Ding and Dang Canyons

This is mainly a review for people wanting to take their dogs as I haven’t seen a whole lot of detail on it in other posts. This was one of my favorite hikes I’ve ever done! I hike between 600-700 miles a year with my dog and our friends so that says a lot for this trail. My group of 4 people and 2 dogs did this hike 4-15-18 and we all loved it. Ding has one boulder towards the beginning that you will need to get over then has several obstacles that you can either help your dog with or go around the obstacles. Coming down Dang the first big obstacle either requires dogs to be harnessed and “kinda rappelled” down a 50 foot section of tiered drop offs that I think would be too slick and steep for the dogs to do without a rope controlling their speed. At that point we took a narrow side trail on the right side(lookin down canyon) to bypass the rappelling section. But shortly after that you come to several 10-12 foot drop offs that are unavoidable and I highly recommend harnesses for the dogs and rope is a must to lower them down at least one section. And while my friend used a dog backpack for her dog the saddlebags did get in the way a few times on narrow ledges and drop offs that kind of knocked off the dogs balance, and it didn’t offer quite the same support around the chest and torso, so an actual harness is recommended over a pack. Several 6-8 foot drop offs to help your dog down and at the end there is a double drop off with the second one putting you in water. As of 4-15-18 the water was 42 inches deep and probably 75 feet long. If you’re strong you can grip the two walls with feet and hands and spider crawl without getting wet, but we enjoyed the water.

I only recommend taking you dog if
1:both you and your dog have plenty of trail experience
2: preferably both you and your dog have some boulder hopping experience.
3:both you and your dog have problem solving mindsets and don’t panic or get anxiety if it takes a few attempts to get past obstacles.
4: at least one person in the group needs to be able to fully lift the weight of your dog
5: take rope, harnesses and a carabiner (which we forgot), your dog will appreciate mushers secret for sore feet back at camp or the drive home. Bring plenty of water for you and the dog, no reliable water source on the trail

Click on my profile and see some of my pictures for reference

Super fun hike! The down-climbs were a little more than I expected, but it was totally worth it! Water at the bottom of dang canyon was about 3.5 feet deep.

Went with a group of 10 youth and 4 adults. We went up Ding and down Dang. Going up Ding and down Dang is definitely the easier way to go. Dan has several sections where going up would be much more difficult. This was a great hike and everyone had a good time.

As of 17 Mar 18, there is water at the bottom of Dang. You can brace your self and scoot along the narrow sections if you have the strength and agility to do it. There is one area about 10 feet in diameter that you will be wading in about knee deep water. The narrow sections the water was about waist deep. The section with water is about 100 yards long.

Great hike!
There is still water towards the bottom of Dang Canyon.

This was our family's first time in this canyon, although my son had been the year before with his scout group. We went up Ding and down Dang, which I would probably recommend for the easier route.

Ding was perfect for our group of 6, age range 9-60. Great bouldering, and just a fun adventure hike. Dang was definitely more difficult, and my son said it was harder that he remembered from last year. There were quite a few boulders wedged in the narrow slot canyon with vertical drops between 10-15 feet on the other side. Luckily my husband was able to come this time and he helped us navigate over them, with only a few tears of panic from the younger ones.  I definitely wouldn't have wanted to try that on my own, but it was awesome.

Everyone had a great time after we got through the hairy spots, and I think we would absolutely do it again. If you aren't an experienced rock climber, or at least fairly brave, I would recommend going with someone who is, just in case you have to climb over they way we did.

Great scrambling and bouldering. It's just technical enough to get some scrapes and bumps along the way, but quite feasible for even novice canyoneers. I like to go to up Ding (right at the fork in the trail) and down Dang. Depending on how the storms clear the wash a short handline or webbing can be helpful for those wanting a little extra confidence and seeking to avoid some larger jumps on a couple down climbs.

We had a blast! We have a 6 year old and took him but he is extremely brave, capable and can hike far. Bring snacks, water jacket, ROPE. We were lucking to stubble across a group of 3 with a 70 pound dog that was unable to make it down the ledges and drops. This is not really a trail for pups! We had to rappel this pup from ledge to ledge and he was hurt. Be prepared for varying water levels. Try to do this hike earlier in the in case something like this happens so you don't loose sun. Take a trail map. Tell someone you are going and when you expect to be back. Hike in and out 1-2 miles I think but flat like a gravel road. We went in right (ding) and came out left (dang) you'll know if you get confused as to which is which. Dang is tight and deep and difficult at times. You won't find a way around the water in dang you're going in and it's chest high. Ding for the most part if you stop and look around you can scramble up rocks to get around the beautiful pools!
See you between a rock and a hard spot!!

Mid march was an incredible time to go. Much of the hike is in the sun, so it was nice to have cooler weather. Starting from Ding (on the left) and then hiking through Dang (on the right) meant that there was a lot of scrambling down. Some people might find a rope helpful in Dang, although it is definitely not necessary. There was a small (~20 feet) segment of nasty water that you either must hike or shimmy through. Definitely made for a fun half day.

I tend to go up Ding and down Dang. The canyons are beautiful and provide some great color contrasts between different kinds of rock. Both canyons have some difficult obstacles, especially Dang. NOT recommended for kids or pets. At one point, we had to stem across multiple large puddles while dropping down about twenty feet. Either come ready to walk through dirty water, or prepare your arms for a work out. Regardless, these canyons can be a lot of fun.

Fun canyon with average scenery. Hiking and scrambling with some exposed climbing. Hand-line or short rope recommended.

This was a fun hike but there are some technical and questionable obstacles. Not for someone who has a fear of heights. It's pretty exposednot as shaded as we thought as Little Wild Horse Bell Canyon Loop is. We took quite a few breaks when we came across shade. It took us closer to 5 hours to complete.

These canyons make a good loop hike. I went up Ding and down Dang a week after a rainstorm, so there was a lot of water. There were places where I was up to my chest. This is not a hike for novices or young children. Take the trail up the wash, and when it forks, the right trail is to Ding and the left is to Dang. After exiting Ding, head West, past Ding Dang Dome, until you get to the North end of Dang. There is a spot in Dang where most people rappel using an anchor in the rock. If you don't have a rope, you can get around this spot on a high ledge on the West side. Descending Dang has a couple spots where bridging and chimneying skills will be very useful. They were too high for me to be comfortable jumping. Bridging will get you past the part with chest-deep water. As with all slot canyons, don't attempt if there is any chance of rain anywhere near the canyons.