New Canyon Rock Climbing

The crags in New Canyon are located a mere 10 minutes from Ephraim, making it a prime after the "daily drag" area. Perfect for college kids looking for a few sends before dark. From the road the walls look like rubble piles, but the rock is good. Sandstone with a plethora of features ranging from cracks, edges, dihedrals, pockets, shelves, slabs, and mantles. The cliffs sit on the northwest side of the New Canyon drainage, so the area gets sun for most of the day, but the cliffs face about every direction so you'll have options depending on what you're looking for. Most of the routes were bolted in the late eighties through the nineties when sport climbing was first coming into popularity, so remember to spot your buddy on the way to the first bolt (some are up there) and don't feel two bad when the 5.9s feel a little more pumpy than you remember. The routes are all clean but watch for rock fall and wear a helmet. Some of the lines have pretty heavy rope drag from the anchors to the ground, so it might be a good idea to rappel the route rather than lower. Use your best judgement.

Much of the information taken from this area comes directly from the developer, Jason Stevens, and from Maple Canyon Rock Climbing, written by Darren Knezek and Christian Knight in 2012.