Dragonfly
Dragonfly
Moab—Arches National Park (permit required)
The approach to Dragonfly Canyon is very easy and short. The exit is also relatively easy but much longer as you hike in deep sand down the canyon's wash to Courthouse Wash, then up that wash to the road, and finally, a 1.3-mile road walk back to where you parked (unless you are fortunate enough to have a shuttle vehicle waiting).
The technical section of Dragonfly Canyon is relatively short, only has two rappels, and a few potholes that are fun to negotiate and fairly easy to escape. R1 is immediately out of a pothole and down about 60 feet into a large pool that can be mostly bypassed if you rappel down and to your right. Try to keep your ropes clean as R2 can be miserable if your wet rope is also muddy. It's an easy stroll down canyon after R1 as the canyon goes from fairly wide to a very narrow "V" groove shallow slot until you reach R2's 132-foot drop. There is no room for congregating or changing places once your reach R2, so it would be a good idea to have the first person that approaches the anchor setup and descend. Everyone else should probably descend in the order they also arrive at R2.
Poison ivy awaits you LDC at the bottom of R2 and is easily avoided. Once at the bottom of R2, pack up your ropes, and take off your harness and helmet, as you are now done and hiking out. We even saw a dragonfly at the bottom of R2.
Dragonfly Canyon was a nice respite from the mid-90s mid-day heat as the potholes cooled us off, and the shade of the canyon walls on our exit was nice. I highly recommend having a vehicle shuttle to avoid the road walk if you can.
Other Details
Seasons:
Spring, Summer, Fall
Rappels:
2 to 132 ft
Water:
Generally a few of pools to swim, but short. No wetsuit needed on warm days.
Flash Flood Risk:
Minimal, unless heavy rains right over the canyon
Expected Time:
3–5 hours
Notes:
- Shuttle or 1.3 mile road walk required or combine with Big Horn for a big loop and good solid day
Nearby Routes:
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