Rotary Dial Canyon
Twelve plus rappels, none longer than 50 feet, and not one of them is the hard part. What makes this canyon are the potholes, the stemming, the partner captures, and the fact that nobody has left any hardware behind.
The approach is 5.8 mostly flat miles south from the Post parking area on the Grand Gulch Trail, just past the Muley Mist junction, and the exit is the same five miles back, so the day is already long before the canyon starts. RopeWiki is blunt that there is zero man made anything in here: every anchor is yours to build and retrieve, which lines up with Capitol Reef's ban on new fixed anchors and power drills. The last pothole is the one that hurts people. It is overhanging, very deep, and gets worse as the water level drops, with some parties needing a packraft to escape it. Bring people who have solved potholes before, and the park's free canyoneering permit, which caps the group at eight.
Logistics
| Manager | NPS Capitol Reef National Park |
|---|---|
| Permit | None required |
| Distance | 12.5 mi |
| Technical | 12 rappels, longest 50 ft |
| Season | Spring-Autumn, hot in summer |
| Vehicle access | Passenger |
| Coordinates | 37.75426, -110.97667 |