Full Day Canyoneering Tours in Moab

Between roughly $170 and $350 per person in 2026 — the widest spread of any tier. Rock of Ages starts around $170 booked directly with a Moab operator. Booking platforms list Granary Canyon at $336 for adults and $326 for children aged 8 to 16, a Robbers Roost day at $269, and a Bluejohn-area trip at $349. A private upgrade adds about $90 per person, and group discounts of around 10% typically start at nine people. Gratuity is customary and not included.

Six to ten hours depending on the canyon, and up to eleven door to door on the longest. Zig Zag runs five to seven hours, Rock of Ages and Pleiades six to eight, Mail Slot and Poison Springs seven to nine, and Granary eight to ten. One platform-booked Granary trip departs at 7:00 am and returns at 6:00 pm. Departures are almost always 7:00 or 8:00 am, so plan nothing else for that day.

Bighorn sheep lambing season. The operator that runs it publishes a closure from 1 April through 31 August, which covers the whole of spring and summer. That matters because Granary is the canyon most people picture when they think of a Moab full day — six rappels finishing with a 200-foot drop near the Colorado River. If you are visiting in that window, look at Rock of Ages, Zig Zag, Pleiades or Mail Slot instead. Always confirm current closure dates when you book.

220 feet, in Zig Zag Canyon — the longest guided rappel available anywhere in Moab, run by a single operator. Granary Canyon finishes with a 200-foot drop that deposits you near the banks of the Colorado River, and Rock of Ages opens with 160 feet. For comparison, the biggest half day rappels top out around 124 feet, and the biggest on a 3/4 day is 130 feet in Hypatia Canyon.

No canyoneering experience is required — operators provide all technical gear and instruction, and most people on these trips have never rappelled before. Fitness is the real requirement. You should be able to hike six miles over natural terrain, scramble and stem over canyon obstacles with a rope assist, and stay comfortable moving for eight hours in the desert. One operator describes full day routes as requiring "physical exertion and stamina" and a full-body workout.

Twelve on most full day routes, against 8 to 10 on half days and 10 to 12 on 3/4 days. The constraint is endurance rather than nerve — six miles of off-trail descent is a lot for a younger child. A child also needs to weigh roughly 50 pounds to pull the rope through a rappel device. For families with under-12s, a half day or a private trip is the realistic option.

It depends what you want. A full day gets you canyons no shorter trip reaches, the biggest rappels in the region, and a genuine sense of having done something. It also takes your entire day, costs roughly double a half day, and on some routes involves hours of driving. If you have one adventure day in Moab and other plans, a half day is the better booking. If canyoneering is the reason you came, the full day is the one you will remember.

Pleiades Canyon, which sits in the La Sal foothills and runs actual flowing water with waterfall rappels — it is meaningfully cooler than the slickrock routes and is specifically recommended for the heat. The Hanksville and North Wash slots also hold shade and water. Avoid the long exposed approaches in July and August, and remember Granary is closed through the end of August anyway.

On most routes, yes. Rock of Ages holds potholes that can be chest-deep, Pleiades runs flowing water and waterfall rappels, Mail Slot is a water-carved slot, and Granary has potholes. Zig Zag is the notable dry exception. Operators supply wetsuits where a route requires them. If staying dry matters to you, ask before booking, because the dry options narrow considerably at this length.

Four to eight weeks in spring and autumn, and further for private trips or weekend dates. Full day departures are fewer than half day ones and several canyons are run by only one operator, so availability is thinner than the demand suggests. Some trips also require a minimum of three participants to run at all, which means a booking can be cancelled if numbers do not materialise — worth asking about when you reserve.

No. The National Park Service prohibits guided canyoneering services throughout Arches, so every commercial full day tour in the Moab area runs outside the park boundary on BLM or state land. The canyons on this page are all outside Arches. If you want to canyoneer inside the park you must do it self-guided, with an Arches canyoneering permit and, for Fiery Furnace routes, a separate Fiery Furnace permit as well.

A good operator changes the canyon rather than cancelling, and full day trips have the most flexibility of any tier because the schedule can absorb a longer drive to a safer drainage. Outright cancellations happen for lightning, sustained heavy rain or genuinely dangerous conditions, in which case reputable operators reschedule or refund. Most platforms allow free cancellation up to 48 hours before; direct operator terms vary, so confirm in writing before you pay.