Our guide, Steve, was wonderful. He took us to Water Canyon for the day. He was engaging, and he was a wealth of information. The only regret I have is that we went to Water Canyon with a seven-year-old. Not that seven-year-olds can't do it, but we're talking a minimum 45 minute drive to the trail head, and then another 45 minute hike to where the canyoneering begins. Best case scenario: 90 minutes before you even get on your first rope. And our family was definitely not the best case scenario. The hike up to the spot where we started, which wasn't even the top, was not exactly easy. I wouldn't call it totally strenuous either, but it definitely was an invigorating hike in for a little kid. And our family was definitely not the best case scenario. I'm just not sure Water Canyon was the best choice for families with little kids. There are other canyoneering spots in the area that are better suited, I'm sure, and you won't be spending the balance of your time traveling or hiking. We did end up spending the entire day with Steve, so it was definitely a full day's excursion. It just wasn't a full day of canyoneering, which is effectively what you're paying for.
That being said, Steve handled our son, who has autism, incredibly well. He was definitely a high maintenance client on this trip, and it required Steve doing a couple tandem rappels with him. So all in all, we only got 2 1/2 rappels in, and for a full day's excursion at a full day's price, I can't help but be a little disappointed. But given the circumstance, I'm not sure there's anything else Steve could've done. Either way, I would recommend him to anyone.
As for the company itself, it seems to be a pretty popular Guide company to go with. There were three other groups with us in Water Canyon, which also affected how many rappels we could do in the end (it was basically Zion's version of rush-hour traffic). So if I were to do it again, I would ask my guide what the chances were that we would run into other groups, and also what our choices were before we took off. You're paying a good sum of money to do this, so you ought to have some say as to where you're going to go. Ultimately, you know your family best, so it makes sense that they would elicit your input and you could decide as a group what might be the best option.
If you think about it, 90 minutes of travel and 90 minutes of hiking makes for three hours without any rappeling. Then figure in at least 45 minutes of coaching on the first rappel, and you'll be lucky to get 4-5 rappels in at Water Canyon in a day. read more