Wife 3
The longest rappel of the Wives above Cohab Canyon: about 200 feet down a big wall, free hanging for the second half, rigged off a natural arch set back 30 feet from the lip.
Bring 225 feet of rope for the first drop, because the anchor sits well back from the edge. The practice here is to ghost it off the arch and leave no webbing, so somebody in the party needs to be solid at toggling a releasable rig above a free hang. After that it is small: a 40 foot rappel off a jug handle in the wall, then an optional 24 foot two stage drop off a chockstone that can be bypassed down a narrow chimney. The drainage is open for most of its length and only narrows for the last few obstacles. Picking the right wife is the real gotcha; they line the right side of Cohab Canyon as you walk up from Fruita and they look alike, so carry a track. Capitol Reef requires a free day use canyoneering permit, one per route, from the visitor center or by email, and caps groups at eight.
Logistics
| Manager | NPS Capitol Reef National Park |
|---|---|
| Permit | Required, verify with land manager |
| Technical | 3 rappels, longest ? |
| Vehicle access | Passenger |
| Coordinates | 38.27962, -111.24263 |
Sources
- permitType: https://ropewiki.com/Wife_3
- manager: https://ropewiki.com/Wife_3
- nearest town: https://ropewiki.com/Wife_3
- desc: https://ropewiki.com/index.php?title=Wife_3&action=raw
- notes: https://ropewiki.com/index.php?title=Wife_3&action=raw
- notes permit: https://www.nps.gov/care/planyourvisit/canyoneering.htm