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!
Customized adventure itinerary
Professional and knowledgeable guides
Best of both worlds - experience the wilderness with comfort
Our Canyoneering Basecamp Expeditions open a whole new world to adventure vacation enthusiasts. Our all-inclusive wilderness trips bring you to some of the most beautiful, pristine, backcountry wilderness areas in Southern Utah’s spectacular red rock canyon country in comfort. That’s right! Our all-inclusive wilderness destination vacations come complete with cozy campsites, three healthy and delicious meals each day, personalized guided adventures, hot showers and some of the best sunrises, sunsets and starlit skies on the planet.
Trip Details
Price
3 days/2 nights: $1799 per person
4 days/3 nights: $2399 per person
5 days/4 nights: $2999 per person
*Minimum number of four guests required for basecamps
Departure time
8 AM
Meeting point
Hanksville, Utah
Availability
March through November
Duration
3 to 5-day itineraries available
Group size
4-9 people
Experience level
No previous experience required
This trip is suitable for beginners of all ages who enjoy an active, adventurous, and educational outdoor experience. Adult participants should be able to carry a pack weighing 10-20 pounds.
Difficulty rating
1-3
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
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
- Trail snacks and refreshments
- Federal land permit fees
- All meals included
- 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
- Sleeping bag and pad (rental options available)
What to bring
A full packing list will be provided upon booking.
What Lies Ahead of You
Explore the dramatic scenery of the Greater Canyonlands wilderness
Discover hidden slot canyons and Native American cultural sites
Experience solitude in one of the most beautiful and unexplored regions of the Colorado Plateau
Relax in great company and camp under the stars
Overview of our Basecamps
Our basecamps offer a truly unique way to experience southern Utah. Each day, we set out from our basecamp on a new adventure taking in a variety of spectacular landscapes that are beyond your imagination. We will explore narrow, twisting, turning red rock canyons, incredible slickrock domes and mesas and beautiful desert and river environments replete with wildflowers, Ancestral Pueblan rock art, birds, lizards and many other equally fascinating sights. Our day outings are completely flexible to take into account your specific interests or preferences to create the perfect outdoor adventure.
Itinerary
Arrival
Most people arrive in Hanksville, Utah the day before the trip departs. A small town of approximately 250 people, Hanksville’s services are limited, but you will find a few grocery stores, gas stations, motels, and restaurants.
Day 1
Depart Hanksville for your canyoneering basecamp located in the Robbers Roost/Dirty Devil wilderness 1,500 feet above the canyon floor. Once at camp, you will set up your living quarters for the trip, enjoy a healthy and delicious lunch, and depart camp for an adventure tour of the surrounding canyons. Upon returning to camp, enjoy a hot dinner around a campfire before retiring to your new wilderness home.
Day 2 – 4
Awake to a brilliant sunrise on the rim of your red rock basecamp. Enjoy a hearty breakfast, pack up for the day, and get ready for another epic day of hiking or canyoneering adventure and exploration. Return to camp to relax, kick back by the fire, and enjoy an evening of great food, conversation, and fun.
Last Day
Rise with the sun, gather for breakfast and break camp in preparation for your final day of adventure. Our guide will work with your group to select an epic final adventure in the Greater Canyonlands wilderness. Once your day’s adventure is complete, you will return to Hanksville for the end of the trip.
*This trip requires a minimum number of participants in order to operate.
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
Absolutely not. This trip is suitable for guests of all ages who enjoy an active, adventurous, and educational outdoor experience. Guests should be comfortable hiking between 3-5 miles per day on uneven terrain and. Guests should also be able to carry a day pack weighing approximately 10 lbs containing 2-3 liters of water, lunch, and miscellaneous gear
Your canyoneering basecamp will include tents, a camp kitchen, drinking water, hot shower, lounge chairs, bathroom and campfire.
Wear clothes you can move in and won’t tear easily. Layers are also key! 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. See our packing list for more information.
Entrance fees and all meals (including snacks) are included in the price.
An SUV or vehicle with higher clearance than a regular car or minivan is helpful but not required.
You will be provided with a variety of healthy, delicious, filling and nutritious backcountry cuisine. Rest assured that your guides are committed to serving you the tastiest backcountry meals imaginable. Please advise us at least two months before your departure if you have any dietary restrictions. We are happy to accommodate vegetarian, vegan, kosher, and gluten-free diets.
Have more questions? Head to our FAQ page to read more!
Photo Gallery
We had a wonderful day with Chris and Melissa. A part of their tour requirements is “solitude”, meaning we saw no one else on our hike. Doing yoga on those strong massive rocks with an expansive view of the desert and mountains in the distance was memorable. Petroglyphs were a bonus. They are a geologist/botanist combo which opened up easy and interesting conversations. Highly recommended.
What an AMAZING experience! We had never done this before but Chris was so professional and reassuring. The scenery was beautiful and the decent into the canyon was something we’ll never forget. Thanks Chris for a big checkmark on our bucket list!!!
