Half Day Trips (3-6 hours) • Upper Dragonfly Canyon (Easy) • Medieval Chamber (Easy)  Entrajo Canyon (Moderate) • Tierdrop Canyon (Moderate) • Krill Canyon (Moderate-Difficult) Full Day Trips (6-10 hours) • Dragonfly Canyon (Easy) • Lomatium Canyon (Moderate)  Pleiades Canyon (Moderate)  The Black Hole (Moderate) FLY! • Blarney Canyon (Moderate) FLY! • Lomatium-Krill Linkup (Difficult)  Dipper Creek Canyon (Moderate) • Granary Canyon (Moderate) Packraft Canyoneering and Biking !!! • Medieval Chamber & Packrafting (Easy) • Music Canyon/Muddy Creek  (Moderate) • The Wedge/San Rafael River  (Moderate) • The "Pedal, Paddle, Pedal" (Moderate) = Wet Canyon! Waterfalls, swims, etc. FLY! = Optional flight to/from canyon Senseless Guiding Moratorium! After eleven years of guiding exemplary, low-impact canyoneering trips in Arches National Park the superintendent has denied Desert Highlights our permit to guide in the park. Beginning in 2010 all the canyons in the park are under a guiding moratorium. This ridiculous moratorium means no more guided trips into Lomatium, Krill, Tierdrop or Dragonfly canyons.

page to see what you're getting into. You'll find lots of smiles -- always a good sign. You'll also find lots of incredible beauty and adventure. Perhaps your smile will soon be gracing these pages...

As you can imagine, there are many wonderful canyons out there situated far from the convenience of a road. Some of these canyons descend into larger canyons which contain rivers, large creeks or some other body of water. Often these waterways allow - even require - the use of a boat to traverse. What to do when the canyon you just rappelled down ends up at such a watery terminus? You inflate your packraft, of course!

Packrafts are ultra-lightweight, ultra-durable one person rafts. They weigh less than five pounds and pack down into a neat package not much bigger than a loaf of bread. Four-piece, collapsable paddles - weighing in at only 28-ounces - fit neatly in the sides of a pack and provide the necessary propulsion while on the water. Though small and extremely lightweight, these boats aren't pool toys. They are extremely durable, highly manueverable, high quality watercraft designed for whitewater and remote regions. We use the finest packrafts available, made by a small company called Alpacka Raft in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

In addition to being great tools for canyoneering, packrafts also can be coupled with mountain bikes to create amazing, self-supported "pedal and paddle" explorations of Moab's legendary bike trails and rivers.

Packrafts make many of the impossible canyons and rides possible. And not only do they make them possible, they make them tons of fun! Combining canyoneering and rafting to accomplish a singular goal of exploring a beautful canyon is one of the most fun, most rewarding days you can have in the backcountry.

If you're looking for a unique, beautiful and exciting day of adventure in the backcountry, join us for a day of packraft canyoneering or packraft mountain biking!

Continuing downcanyon, the final rappel quickly confronts us and offers a very up close view of Morning Glory Arch, one of the longest natural arches in the world. This rappel is totally outrageous and is definitely not for those weak of knees, stomach or heart! As you descend from this awesome obstacle a lively spring gushes below you transforming the canyon from a dry, shallow-walled slickrock valley to a deep redrock gorge carpeted with lush colorful plantlife. In the hotter months, the clear pools of water begat from this spring provide welcome relief and reward to those who overcome this route's notorious roped descents.

This is one of the wildest half-day trips in the Moab area. Its proximity to town and its awesome technical challenges makes it a sure bet for a memorable adventure. And though experienced canyoneers will find the rappels breathtaking, the trip is enjoyable for novice canyoneers who have no fear of heights (the second rappel is incredible!).

If you're looking for a very unique way to extend your adventure into the Medieval Chamber consider adding a half-day whitewater Packraft trip to this hike. The hike down Medieval Chamber ends at the Colorado River and, thus, makes for a very logical and refreshing linkup with a packraft. Read more about this trip on our Packraft Adventures page.

What's in a name? With a name like Medieval Chamber, you've just gotta ask. In 1994, I moved to Moab and became friends with another freshly transplanted dreamer, mountain bike legend-to-be Fred Wilkinson from Ontario Canada. One of our first hikes together found us following a sandy wash on a hot summer day. Abruptly, the wash dropped out of sight into a most bizarre sandstone abyss. As Fred squinted his sweat-stung eyes trying to see down into the dark depths, he casually remarked that "it looks like some sort of medieval torture chamber down there." How irresistable! So we returned early the next day with ropes to have a closer look. The setting at the bottom of the chamber was more amazing than we could have ever imagined! In the years that followed we led visiting friends, locals - anyone, really - into this wild place, somehow luring them with tales of the "Medieval Torture Chamber." Despite our name, it proved to be a most enjoyable hike. Well, we eventually became responsible citizens; Fred became a founder of the Chile Pepper Bike Shop and I founded Desert Highlights. Of course, now that I had turned pro I realized that some may not be as charmed by our canyon's name as our friends, so I reluctanctly abbreviated the name. Fred understood, but still it was sad for us both. Nowadays, others have completely renamed it to suit their marketing whims, but "Medieval Chamber" has stuck with most and has become an almost household name - in the canyoneering world, anyway... -Matt

The initial section of Dragonfly consists of a hopscotch-like journey across an open expanse of slickrock - ever careful to avoid the abundant, yet fragile, cryptobiotic soil. This beginning is a stark contrast to the lush riparian environment that awaits downcanyon. Ten minutes of pleasant hiking leads to the canyon rim. Our view into the canyon below quickly establishes that this will be no ordinary hike, but one filled with a fun assortment of challenges that are friendly for all ages - a bit of climbing, swimming, rappelling and all that makes canyoneering one of the best ways to explore the southwest's hidden gems. As we scramble down in, numerous pools of water appear downcanyon. We can skirt around the first few pools, but eventually the narrow sandstone walls funnel us towards the inevitable. Off with the shoes and into the water we go! Several pools must be swam, each just long enough to cool you off on a warm day in the desert. Laughter, splashing and camera flashes fill the air as we work our way through the beautifully sculpted canyon pools. The last pool is the best since it...well, we'll leave it at that! Finally, the first rappel appears and it's a breathtaking sight. We'll dry off, harness up and spend some time learning the ropes before heading down. This rappel is a wonderfully-sloped pitch that is perfect for beginners and it deposits us into one of the prettiest canyons around Moab.

Those of us on a half-day trip will venture downcanyon a bit to enjoy this divine place before beginning our climb out of the canyon. The climb itself isn't too difficult - just enough so as to add a bit of fun and spice to an already fantastic hike. We do use ropes at one short section to belay each other for safety. Back on the rim we'll admire the incredible views all around us. It's at this point we appreciate the one really nice aspect of the half-day trips, and that is we leave early enough in the morning or late enough in the afternoon so that the sun's angle changes significantly from the time we enter the canyon to the time we reach the rim. So even though we may be admiring the same views we had earlier, the resulting change in sunlight and shadow give us a different appreciation of the amazingly rugged landscape of Arches National Park. It's no wonder the area has struck awe in countless authors, painters, photographers and the occasional tourist. A short walk back to the car has us back in town in time for a celebratory lunch or dinner.

Those of us on the full-day trip will continue down the canyon, which at this point is pleasantly scooped out of soft sandstone in a sort of halfpipe fashion. A short bit of twisting and turning through a slot abruptly ends at the second rappel. A very impressive drop, indeed! Views of the canyon floor a hundred feet below are breathtaking. One of the full-day hike's many exceptional moments is descending this final rappel into a circlet of sandstone walls shrouding a cool, quiet amphitheater. This little oasis, with its sand and large plunge pool, is a wonderful place to relax, have lunch and marvel at what water can create (kids love the pool's assortment of frogs, dragonflies, damselflies and other aquatic critters!).