Black Canyon in March

I and one of my esteemed partners have the time and availablility in mid March of this year for a trip somewhere within driving distance of Price, UT. I will be coming from the sunny SouthEast and Ryan is a Utah transplant. We have always wanted to go to The Black Canyon.

A search yielded little and the "Colorado & Rocky Mountain" forum ends at page 20, past the subject timeframe for my questions for last year...I have done much reading, have a copy of the latest guidebook, etc. but have the following questions:

Regarding the road to the North Rim...I gather that it will be a slim chance that it will be open mid March. Is this accurate or has it opened that early before?

Is the South side often climbable this early or does the shade keep the routes wet and loose?

Is there any way to access the North side from the South side down in the canyon other than taking a dip?

Thanks in advance.

cold and colder. actually, if you get good sunny weather, the north rim routes (some of them) might be ok. south rim will be ultra miserable.

Getting there in mid march will be a challenge. Most likely the north rim road will not be open. They basically open it as soon as conditions allow, but in a typical year that doesn't happen until mid to late April. That being said the climbs on north chasm view are usually dry enough to climb before the rim itself is dry, due to its sun exposure. So you can always walk/ski in to the campground from the gate (this is several miles).

The south rim road is of course open year round, but that side is most likely going to be wet, and will certainly be cold at that time of year. Climbing on the north rim from the south rim is fairly impossible. You could rap the Astroslog, cross the river (Tyrolean will probably not be in place this early), climb the north side, and then you would be stuck on the north rim. You essentially need to climb a route back up the south chasm view wall to get back to your car. It is possible to 5th class it up the chillumstone gully, it has been done. However, this requires a swim just above un-runnable rapids, followed by a slog up the overgrown gully, which in March will hold snow.

If it is a fairly dry year, and you want to go for it, your best bet is surely to drive into the gate on the north side,and then hike in and sleep on the north rim. Though in a typical year it will be cold, and wet that early.

Thanks folks. Unfortunately, this is kind of what I expected. Will have to save this for later unless something remarkable is apparent closer to time.