I took a group of 7 canyoneers through Granary Canyon Friday October 15th. We enjoyed very pleasant Autumn weather–no t a cloud in the sky with the temperatures in the high 60s in the morning, rising into the low 70s in the afternoon.
Granary Canyon had very little water, and we found many spots with dried mud cracks showing that more water had been there in early times during the year.
We did several “optional rappels” in the upper canyon, and with 7 hikers, that was taking a lot of time in the shorter Fall days. We sped that up in the lower section and took less rappels, downclimbing or rim walking to speed things up.
The panoramic views on this hike are astoundingly beautiful, with views of the Fins, behind the Rocks, the La Sals and other areas near Moab.
We did not see another soul the entire day, until we arrived at the tim above Jug Handle Arch. Lots of folks were down in Moab this UEA weekend. The Jug Handle Arch parking lot was full of vehicles. With a group of y, it took us almost an hor to set up and go down the final 200 foot rappel. We did find, however, that the final rap is a bit less than 200 feet, as a 187 foot rope reached with rope stretch. We found the “Granary” of Granary Canyon.
Kerry