Rattlesnake Canyon

Location: Coconino National Forest
Rating: Intermediate 3B III
Length: 6-10 hours
Longest Rappel: 40ft (13m)
Start: Exit 306 off I-17
End:  There and Back or Oak Creek (hwy 179)
Permits: None
Wet Suit: Not needed
Shuttle: No (Optional)

Overview: This dry canyon offers some pools, scrambling and a rappel that is possible to avoid but best to just use a rope. As you move through the canyon the walls ascend higher and higher. Fix a rope near the 40ft falls so you can head back.

Approach: From flagstaff take I-17 south 30 miles or so to Stoneman Lake Rd. exit (Forest service Rd #213 or exit 306). On the north side of the freeway is an unnamed frontage road that leads to a 4wd dirt road which leads north to Rattlesnake Canyon. You can also access the canyon by traveling north on I-17 form Exit 306 about a mile where the freeway crosses Rattlesnake Canyon. Scramble down to the canyon floor and head west. The canyon is about 5 mile long from I-17 to the intersection at Woods Canyon. You can either head back the way you came at this intersection or if you wish to set up a shuttle, Woods canyon crosses hwy 179, 3miles from Rattlesnake Canyon.