Canyoneering Route Description

Neon Canyon - 3B III (IV)
Escalante National Monument, Utah

Quick Facts

04-13-13, 10 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 9 hours)
05-10-14, 5 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 10.5 hours)

Time Required - 9 to 12 hours
Distance - 10.2 miles Total, 1.1 miles Technical (using the Fork Chop Entry)
Rappels - 4 Rappels, Longest Rappel 95 feet. using the Fork Chop entry.
Elevation Range - 5620 - 4560 Feet
Shuttle Required - No Vehicle - High Clearance Permit Required - No for day use - Yes for overnight trips (free permit at trailhead)

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up to 95 feet and 80 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.  A pot shot is also recommended.  There is a keeper pothole that may require a potshot if the anchor for the bypass route becomes damaged.  The final keeper pothole is generally considered impassable using a pot shot but having one on had is a good idea.

Wet suits should be on hand as well.  If full, Neon can have sections close to a half mile long of wading and swimming for the majority of it. If low it is an easy walk through these sections where you can see the water line indicating just how far you would be wading ad swimming.  If full the long swims could be very cold and going without a wet suit (even in warm weather) is not recommended.

General Comments

Neon canyon is a long route in a remote feeling area.  Some decide to do the route as a long day trip while others do the route as an overnight and camp near the mouth of Neon by the Escalante river.  Weather, length of day, fitness level of your team and other factors will be major factors in planning the logistics for your particular journey.

Neon Canyon has multiple points where you can drop into the canyon. Depending on where you drop into the canyon and how fast you hike the long open desert approach / exit your route time can vary widely. The route has been rated with a time requirement of III or IV with the wide possible time variance in mind.

The Fork Chop Entry, described here passes the Sport Entry and the More Fun Entry on the way.  Choosing either of the two earlier entries can shorten the day if desired of if you find you are taking longer than expected.  Optionally you can also travel farther up canyon before dropping in, to enjoy even more canyon.  The Fork Chop Entry enters the lower 1000 feet of a side fork of Neon (Fork Chop) which is followed down into the Neon drainage.

Note:
If you find yourself pushed for time on your visit you can drop into the Sport Entry or More Fun Entry to save a little time as compared to the Fork Chop entry described here.  Dropping into the More Fun Entry will shave off about 1 mile of travel to your day or dropping into the Sport Entry will shave off about 1.4 miles from your day and also skip the first keeper pothole / rap 1.

The final rap drops into what is known as the Golden Cathedral.  If you catch the afternoon sun just right the reflection off of the water and onto the wall and the next person rappelling down can be jaw droppingly scenic.  Many people hike to the bottom of the Golden Cathedral to wait for the right moments and photograph this place.

The final rappel can use about 30 feet of webbing if it needs replacement.  Wetsuits are recommended even in hot weather.  The long sections that can be swims when full could be very cold making a wet suit a necessity.

Warning:
There is poison ivy in the lower portion of the canyon below the Golden Cathedral.  It is not thick and is easily avoided.  But it is also easily overlooked and accidentally touched.

Warning:
There are a couple of keeper potholes on this route that can be an issue.  This is the reason for the 3 or 4 difficulty rating.  The first keeper can be bypassed by going up and around the LDC side by scrambling up to the rim and rappelling back in canyon after the keeper.  Entry back in canyon after this first keeper relies on the use of a bolted anchor.  If that anchor becomes damaged, it may be necessary to play through the keeper making the potshot handy.

The final keeper pothole shortly before the final rappel can be impassable even with a potshot.  A log is sometimes in place allowing escape from the pothole.  And sometimes the pothole is full of water allowing one to simply swim over it.  A potshot may help a little but in itself will not allow escape in since the down canyon side of the pothole is a sand slope slanting back toward the pothole.  By stacking people and using a potshot may be enough to get out.  Depending on water level this can be a very difficult pothole to escape.

It is highly recommended to check with canyoneering forums or fellow canyoneers to find out about recent conditions of the final pothole prior to your trip. 

There is an escape route just up canyon of a short rappel up canyon of the final keeper.  It is recommended to keep at least one person at the top of the short rappel until someone is safely across the final keeper.  Once someone is safely across, someone can walk back up canyon and have the last person rappel down.  If the keeper is found impassable, the person left behind at the short rappel can assist everyone back up to go to the escape route.

I have not tried the escape route and have no detailed information on the route.  I have noted where the Moki steps are to begin the escape route on the map and CPS coordinates.

 

Driving Directions

To get to the Trailhead

From the city of Escalante drive about 4 miles southeast on Hwy 12 to the turn off for Hole-In-The-Rock road on the right (extHoleInRock).  The Hole-In-The-Rock road is dirt.  The condition of the road varies a lot with recent rains and road maintenance.  High clearance may be needed in extreme cases but most of the time passenger cars will be fine for the first 30 or 40 miles on Hole in the Rock road.

Travel about 16.5 miles southeast on Hole-In-The-Rock road to the turn off on the left (east) for the Egypt road (extEgypt).  Turn left and travel down the Egypt road.

The Egypt road is generally well maintained but a few spots may be difficult with 2WD low clearance vehicles.  A vehicle with high clearance is VERY helpful and 4WD may be useful but generally not needed.

The first obstacle is about 3.4 miles in where the Egypt road crosses over Twentyfive Mile Wash (EgyptDP-01).  On the drive in this is generally in good condition as you drop down a hill into then across the wash.  Driving back out can be a little difficult with a 2WD vehicle since the hill is steep and a little speed may be required.  The rough wash leading to the hill may make it difficult to get up to speed.

After crossing Twentyfive Mile Wash, continue on the Egypt road for about 3.2 miles to where the road crosses over the Egypt 1 drainage (pkEgypt1).  At this drainage there is what appears to be a road forking to the left going up the Egypt 1 drainage.  Do not turn left here but instead continue along the well traveled Egypt road.

About 0.7 miles farther the Egypt road crosses the Egypt 1.5 drainage (pkEgypt1.5).  If you are not looking for it and you may not notice passing by this drainage while on the road.

About 0.5 miles farther the Egypt road crosses the Egypt 2 drainage (PkEgypt2).  The head of Egypt 2 Canyon can be seen to the left (east) less than 100 feet away.   Just after crossing this drainage while driving past here is a rough section where you will need a high clearance vehicle to navigate through the slickrock in the drainage.  A 2WD vehicle can make it but it may damage the vehicle.

About 650 feet after passing the Egypt 2 drainage is a hill you will need to drive up (EgyptDP-02).  To drive up this hill high clearance is needed.  Low clearance vehicles will have issues with this spot.  4WD recommended but not absolutely needed.  A 2WD vehicle will need to get a run at this hill and need to pick just the right line to get up the hill.  I 4WD will make it up the hill with ease.

About 1.4 miles farther will be a fork in the road (extEgypt9420).  The fork to the left (north) on the drive in goes to a road which is the continuation of the Egypt road and is signed as 9420. The fork to the right (east) on the drive in goes over to a well used trailhead / parking area for the area.  Turn right at the fork and travel about 0.6 miles to the end of the road at the trailhead (pkEgypt5).  Park here to begin the route.

To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod

No exit vehicle is needed.  This is done as an out and back route.

Maps

GPS coordinate information listed at the bottom.  For information about waypoint naming and map symbols, refer to the Glossary page.

Click the links for maps of the route. Map of the drive into the route.
Map of the entire route and approach down to Escalante River.
Map of the Canyon overview and approach up from Escalante River.
Map of the technical section.

Details

The Approach:
From parking are (pkEgypt5) To go out toward Neon, route find your way northeast down the slickrock slopes then through open rolling desert aiming for a sandstone peak about 3 miles away just right of a shallow drainage running through the desert. The peak is near the bottom of Neon and can be seen for most of the approach hike down into the Escalante River so it makes a good navigation aid but you will lose sight of it a few times during the first part of the hike in.

From the trailhead, route find through rolling desert aiming directly for the peak shown.

About 0.43 miles farther you may run into a sign (GlenCynBdry10) indicating the Glen Canyon National Rec Boundary.  Continue northeast toward the peak noted as the navigation landmark.

About 0.9 miles farther the route comes to the top of a slope (Neon01) leading down to the next level of rolling desert. From here you gain good view of the large sandstone peak that is used as your navigation aid to the northeast. Continue northeast toward that peak and the Escalante River.

About 0.12 miles farther is top of a shelf (Neon02) where you can see down to a large wide dirt zone just above the Escalante River. Route find your way northeast down to then across the dirt about 0.33 miles to where you can scramble down more slopes to the Escalante River.

Note:
When getting to this point on the way in, if you aimed too far left (more north) you will be cliffed out but can easily walk right (more east) along the rim to get to the sloped dirt you can walk down.

Just before getting down to the Escalante River will be a spot on this final shelf (Neon03) where you can go down a kind of steep sand slope down to the Escalante River.

Walk about 400 feet northeast to where you can cross over the Escalante River (jNeonBt) to the mouth of Neon Canyon on the other side.  Crossing the river can usually be done in ankle to knee deep water.

Warning:
There may be times with more water flow making crossing dangerous.  Use good judgment, be safe and do not cross if it looks like a bad idea.  The canyon will be there next time you decide to try.

After crossing the Escalante River, walk about 800 feet northeast up the Neon drainage to the bottom (jNeonApr) of a series of ledges that you hike / scramble up on the north side. Make your way up through the ledges until you are near the base of the upper cliff band to find use trails contouring up canyon along the rim.

Note:
There are multiple use trails that travel up canyon all at varying levels along the ledges. The use trails higher up are more frequently used and better defined.

Travel up ledges to use trails on the rim following along the base of the upper cliff band.

About 600 feet after leaving the Neon drainage (Neon04) you should now be on good use trails headed northeast along the rim.

About 800 feet farther the trail cross down over the head of (Neon05) a slickrock pour off.

About 0.6 miles farther the trail contours around a side drainage (Neon06Sport). This is called the Neon "Sport Entry" where you can drop down this side drainage into Neon to only do the final section of canyon.

Note:
If doing the Sport Entry, drop east down this drainage into Neon.

About 0.3 miles farther the trail crosses over a side drainage (Neon07MorFun). This is called the Neon "More Fun Entry" where you can drop down the ledges in this side drainage into Neon to enjoy more canyon than the Sport Entry but still have a shorter day.

Note:
If doing the More Fun Entry, drop east down this drainage into Neon.

About 0.27 miles farther the trail crosses (Neon08) over a large side drainage.  To get to this spot the trail takes a detour of about 800 feet to contour around this drainage.  Cross over the drainage and follow the trail as it contours around back toward the Neon drainage.

About 850 feet farther the trail drops down to the next lower shelf ( Neon09) and at this point a side drainage is between you and the main Neon drainage. The large slickrock side drainage below is Fork Chop and is used for the Fork Chop entry to Neon. Follow the trail about 700 feet northeast along the rim until you can see a way where you can scramble down into Fork Chop.

When you get to where you can scramble down into Fork Chop (jForkChop1) scramble about 200 feet down ledges down into Fork Chop drainage.

Once down in the Fork Chop drainage (jForkChop2) the fun begins. 

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
From where you get down into Fork Chop (jForkChop2), travel southwest down Fork Chop.

About 75 feet down canyon will be two drops (ForkChop01) of about 6 to 8 feet each where partner assists to get down my be helpful.

About 150 feet farther down Fork Chop is a drop (FrokChop02) of about 12 feet which can be partner assisted down a sloped wall into a waist deep pothole.

About 350 farther down Fork Chop is the start (ForkChop03) of a narrow section with a few shallow potholes up to waist deep. Shortly into this is a narrow slot where you can go low and turn sideways to travel between two vertical walls. If you do not like the tight stuff below you can stem up about 20 feet over it and go about 50 feet down canyon to drop back down. After the tight spot it is about 300 feet of deep narrow canyon to enjoy with a few tight spots to turn sideways through before Fork Chop ends dropping you into Neon.

When the Fork Chop slot drops into Neon Canyon (yForkChopBt) turn right and travel southwest down Neon Canyon.

About 125 feet down canyon is a drop (Neon70) of about 10 to 12 feet down a slot into a long chamber about 80 feet long with waist deep water. After the watery chamber is narrow slot to enjoy walking in for about 400 more feet where if wet you could have up to waist deep water in a few spots.

About 450 feet farther in Neon is the start (Neon71) of a section of canyon about 0.3 miles long where you will have a couple of drops about 5 to 7 feet each and the rest of the travel can be walking or possibly full swim for most of it if the canyon is full of water. If full of water plan on this entire section being a wading / swimming zone in narrow sculpted walls.

Soon you will come to a drop (Neon72) of about 12 feet down to more narrows that can be waist deep to swimmer depth continuing down canyon about 350 feet to a keeper pothole and rap 1.

The keeper pothole / rap 1 (dNeonR1-Keeper) has 2 options depending on if you want to cross a keeper pothole or bypass it.

Option 1, partner assist people up a short steep slope on the LDC side to a large ledge with a single bolted hanger and rap about 35 feet to the down canyon side of the keeper pothole to bypass the keeper.

Option 2, Rappel about 20 feet into the keeper pothole using a choke stone anchor and use potshot or pack toss to cross the keeper pothole with an exit upclimb of about 12 feet.

After the pothole is a corridor about 400 feet long where if full of water you will swim the majority of it.

About 150 feet after the water filled corridor is a side drainage on the RDC side where the Sport Entry drops in (Neon74Sport).

About 100 feet down canyon of the sport entry is a set of Moki steps (Neon75MokiEXT) on the LDC side going up out of the drainage.

Note:
The Moki steps go up the wall on the up canyon side of an outcropping.  These Moki steps can be used as an escape from the canyon if you find the final keeper pothole down canyon of here impassable. Down canyon of here is a short rap that may be hard to get back up.  When you get to this next rap it is a good idea to leave one person still at the top of the rappel to wait until people down canyon have determined the final keeper can be crossed.  If the keeper is found to be impassable, the person at the top of the rappel can assist others back up to go back to the Moki steps.

I have not taken the Moki step exit route, so I do do not have information to give about where the route leads.  I have been told it is the way out if you can not cross the final keeper pothole.

About 400 feet down canyon after the walking section ends (Neon76) where there is a long slope of about 35 feet down into a deep slot. The slope is just steep enough to make a handline a good idea but not mandatory. Just after the slope is an upclimb of about 6 to 8 feet and may require a partner assist to get over. Continue down canyon in another long corridor that will be wading and swimming for about 150 feet down to rappel 2.

Rap 2 (dNeonR2) is anchored from log debris at the top of a log jamb and drops about 12 feet to a corridor with more wading / swimming in full conditions. This drop can be upclimbed with significant effort if a rope is left at the drop.

Note:
The final keeper pothole is about 200 feet down canyon of here and is sometimes impassable. It is a good idea to leave people at the top of this rappel and send others down to check the keeper. If the keeper is impassable those at the top of this rappel can assist others back up.

About 200 feet down farther is rap 3 and the final keeper pothole.

Rap 3 / Final Keeper (dNeonR3-Keeper) anchored from arches and drops about 15 to 30 feet (depending on water levels) to a keeper pothole. If the pothole is sand filled or has a log placed at the exit, escape may be easy or moderately difficult. If water is low sand is scoured out and there are no logs, this keeper can be impassable with a sand slope to the down canyon side making potshots almost useless. Sometimes stacking people can get past this keeper if water levels allow.  If this keeper is impassable you will need to retreat up canyon to find an exit. When completely full the drop to the water is only a few feet making a fun jump into the water, a swim across to a walk out exit.

Walk a wide sandy section of canyon for about 200 feet down to the final rappel.

Rap 4 (dNeonR4-Golden) is anchored from a pinch point between boulders and drops about 95 feet through an arch into a large pool in a hanging garden alcove area. This spot called Golden Cathedral and is well worth the visit.

Walk about 500 feet down canyon where the drainage begins to widen but still have tall cliffs on each side (yNeonBt).

The Exit:
From the end of the technical section (yNeonBt) hike about 0.8 miles to the end of the Neon drainage where it dumps into the Escalante River.

Reverse the approach route back across the Escalante (jNeonBt) to the bottom of the slopes (Neon03), route find your way back to the top of the slopes (Neon02 ). walk west across rolling desert up to the high point of some slopes (Neon01), continue west to get back to the boundary sign (GlenCynBdry10), then route find your way west up the steep slickrock back to the parking area (pkEgypt5).  See map. 

GPS Waypoint Information

Click to show / expand the list of waypoints below........

Neon (1) - Drive in

extHoleInRock          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.72769   W -111.53143        Elev: NaN Feet Turn off to Hole-In-The-Rock road from Hwy 12. extEgypt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.54114   W -111.36176        Elev: 5,279 Feet Turn off to the Egypt Road to the east (left on the drive in on Hole in the Rock road.. EgyptDP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.56107   W -111.30718        Elev: 4,924 Feet Egypt Road crosses over Twentyfive Mile Wash. Generally in good condition but may be a little difficult to get back up the hill on the drive back to the Hole in the Rock road. The hill is steep up out of the wash and a 2WD vehicle will need a little speed which is difficult since crossing the wash can be rough. pkEgypt1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.57269   W -111.25778        Elev: 5,270 Feet Park here to start the Egypt 1 route. pkEgypt1.5          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.57647   W -111.24791        Elev: 5,350 Feet Park here in one of a couple clearings on the right (south) side of the road to start the Egypt 1.5 route. PkEgypt2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.58118   W -111.24291        Elev: NaN Feet Park here to start down Egypt 2 canyon. Just after crossing this drainage while driving past here is a rough section where you will need a high clearance vehicle to navigate through the slickrock in the drainage. EgyptDP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.58278   W -111.24086        Elev: 5,455 Feet Top of a hill where clearance is needed. 4WD recommended but not absolutely needed. 2wd will need to muscle up with some speed and choose just the right line. extEgypt9420          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59581   W -111.22649        Elev: 5,707 Feet Fork in the Egypt road. The fork to the left (north) on the drive in goes to a road is the continuation of the Egypt road and is signed as 9420. The fork to the right (east) on the drive in goes over to a well used trailhead / parking area for the area. pkEgypt5          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59306   W -111.21827        Elev: 5,620 Feet Parking and trailhead for multiple routes in the area. Routes like Neon, Choprock, Egypt 5 and many others. To go out toward Neon, Route find your way northeast down the slickrock slopes then through open rolling desert aiming for a sandstone peak about 3 miles away just right of a shallow drainage running through the desert. The peak is near the bottom of Neon and can be seen for most of the approach hike down into the Escalante River so it makes a good navigation aid but you will lose sight of it a few times during the first part of the hike in.

Neon (2) - Approach

pkEgypt5          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59306   W -111.21827        Elev: 5,620 Feet Parking and trailhead for multiple routes in the area. Routes like Neon, Choprock, Egypt 5 and many others. To go out toward Neon, Route find your way northeast down the slickrock slopes then through open rolling desert aiming for a sandstone peak about 3 miles away just right of a shallow drainage running through the desert. The peak is near the bottom of Neon and can be seen for most of the approach hike down into the Escalante River so it makes a good navigation aid but you will lose sight of it a few times during the first part of the hike in. GlenCynBdry10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59528   W -111.21112        Elev: 5,145 Feet Sign here indicating Glen Canyon Boundary line. Neon01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59904   W -111.19484        Elev: NaN Feet Route comes to the top of a slope leading down to the next level of rolling desert. From here you gain good view of the large sandstone peak that is used as your navigation aid to the northeast. Continue northeast toward that peak and the Escalante River. Neon02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60535   W -111.17519        Elev: 4,950 Feet Top of a shelf where you can see down to a large wide dirt zone just above the Escalante River. Route find your way northeast down to then across the dirt about 0.33 miles to where you can scramble down slopes to the Escalante River. When getting to this point on the way in, if you aimed too far left (more north) you will be cliffed out but can easily walk right (more east) along the rim to get to the sloped dirt you can walk down. Neon03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60574   W -111.16959        Elev: NaN Feet A spot on this final shelf where you can go down a kind of steep sand slope down to the Escalante River. jNeonBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60639   W -111.16801        Elev: 4,560 Feet Bottom of the Neon drainage where it meets the Escalante River. jNeonApr          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60815   W -111.16778        Elev: 4,580 Feet Bottom of a series of ledges that you hike / scramble up on the north side. Make your way up through the ledges until you are near the base of the upper cliff band to find use trails contouring up canyon along the rim. There are multiple use trails that travel up canyon all at varying levels along the ledges. The use trails higher up are more frequently used and better defined. Neon04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60971   W -111.16781        Elev: NaN Feet On good use trails headed northeast along the rim. Neon05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.61163   W -111.16683        Elev: NaN Feet Trail cross down over the head of a slickrock pour off. Neon06Sport          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.61863   W -111.16302        Elev: NaN Feet Trail contours around a side drainage. This is called the Neon "Sport Entry" where you can drop down this side drainage into Neon to only do the final section of canyon. Neon07MorFun          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62152   W -111.16003        Elev: NaN Feet Trail crosses over a side drainage. This is called the Neon "More Fun Entry" where you can drop down the ledges in this side drainage into Neon to enjoy more canyon than the Sport Entry but still have a shorter day. Neon08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62446   W -111.15849        Elev: 5,080 Feet This is where the trail crosses over a large side drainage. To get to this spot the trail takes a detour of about 800 feet to contour around this drainage. Cross over the drainage and follow the trail as it contours around back toward the Neon drainage. Neon09          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62312   W -111.15717        Elev: NaN Feet Trail drops down to the next lower shelf here and at this point a side drainage is between you and the main Neon drainage. The large slickrock side drainage below is Fork Chop and is used for the Fork Chop entry to Neon. Follow the trail about 700 feet northeast along the rim until you can see a way where you can scramble down into Fork Chop. jForkChop1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62412   W -111.15512        Elev: 4,920 Feet This is where you can see a clear way to scramble about 200 feet down ledges down into Fork Chop drainage. jForkChop2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62376   W -111.15481        Elev: NaN Feet Down in the ForkChop drainage. To drop down to Neon Canyon travel southwest down Fork Chop

Neon (3) - The Canyon

jForkChop2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62376   W -111.15481        Elev: NaN Feet Down in the ForkChop drainage. To drop down to Neon Canyon travel southwest down Fork Chop ForkChop01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62358   W -111.15498        Elev: NaN Feet Two drops of about 6 to 8 feet each where partner assists to get down my be helpful. FrokChop02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62328   W -111.15533        Elev: NaN Feet Drop of about 12 feet which can be partner assisted down a sloped wall into a waist deep pothole. ForkChop03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62274   W -111.15633        Elev: NaN Feet Start of a narrow section with a few shallow potholes up to waist deep. Shortly into this is a narrow slot where you can go low and turn sideways to travel between two vertical walls. If you do not like the tight stuff below you can stem up about 20 feet over it and go about 50 feet down canyon to drop back down. After the tight spot it is about 300 feet of deep narrow canyon to enjoy with a few tight spots to turn sideways through before Fork Chop ends droppnig you into Neon. yForkChopBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62194   W -111.15629        Elev: 4,840 Feet Bottom of ForkChop where dumps into Neon. Walk about 100 feet down canyon to a drop into a long swiming chamber. Neon70          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62181   W -111.15668        Elev: NaN Feet Drop of about 10 to 12 feet down a slot into a long chamber about 80 feet long with waist deep water. After the watery chamber is narrow slot to enjoy walking in for about 400 more feet where if wet you could have up to waist deep water in a few spots. Neon71          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.62142   W -111.15817        Elev: NaN Feet Start of a section of canyon about 0.3 miles long where you will have a couple of drops about 5 to 7 feet each and the rest of the travel can be walking or possibly full swim for most of it if the canyon is full of water. If full of water plan on this entire section being a wading / swimming zone in narrow sculpted walls. Neon72          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.61930   W -111.16056        Elev: NaN Feet Drop of about 12 feet down to more narrows that can be waist deep to swimmer depth continuing down canyon about 350 feet to a keeper pothole and rap 1. dNeonR1-Keeper          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.61830   W -111.16040        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 1 - Neon Canyon. There are 2 options depending on if you want to cross a keeper pothole or bypass it. Option 1, partner assist people up a short steep slope on the LDC side to a large ledge with a single bolted hanger and rap about 35 feet to the down canyon side of the keeper pothole to bypass the keeper. Option 2, Rappel about 20 feet into the keeper pothole using a choke stone anchor and use potshot or pack toss to cross the keeper pothole with an exit upclimb of about 12 feet. After the pothole is a corridor about 400 feet long where if full of water you will swim the majority of it. Neon74Sport          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.61804   W -111.16208        Elev: NaN Feet Side drainage on the RDC side where the Sport Entry drops in. This ia almost 150 feet after a water filled corridor. Neon75MokiEXT          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.61781   W -111.16214        Elev: 4,720 Feet Moki steps on the LDC side going up out of the drainage this is about 100 feet after passing a side drainage on the RDC side. The Moki steps go up the wall on the up canyon side of an outcropping. Neon76          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.61685   W -111.16195        Elev: NaN Feet Walking section ends here where there is a long slope of about 35 feet down into a deep slot. The slope is just steep enough to make a handline a good idea but not mandatory. Just after the slope is an upclimb of about 6 to 8 feet and may require a partner assist to get over. Continue down canyon in another long corridor that will be wading and swimming for about 150 feet down to rappel 2 dNeonR2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.61643   W -111.16173        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 2 - Neon Canyon. Anchored from log debris at the top of a log jamb and drops about 12 feet to a corridor with more wading / swimming in full conditions. This drop can be upclimbed with significant effort if a rope is left at the drop. Of note,the final keeper pothole is about 200 feet down canyon of here and is sometimes impassable. It is a good idea to leave people at the top of this rappel and send others down to check the keeper. If the keeper is impassable those at the top of this rappel can assist others back up. dNeonR3-Keeper          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.61592   W -111.16156        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 3 - Neon Canyon. Anchored from arches and drops about 15 to 30 feet (depending on water levels) to a keeper pothole. If the pothole is sand filled or has a log placed at the exit, escape may be easy or moderately difficult. If water is low sand is scoured out and there are no logs, this keeper can be impassable with a sand slope to the down canyon side making potshots almost useless. Sometimes stacking people can get past this keeper if water levels allow. If this keeper is impassable you will need to retreat up canyon to find an exit. When completely full the drop to the water is only a few feet making a fun jump into the water, a swim across to a walk out exit. Walk a wide sandy section of canyon for about 200 feet down to the final rappel. dNeonR4-Golden          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.61556   W -111.16225        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 4 - Neon Canyon. Anchored from a pinch point between boulders and drops about 95 feet through an arch into a large pool in a hanging garden alcove area. This spot called Golden Cathedral and is well worth the visit. yNeonBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.61421   W -111.16290        Elev: 4,660 Feet Bottom of the technical section after the final rap into the Golden Cathedral. Hike about 0.8 miles to the end of the Neon drainage where it dumps into the Escalante River.

Neon (4) - Exit

yNeonBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.61421   W -111.16290        Elev: 4,660 Feet Bottom of the technical section after the final rap into the Golden Cathedral. Hike about 0.8 miles to the end of the Neon drainage where it dumps into the Escalante River. jNeonBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60639   W -111.16801        Elev: 4,560 Feet Bottom of the Neon drainage where it meets the Escalante River. Neon03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60574   W -111.16959        Elev: NaN Feet A spot on this final shelf where you can go down a kind of steep sand slope down to the Escalante River. Neon02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.60535   W -111.17519        Elev: 4,950 Feet Top of a shelf where you can see down to a large wide dirt zone just above the Escalante River. Route find your way northeast down to then across the dirt about 0.33 miles to where you can scramble down slopes to the Escalante River. When getting to this point on the way in, if you aimed too far left (more north) you will be cliffed out but can easily walk right (more east) along the rim to get to the sloped dirt you can walk down. Neon01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59904   W -111.19484        Elev: NaN Feet Route comes to the top of a slope leading down to the next level of rolling desert. From here you gain good view of the large sandstone peak that is used as your navigation aid to the northeast. Continue northeast toward that peak and the Escalante River. GlenCynBdry10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59528   W -111.21112        Elev: 5,145 Feet Sign here indicating Glen Canyon Boundary line. pkEgypt5          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.59306   W -111.21827        Elev: 5,620 Feet Parking and trailhead for multiple routes in the area. Routes like Neon, Choprock, Egypt 5 and many others. To go out toward Neon, Route find your way northeast down the slickrock slopes then through open rolling desert aiming for a sandstone peak about 3 miles away just right of a shallow drainage running through the desert. The peak is near the bottom of Neon and can be seen for most of the approach hike down into the Escalante River so it makes a good navigation aid but you will lose sight of it a few times during the first part of the hike in.