The Wives

The Wives

Capitol Reef National Park—Fruita District (permit required)

When you have seven wives, you're bound to have your favorites and those that are not. Here's the likely preference of these seven.

  • Wife 5—the most attractive
  • Wife 3—has some really good qualities
  • Wives 4 and 1—are okay
  • Wife 2 and The One That Got Away—are meh
  • Wife 6—probably the least desirable

2023-07-23 — Two of us completed Wife 5. The entry point was a challenge and we definitely didn't use the official one. We ended up dropping in at the true head of the canyon rather than the official entry to the right (looking up canyon). Our first rappel was off a solution pocket and used about 230 feet of rope to get to the bottom with most of that being low-angle slope down to the first real drop. It was a good canyon and I'd like to do this one again.

What to Expect
3A II* ACA Canyon Rating
  • This route requires standard technical gear.
  • You can usually expect dry conditions.
  • Competent and smaller groups (4±) typically complete the route in 3–5 hours
In my opinion, this route was okay but is probably not a destination on its own.
Other Details
Seasons:
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter—no snow
Rappels:
See notes
Flash Flood Risk:
Moderate
Expected Time:
3+ hours
Notes:
  • Any combination of wives can be done in one trip
  • Wife 1—3+ rappels to 66 ft
  • Wife 2—3 rappels to 99 ft
  • The One That Got Away—0 rappels (tight for 200+ lb canyoneers)
  • Wife 3—2+ rappels to 197 ft
  • Wife 4—1 rappel to 83 ft (tight for 200+ lb canyoneers)
  • Wife 5—5 rappels to 99 ft (can have a few pools to waist deep)
  • Wife 6— 3 rappels to 83 ft (brushy and bland)
Nearby Routes:
Fire Canyon

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