Maple Canyon Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Maple Canyon in Central Utah is one of the nation’s most unique rock climbing areas. While most of central Utah’s high country is covered with aspens and pines, Maple Canyon is heavily wooded with maples.
Contents |
Get in
By car
Maple Canyon is approximately 1.5 hours from Salt Lake City. To get to Maple Canyon, Take I-15 Exit 225 at Nephi. Go East on Highway 132 to Fountain Green. From Fountain Green, there is good signage to the canyon.
Get around
A single maintained gravel road leads into the canyon. 4x4 vehicles are not necessary to get to the camping area or the parking areas for the climbing walls. Beyond the areas that most people access (approximately 4 miles up the road), the road is not maintained and becomes quite rough. Beyond that, once you are inside the canyon you'll be hiking a small trail through the canyon branches.
See
- Make Canyon’s most striking formation is Box Canyon, a dead-end gorge 500-700 feet deep, half a mile long, and so narrow in places a person can touch both walls at the same time.
Do
- Rock Climbing - Climbers from around the world come to test their skills on Maple Canyon’s imbedded cobblestone cliffs. On any given weekend climbers of all abilities, ranging from novice to expert, can be seen dangling from the rocks like spiders on man-made silk. A 60m rope and 16 draws will be plenty for the area that holds routes ranging from 5.7 to 5.14c (Yosemite decimal system). A guide book is available for the area but can be difficult to find.
Buy
For purchses beyond gas and small items, head to Ephraim, approximately 15 minutes south, where you can find whatever you need including a Wal-Mart Supercenter. (Most people that camp use Ephraim as place to shop, shower (Snow College) and access the Internet (free WiFi access at the library).
The closest full service US Post Office is located in Fountain Green.
Eat
There are no food services with Maple Canyon. If you're hungry and didn't pack it in, head to nearby Ephraim.
Drink
The closest state liquor store is in Ephraim, south of Maple Canyon.
Sleep
The US Forest Service operates a small campground within the canyon. Amenities include pit toilets, picnic tables and campfire rings. There are approximately ten sites (for tents or small trailers (i.e. no pull-through sites) and they fill up quickly on the weekends in the summer months. The sites are quite nice, usually nesteled within the trees against the canyon wall. All sites are within walking distance to the climbing areas.
Commercial campgrounds, such as Burns Bros. RV Campground, are also located outside of the canyon, a short distance away near Fountain Green.
Get out
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