In Europe, canyoneering or “canyoning” is an intense sport, well known as the latest "extreme game." Here, in the mecca of canyoneering, extremists have been descending Zion’s "Secret Canyons" for nearly 100 years. Just now, canyoneering is hitting the mainstream in the United States.

Canyoneering refers to travel through or occupation of a steep narrow area requiring the use of a variety of wilderness techniques. It is transforming. It reaches in and brings out the child in all of us as it combines all levels of exploration: hiking, splashing through streams, scrambling over boulders, problem solving with peers, and rappelling through waterfalls into cold pools.

Canyoneering is the fastest growing sport in Zion National Park, with hundreds of people making their way through the labyrinth of slots the Park offers. Some canyons are easy to descend and require no special skills at all; others require wilderness-level planning and training and offer immense physical and mental challenges. Whatever your state of readiness, there is a canyon in the desert awaiting you.

Zion Adventure Company is a professional canyoneering organization, invested in helping shape and grow the sport with safe, fun, and effective curricula brought to life by our comprehensive menu of trips and courses.

Consider canyoneering as an exciting part of your next visit to the Southwest.