Moonshine Wash/Colonnade Arch questions

RyanP

RyanP

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I am planning a 2-day trip and would like to hike Moonshine Wash one of the days (I just did Little Wild Horse Canyon last week---2nd slot ever!---and it got me hooked). Anyway, I saw a trip report for Colonnade Arch nearby, which looks like a potential 2nd hike to do on the trip. I have a few questions about these two hikes:

1. I can bring either my Subaru Outback or my minivan. Normally I prefer the minivan on trips because I like to sleep in the back. Can I make it to Moonshine Wash in the minivan? How close can I get to Colonnade Arch in the minivan? How close can I make it in the Outback?

2. Assuming I can't get very close to Colonnade Arch in my vehicle, is it bike-able with a mountain bike? I wouldn't want to do this over a long distance, but I wouldn't mind biking a handful of miles if it's not too rough.

3. Does Moonshine Wash hold much water? Does anyone know if it currently has much water? How/where do you find info on this? When I hiked Little Wildhorse last week, it had water past my waist for a stretch (and I'm 6'3''). I didn't mind this much, but if I should expect similar or more water in Moonshine Wash, I may push to do this trip earlier or not at all (because I'm worried November might be too cold for the wading).

4. I was hoping to do this trip the 2nd week of November. I might be able to push it a couple of weeks earlier if the weather is significantly better If you think it's worth pushing the date up (because the canyon is freezing in Nov. or has ice-cold water, etc.), please let me know.

5. Do I need any special footwear or gear for this hike? I was hoping to just hike it in some old tennis shoes or trail runners (my understanding is that it is a beginner-friendly hike with a few easy short scrambles). Do I need neoprene socks or a wetsuit?

Thanks! If anyone has any other tips for these hikes or suggestions for better hikes in the area (for example, I may do Horseshoe Canyon instead of Colonnade Arch), please let me know!
 
Moonshine/Colonnade is really far from LWH. It's also light years different from LWH. Being new to this, you should seriously work your way up to Moonshine by doing other non-tech canyons first. Moonshine is super close to being technical. It has spicy downclimbs that some people won't be able to reverse if needed and significantly more challenging navigation challenges. It is not a walk in the park. It is in a super remote area with no one around. You have to be totally self reliant out there. You shouldn't do it without more experience. With that said...

bob32 said:
1. I can bring either my Subaru Outback or my minivan. Normally I prefer the minivan on trips because I like to sleep in the back. Can I make it to Moonshine Wash in the minivan? How close can I get to Colonnade Arch in the minivan? How close can I make it in the Outback?
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Not that close with either. The minivan is okay on the main road if there is no damage, but there usually is some damage. Bring the Subaru. You can get a little closer with a high clearance 4WD vehicle but I'm not sure if Subaru fits the bill in this case.

bob32 said:
2. Assuming I can't get very close to Colonnade Arch in my vehicle, is it bike-able with a mountain bike? I wouldn't want to do this over a long distance, but I wouldn't mind biking a handful of miles if it's not too rough.
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No. Once you're on that side road off of the main road, just walk. You could maybe cut off like a half mile or so but it's not worth it. Just walk. If you can't make the main road in your Subaru, go somewhere else.

bob32 said:
3. Does Moonshine Wash hold much water? Does anyone know if it currently has much water? How/where do you find info on this? When I hiked Little Wildhorse last week, it had water past my waist for a stretch (and I'm 6'3''). I didn't mind this much, but if I should expect similar or more water in Moonshine Wash, I may push to do this trip earlier or not at all (because I'm worried November might be too cold for the wading).
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It can hold some water and it can me muddy as shit. It changes from flood to flood. You don't find info on it unless you talk to someone who went there the day before because not that many people go there. If it's rained in the last week or so, plan on a bit of wading and sloppy mud.

bob32 said:
4. I was hoping to do this trip the 2nd week of November. I might be able to push it a couple of weeks earlier if the weather is significantly better If you think it's worth pushing the date up (because the canyon is freezing in Nov. or has ice-cold water, etc.), please let me know.
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Recent conditions matter, not so much the month.

bob32 said:
5. Do I need any special footwear or gear for this hike? I was hoping to just hike it in some old tennis shoes or trail runners (my understanding is that it is a beginner-friendly hike with a few easy short scrambles). Do I need neoprene socks or a wetsuit?
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I completely disagree with this being a beginner-friendly canyon. It's hard to imagine conditions that would warrant a wetsuit though.
 
Wow, thanks a lot Nick. I'm kind of embarrassed for the post now, but at the same time I'm glad I asked before just heading out there (to be fair, I'm pretty experienced backpacking/hiking, including some solo off-trail travel, but like I said I'm new to slot canyons). I swear I read in one or two places that Moonshine was a beginner-friendly option. If there's any doubt though, I'll do something else instead. Do you have any recommendations for other beginner-friendly slots? Specifically, I am coming from Denver and wanted to keep this to a 6-hour drive max, so nothing in Escalante/Zion area unfortunately. Otherwise maybe I'll do a quick Moab area hiking trip...
 
One benefit of going to Horseshoe Canyon instead of Colonnade Arch is that you should be able to get to the trailhead in your minivan with no problems.
 
Hey bob32, I also got kind of tricked by people describing Moonshine as easy (I swear I've read totally nonchalant reports of people taking kids through it) and then was surprised to find a not-at-all easy-looking ~15' downclimb partway through the slot. Also I recall using both high-clearance and 4wd to get somewhat near it. It's a great slot though and the bridge is really neat (and may not be there that many more years).
 
bob32 said:
I'm kind of embarrassed for the post now, but at the same time I'm glad I asked before just heading out there...
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No shame in asking the questions. Far better than the alternative of ending up needing a rescue, or worse.
 
So I guess the question I should have asked is, does anyone have any recommendations for beginner-friendly, non-technical slot canyons (other than Little Wild Horse) within 6-7 hours from Denver? Or are there any? Maybe Crack Canyon? If anyone has a recommended ordering for these to progress safely from easier to harder, I'm all ears. (I'd be interested in recommendations/ordering for anywhere in UT, but I am much more likely to actually make it to ones within a half-day drive).
 
Just in that same area... Crack is fun and there's a way to bypass the one climbing problem that's pretty easy anyhow. Ding/Dang sound fun but I haven't been there. Cistern/Ramp have one difficult climbing problem (in Ramp) that I'd have been very unhappy about without a belay. Bluejohn is maybe the coolest slot canyon I've visited; you can see almost all of the good stuff by entering below the main slot and walking up to where it gets difficult. Similar situation for Upper Chute / Baptist Draw but I haven't done that yet. In general I've had lots of great hikes visiting technical canyons with kids and wo ropes and just turning around when things get difficult.
 
Ding and Dang are a little tricky, especially depending on which direction you go. No ropes required, but a person unfamiliar with canyoneering moves could have some trouble getting through. When I went, there was waist-deep water in a place or two as well.
 
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