Grand Canyon river runners know Matkatamiba Canyon well (AKA Matkat). More recently, technical canyoneers visit via 150 Mile Canyon. But to backpackers it’s a mystery. How would you get there? The way to Matkat isn’t easy, but the fastest route is off Great Thumb Mesa southeast of Towago Point. No matter how get there, the slot in the Muav […]
Who would have thought that this would be the hardest album to put together yet? In 2008 Todd Martin, Brian Alleyne, and Rich Rudow descended Olo Canyon from the top pioneering the beautiful but difficult North Rim approach down 150 Mile and up Matkat, crossing the river by packraft. It was the hardest slot […]
If the slot we call SOlo is any indication, Grand Canyon might contain a thousand slots. Certainly more than a person could explore in a lifetime. I had a hunch about the Sinyella Fault on the east side as it emptied into Olo Canyon. There is a really fast route to Olo off […]
140 Mile Canyon rests at the northern end of the Great Thumb Mesa. From the rim it casts a deep gash in the Esplanade North into the Colorado River. Any technical canyoneer hears a siren’s call when looking at that magnificent place from the rim. The photo set includes a map that shows the route of the Deer […]
Way on the other side of Great Thumb Mesa is a stunning place called Fossil Canyon. Good rock climbers can escape up Fossil canyon from the river, but not without swimming, stemming, and hard climbing. While not completely ‘technical’ in the classic sense, it’s real gem to behold and […]
Mr. David Uberuaga
Superintendent
Grand Canyon National Park
PO Box 129
Grand Canyon, AZ 86023
With copy to:
Janet Cohen, Tribal Liaison
Linda Jalbert, Wilderness Coordinator & Recreation Planner
Dear Superintendent Uberuaga,
The Coalition of American Canyoneers represents the greater canyoneering community working with land managers to ensure access to slot canyons on public and private lands. […]
Over the past 5 years, the Toroweap park ranger had noticed a dozen tires plus a variety of other debris at the base of Toroweap Overlook (www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/tuweep.htm). It is quite difficult to get from the overlook to where the trash has come to rest. Hence it was not safe to try to carry the trash up […]
The National Park Service (NPS) has approved a Wilderness and Backcountry Stewardship Plan for Death Valley National Park, concluding a 4-year public planning process.
The purpose of this plan is to guide the National Park Service in making decisions regarding the future use and protection of […]
Death Valley National Park is accepting comments to their Wilderness and Backcountry Stewardship Plan until tomorrow – October 9th. American Canyoneers has been examining the impacts of the plan, with help from local Canyoneers who know Death Valley well, and have formulated the following response. There are important changes that could affect your access to Death Valley. We ask that you […]
The illegal entry bolts at Garden Creek in Grand Canyon are no more. In response to an NPS request, eleven members from the Coalition of American Canyoneers hiked 3,000′ down into Grand Canyon on Saturday to remove the bolts from the top of Garden Creek.
The bolts were expansion bolts, and […]
Since November 2012, Rich Rudow, board member at American Canyoneers and Dave Mortenson, board member at Grand Canyon Private Boaters Association, have been jointly working through the issues concerning RABT (River Assisted Backcountry Travel) for the upcoming Backcountry Management Plan. RABT is the much preferred term to packrafting because we feel […]
The meeting was opened by a message from Board President, Wolf Schuster welcoming everyone to the meeting and thanking all of the participants for scheduling time to attend.
• One of the main benefits discussed was the fact that an organized group is better able to access/have conversation with public and private […]
NCRC Rescue Training
There is quite a bit of overlap between caving and canyoneering. The environment can be almost identical when dealing with slot canyons in Utah. Even though it technically is a canyon, there is no […]
John Wesley Powell coined the term “canyoneer” on his explorations of the Colorado Plateau in 1869. Today, many Grand Canyon hikers, boaters, and technical Canyoneers use the term “canyoneer” to refer to their activities. Unlike most other canyoneering locations, technical canyoneering in Grand Canyon often requires an expedition mentality. The scale of the place is vast. Access to slot canyons […]
The Coalition of American Canyoneers board members serve two-year terms, and elections are held for board positions each July. CAC held its first formal board election in July of 2012. 
I started canyoneering when inserted at the top of a canyon by helicopter in the early 1970’s to search for […]
After speaking with Superintendent Oberuaga last week via teleconference, Rich Rudow received this letter clarifying the Park Service position on Deer Creek access.
Position Letter from Superintendent Uberuaga (click to download)
I think this is a very complicated issue that should probably be dealt with sooner rather then later. By complicated, I mean there are legal aspects to this discussion reaching far beyond […]
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We had a very productive board meeting about two weeks ago. Other then 501c(3) paperwork being filed, we feel the IBOD has performed its duty and it’s time for the elected board of directors to take over. The board will face a long list of issues in order to get the new organization up & running.
• We are […]
The last few weeks have been fairly productive for American Canyoneers. As of 21 March 2012, we are incorporated in Arizona. The next step is 501c(3) paperwork which will start in the middle of April. The access map is in the works and should be up for beta evaluation starting in a week or so. Membership is ready to go […]
Several people involved with canyoneering have express a desire for a weekly letter describing progress which is going on but not publicized. Since we are working with legal issues, sometimes progress can be slow, in the beginning these letters might be more monthly.
Currently Rich Rudow is working with a lawyer in Arizona. The legal papers will be […]
