Narrow and physical, Inferno packs a lot of punch in its short length. This is not a good canyon for beginners. Intermediates might feel a little pushed as well! Expect long sections of narrows that most will stem over, requiring some endurance. Mid-way through a silo adds to the challenge. The silo can be downclimbed into and re-ascended on the down stream side, but it would require a bit of work.

Difficulties aside, this is a beautiful canyon. You start at the top of the canyon on open slickrock and follow it as it becomes deep, dark, and narrow. As the canyon nears its end, however, it changes character. It opens into a series of potholes, requiring good natural anchor skills and creativity to overcome.

Steve Ramras extended an invite to me to join his group for these canyons, and we did Paradiso in the morning and Inferno in the afternoon. This is a great strategy when days are long enough, but will make for a physical day. I would recommend doing Paradiso before Inferno to get a feel for the area before committing to the harder canyon.

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