be used for handlines, belays, rappels and lowering packs.
- Distances: Hike up to 3 miles
- Surfaces: Flat or rolling terrain with some steep ascents/descents and uneven trails
- Elevation Change: Up to 600 ft/day
Level 3
- Activity:
- Hiking: Moderate, off-trail hiking on rugged trails
- Canyoneering: Moderate, sustained, climbing and scrambling using hands and feet. A rope is required for handlines, belays, rappels and lowering packs
- Distances: Hike up to 6 miles
- Surfaces: Rolling or mountainous terrain with some steep ascents/descents and uneven trails
- Elevation Change: Up to 1200 ft/day
Level 4
- Activity:
- Hiking: Difficult, off-trail hiking on rugged, technical terrain
- Canyoneering: Difficult, sustained, climbing and scrambling using hands and feet. A rope is required for handlines, belays, rappels and lowering packs.
- Distances: Hike up to 10 miles
- Surfaces: Rugged, exposed terrain with steep ascents/descents and uneven trails
- Elevation Change: Up to 3000 ft/day
Level 5
- Activity:
- Hiking: Very difficult, off-trail hiking on rugged, technical terrain
- Canyoneering: Very difficult, sustained, climbing and scrambling using hands and feet. A rope may be used for handlines, belays, rappels and lowering packs. May require advanced canyoneering techniques including guided rappels, multi-pitch rappels, complex ropework difficult pothole escapes, and advanced problem-solving and anchor building.
- Distances: Hike up to 14 miles
- Surfaces: Extremely rugged, exposed terrain with steep ascents/descents and uneven trails
- Elevation Change: Up to 4000 ft/day
Solitude rating
4-5
- Expect to be around other hikers and travelers most of the time.
- Expect to have some solitude, as much as an hour at a time without seeing other groups.
- Expect several hours of solitude at a time.
- Expect to see no more than one or two groups on your trip.
- Expect to see no other hikers or travelers on your trip.
Included
- Experienced and professional guides
- Canyoneering equipment
- Canyoneering and rappelling instruction
- Snacks and refreshments
- State park entrance fees
- Safety equipment, including a team first-aid kit and satellite messenger
- A commitment to make the tour as exciting, challenging, and informative as you’d like
Not included
- Travel insurance
- Transportation to trailhead
- Gratuity for your guide
What to bring
- Layered clothing
- Comfortable, sturdy footwear
- Sun protection
- Small backpack
- Water bottles or bladder
- Headlamp or flashlight
A full packing list will be sent upon booking.
What Lies Ahead of You
Explore locations where 127 Hours and Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid were filmed
Experience beautiful, secluded canyons in the Robbers Roost wilderness
Discover canyoneering with the support of professional and experienced guides
Learn about the area’s unique history and geology
Enjoy lunch as your guide shares stories of the area’s past
A One-Of-A-Kind Hollywood Adventure
On this canyoneering adventure, we’ll make our way through Bluejohn Canyon, a physically challenging canyon that includes tight and narrow slots, exciting potholes, daring down-climbs and awe-inspiring rappels. This fun, technical slot canyon has some the most beautiful slots in the spectacular Robbers Roost Wilderness made famous by another Hollywood epic, Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid. This distinct canyon system includes three separate forks that can be enjoyed as a single-day or multi-day adventure.
You may also have heard of 127 Hours, a biographical survival drama novel turned movie. It depicts the story of Aron Ralsten, an American climber and adventurer, who spent 127 hours in one of Bluejohn’s canyon with his arm jammed beneath a rock. He eventually escaped by amputating his own arm before making his way through the rest of the canyon to seek help.
Not only is this trip rich in beauty and nature, but it’s also incredibly rich in culture and history. Your guide will ensure you have an epic, fun, and safe journey through the canyons — and we promise you won’t be trapped for 127 hours! You’ll get the opportunity to climb, rappel and scramble through the different spots while soaking in canyon country at its finest.
Itinerary for a One-Of-A-Kind Hollywood Adventure
Your adventure begins with a warm welcome from your guide who will provide an overview of the area’s fascinating geography, geology and natural history. We’ll do a final check of provisions for the day before driving to the trailhead. We will caravan by vehicle deep into Robbers Roost country—the former home to a variety of colorful and notorious Wild West outlaws. Travel to the trailhead includes thirty miles of driving on a well-graded dirt road. Travel time is approximately one hour and fifteen minutes.
Once at the trailhead, your guide will provide basic safety information, fit you with your canyoneering gear for the day and deliver an introduction to basic rappelling and canyoneering technique.
Our trek to Bluejohn Canyon begins with an easy hike across the Robbers Roost Desert. This scenic desert has abundant cacti forests, colorful Juniper trees and a variety of diverse wildlife. Once we reach the rim of the canyon we will hike down canyon passing through colorful arches, pinnacles and hoodoos within intricate layers of Entrada, Carmel and Navaho Sandstone. At the contact between the Carmel and Navaho, the canyon changes form dramatically. It is here where the slot canyon and technical portion of our adventure begins.
We will pass through a variety of magnificently sculpted canyon walls, fluted dryfalls and mysterious potholes hiking, scrambling, down-climbing and rappelling as we go. We will utilize the power of our team to work through the many obstacles that we encounter along the way. We help one another by using a variety of partner assist techniques as we explore the depths of this awe-inspiring Redrock Canyon.
At the end of the slot, we continue hiking down canyon and back to the trailhead. There is still a handful of fun, easy obstacles we pass along the way including some rare intricately sculpted sand-pipes near the end of the canyon. At the trailhead, we will pack up our gear, enjoy some refreshments and drive back to our meeting point.
Other Important Information
We offer multiple tours in the Utah wilderness. See where we guide!
If you’ve decided to stay a little longer, take a look at our list of Utah recommendations(opens in a new tab), including the nearest towns with the best accommodation and restaurants. If you have any further questions, please get in touch with us(opens in a new tab)!
Frequently Asked Questions
No. This particular adventure is designed for beginners. We’ll teach you the ropes at the beginning, and then let you put into practice all your new skills.
Wear clothes you can move in and don’t mind if they get “worn-in” by the canyons. Make sure to bring enough layers in case of cool temperatures. For your feet, comfortable medium-weight hiking shoes or boots work best. You definitely need closed-toed shoes (no Chacos!) that you’ve worn before and broken in well.
Entrance fees and snacks are included in the price.
We are happy to include healthy, nutritious and delicious snacks on all of our outings. We typically bring a nut mix and dried fruit along with us. We welcome you to bring some snacks of your own if you’ve got something specific you’d like.
Please note: we are happy to accommodate vegetarian, vegan, kosher, and gluten-free diets—just get in touch with us, and we’ll chat about your needs!
There is usually little to no signal where we tour. It’s the perfect time to unplug and truly enjoy nature! If you need to stay connected for a specific reason, please get in touch with us, and we’ll work together to get it sorted.
Have more questions? Head to our FAQ page to read more!
Photo Gallery
My husband and I took the technical canyoneering course from Christopher to learn more about anchoring, knot tying, varying canyoneering techniques, and have fun. The course is 3 days long and each day was 10-13 hours long. Christopher was great to really listen to what our goals/expectations were and customise the teaching to our skills and abilities. We’d come home really tired every day but excited with what we’d seen and learned. It was a fantastic course and I’d like to return next year for more!
Our guide Logan was great! He was patient with all if us as we scrambled, climbed, repelled. The area is gorgeous, what an amazing experience for our family! Thank you and highly recommend!
