I had heard rumors of this canyon for several years. I knew little about it apart from its reputation as a secretive and beautiful cavernous sandstone canyon with stunning spring-fed waterfalls all year round. It’s a gem that has been carefully guarded by visitors, largely to protect the canyon- it is one of the few remaining easily accessible canyons in the area that has yet to have a bolt placed in it. It’s called Pleiades because there are 7 waterfalls to rappel off of (one for each of the sisters in the constellation). Prior to this road trip I decided to pick up the trail (so to speak) of where I left off years ago and caught a lucky break in my research. From before we set out on the road trip, I knew this would be a highlight of the trip for me. The canyon may be tragically short, but its sweetness exceeded my expectations and it's one of my very favorites.
We hiked across mountain meadows in bloom and birch forests. Far below us was Moab and the infinite expanse of Canyonlands bleeding into the horizon. We contoured into the valley and followed the very lush fern-bordered mountain brook downstream to where it cut a gate through a resistant band of sandstone. Here we geared up and continued a few more minutes to the first waterfall which drops beneath a large boulder into a dark grotto. A few more minutes of open stream brought us to the lip of the second waterfall.
From here the waterfalls are so rapid-fire that we did not even put our rope away until the end and the canyon seemed to drop vertically more than it extended horizontally. The forth rappel was where things really got good- a free-hanging drop next to a fanning waterfall leads into a great chamber filled with golden light. The water was brisk, but pleasantly so with the day’s warmth, the protection of our wetsuits and the distraction of the canyon’s beauty. The other two were patient despite my photographic attempts.
The view down from this chamber was glorious- a dark and twisted slot about a meter wide in places with cascading whitewater ricocheting downward. These last few waterfall rappels straight down the gut were great fun, although spring snow-melt conditions might be a bit too much! The last waterfall was the biggest at 22m.
The last obstacle was probably the most dangerous- an exposed and slippery tilting log that acts as a bridge to bypass the last slot downclimb. Once down, the canyon gave way to the lush forest and the stream regained its innocence.
From here it was a mere five minute walk on a trail back to the top of the canyon, making the prospect of a second lap very appealing! Pleiades is a spectacular canyon I hope to return to again (and again!). We hiked back to the car in our wetsuits, which was a convenient way of drying them out for the next adventure.
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