Neon

To bring, or not to bring (your wetsuit)? That is the question. BRING IT. Had a group of 8 with mixed experience, leaning toward novice. On the long hot walk to the drop in, they were thinking "why in the heck do we have a wetsuit on? The first keeper pothole answered that question. It was challenging. Water was 4.5 to 5 feet deep, and top of the hole was 6+ feet above. Made it difficult to get good leverage/momentum to throw a potshot. Solved the keeper with a rope assist from the top. Used a meat anchor set up down canyon to pull folks out. Last keeper was a simple swim over. The last rappel is stunning. Bring lots of water and a filter. Even though temps were moderate, 88 as a high, it is dry, and desert sucks the moisture right out of your bones.

6.5 hours car to car (group of 3). 2 hours to the drop in, 1.5 hours in canyon, 1 hour lunch, 2 hour hike out back to the trailhead.

The canyon itself was a blast. It was full of water. A couple long swims and a couple fun jumps. Swam over the keepers. Water was chilly but we were all comfortable enough in our wetsuits (I had a 4/3 my friends had 3/2s) . We were moving fast though so never really had a chance to get cold. Anchors all in good condition.

Everything is really green right now. Lots of caterpillars.

One of the pot holes was too low to climb out of, but there was a detour to go up to the left and rap off a bolt to bypass it. Another one later on would have been harder for shorter people (I'm 6'4") but I was able to get out and help the other two in our group. The final pothole was pretty full and we didn't have any issues getting out of it.

Lower water levels, only a couple swims and some waste deep wading in a couple parts. Stuck our rope on a chockstone rappel, I wish we had extended it over the edge. Anchors were in good condition. One pothole in the middle we escaped with potshots, but also could have done a human pyramid. Apparently, some people were able to walk around.

Group of 4, camped across the river in Fence Canyon, got up and going by 6 to avoid storms, dropped into the canyon at the hoodoo around 8, out thru the GC before noon. Beautiful canyon, wetsuits (3/4) were pretty necessary for the 2nd half which was deeper (less sun). First "keeper" was full but we stemmed over since there was a dead snake chilling in there, second was very full (ledge about 4ft underwater) and easy to swim. The Escalante River was noticeably faster and muddier on our way out from storms the day before.

What a great canyon! The canyon still has a good amount of water in it, with a few short swims(20ft maybe?) and wading. We dropped in at the "more fun entry" with a group of 6 people. The first keeper pothole is entering full keeper mode, with the water level about 2ft below the exit. The last keeper had lots of water, so was an easy jump in, swim across, and walk out. We all had full suits and thought they were just right for us. All anchors were in good shape, so we didn't need to replace any of it. The final drop has a lot of extended webbing making the rope pull easy.

All potholes are full and easy. There was one pothole which had about 18 inches you had to pull yourself up from but easily doable. One person had a dry suit and I had a full wetsuit and we were very comfortable. One had a shorty wetsuit and she got a little chilly towards the end. There were several places where we had to swim. We couldn't find the sport entry and dropped in at the More Fun Entry, rappelling off the hoodoo. The final rappel into the cathedral is truly spectacular. Took 3 people 10.5 hours car to car. Went in via the Fence Canyon trial and returned using the direct route. Would not recommend the direct route or the exit. It was truly miserable, especially the steep sand hills. Make sure you take a good water filter and fill up with water at the Escalante River before hiking back out to the car.

Water level about 2-3 ft below the water lines on the canyon wall, but still plenty of water. No keeper potholes currently with that much water. Wetsuits still required. Took our group of 5 about 4.5 hours to complete the canyon itself (from the mouth of the canyon and back) with lots of time goofing off.

Phenomenal trip. No bugs, perfect weather.

Dropped in ~2 miles higher than the "mid start", near 5267T on the map. Glad we did, as that canyon section was the favorite of the group.

Full of water. Swam over half the day. Keepers were non-existent. Upper section had one semi-keeper in water.

7 hours from the mouth of Neon and back, group of 6.

Bone dry except one barely wet pothole you can avoid. Even the last repel you can avoid getting wet if you swing. Took maybe 5-6 hours for JUST the canyon, not including the hike from the cars, but we took our time looking around. Webbing was in good condition. The last keeper pothole is full of sand. Saw a tarantula and a bunch of frogs. Beautifully diverse canyon. Last repel was "the most beautiful repel ive ever done" according to our group of 5. Highly recommend hiking up to the beginning. You can also shorten it to do just two repels or even just one. Group ahead of us actually finished and went back in to do the last one again. Backpacking in the night before is the way to do it. I cant imagine how tired wed be hiking in, doing the whole canyon and hiking out! Way out is brutaly steep. The navigation is not obvious either direction. I drank 2L on the way in in the dark, 3 during the canyon, and 3 on the way out.

We didn't see a single person anywhere on our trip. The pleasant solitude might have been related to the weather and the general lack of water in the canyon. The anchors were all in reasonable condition. The first keeper hole was dry but deep requiring us to use a combination of partner assist to escape. The second keeper is filled with sand. The final rappel is amazing; the water at the bottom not so much... ;) (Knee deep pretty ripe"

There is one small, calf-deep deep pool, and then a small amount of knee-deep water at the golden cathedral, but that is all. The canyon would actually be better with water in it though.

The keeper is bone dry and the final pothole is so full of sand that we didn't even notice that we passed through it.

Bring a water Filter!!! I've done longer, hotter hikes, but for some reason we went through an abnormally high amount of water trying to stay hydrated. Our average consumption was 6 liters per person and we still had people battling dehydration. We filtered at the Escalate River which is 3.4 miles from the trailhead.

Nearly dry, deepest wade was calf-height. The potholes are both bone dry. Bolts make the keeper avoidable if desired. Tons of sand make the final pothole a simple step up to get out. Extremely hot. We started at the longest suggested entry including the end of Fork Chop, and I wished I'd had more skin coverage for downclimbs than the spandex that was meant to go under the wetsuit I never used.

Escalante River was clear and good to filter.

The road in was a constant, hand-numbing washboard, but fine for 2WD with some care on one rutted spot by parking for one of the Egypts.

The deepest water was about my waste deep (I am 5'4"). The water was cold, but we did fine without the wetsuits. The last keeper pothole was not keeper any more, due to the sand accumulation near the edge. It was about 3' from the top of the sand to reach the rim to get out of it. We saw many frogs and it was so beautiful and pleasant.

The least amount of water I’ve seen in my 4 previous goes. No swims, water shin deep at most. No cold water pro was needed with daytime highs in the upper 70s. Entered at the sport entrance, first big keeper is completely empty, but easily avoided if wanted by the single bolt anchor on the left.

First keeper was easy to escape independently. Swam over the second one. Lots of cold water. Multiple swims. Wetsuits mandatory. Beautiful and interesting canyon. Last big repel was a hoot and the highlight of our trip. At the time of this visit, the anchors looked pretty new.

Swam over both keepers. Definitely in easy mode right now, as the first keeper is skippable anyway, and the seconds lip was under 6ft of water. No wetsuits worn, or needed. Water temps were amazing.

Rats nests of webbing on everything. Cleaned up quite a bit, but still lots to be removed.

Still pretty hot down there hiking out in the early afternoon.

HITR road is in great condition, and Egypt road has a couple tricky spots, although still passable with a Subaru Forester.

Water levels are definitely down in Neon. The area has seen a lot of water as of late, but Neon hasn’t received quite as much. The first keeper was visible but doable for just about anyone. Other parts of the canyon are full, some are very low. Swam over second keeper. Things could get better or worse in the coming weeks. Be smart! 7 hours from the car and back for the full trip. A tip I have with Neon is to look at the confluence and river level coming in and look for any signs of water. If things look dry heading in just be prepared to escape a pothole and consider not pulling your ropes.

Did full canyon. Tons of water. Canyon looked like it had flashed days before. No wetsuits worn. Multiple long sections of swimming.

Did the full meal-deal. The first half of the canyon up to the sport entrance had almost no water. First keeper was very low, up to the waist. Most of us stemmed over but one man got in and said the water wasn't too cold. 2nd half had some water but only one spot that required swimming. 2nd keeper is full swimmer and quite warm. None of us used wetsuits. Storms might change things soon, however.