White Box & Hanging Gardens

[ZCore13]

Hi,

Can anyone tell me if I could handle this hike/canyon as a beginner? I'm not afraid of the swims, it's just that my wife and I have no rock climbing equipment or experience. I'd love to make it through all the water crossings and to the end waterfall, but I'm afraid we're not prepared for, as people call it, "dropping into the canyon".

Can I make it to the water by just hiking or minor climbing up and down rocks?

Thanks!

[joebartels]

Nothing technical. The hike down is simply extremely steep. You might have to take numerous breaks on the hike up, nothing to be overly concerned. The swims can get tiring if you tackle them too fast. You must be a good swimmer since it's wall to wall and too deep to feel the bottom for some stretches. I would guess most fit and active individuals won't have an issue. However due to the remote location and heat of the day I'm not going to say it's easy nor for everyone.

You can always turn around anywhere, even a little ways down canyon is worthy of a trip in my opinion.

[berkforbes]

I would plan a day trip down there and just plan on going downstream as far as you feel comfortable, maybe you make it, maybe you dont.. Im sure the hike down will give you a good idea of how difficult the hike will be on the way out, considering the boulder hopping and long swims ahead of you. Just as Joe said, you will enjoy the beauty of the canyon either way, even if you only make it down to the bottom. Its tough to gauge difficulty for any hike with differing people, especially since you have so few triplogs.