Ding and Dang Canyons is a 5.9 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Green River, Utah that offers scenic views and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for hiking and rock climbing and is best used from May until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail.
This route is rated as a class 4 hike or 2A II on the ACA canyoneering scale. It requires down climbing short drops of about 10-12 feet. Technical gear is not needed to complete this route and a rope and rappelling are not required. That being said, a rope may be helpful as a hand line for the average hiker. The Ding & Dang Canyon loop hike is located in the San Rafael Swell near Goblin Valley. Some guidebooks refer to the canyons as 1st and 2nd Canyon. The hike travels through two slot canyons and is a fun romp for experienced hikers. Amazing loop, on the edge of technical. Having a short rope and some rope skills would help any group. Would NOT recommend bringing dogs through ding canyon unless they are small enough to be carried the majority of the time.
Note: The Alltrails route shows this hike starting at the Little Wild Horse Canyon Trailhead, but you can easily drive another 1.25 miles down the dirt road to get to the Ding and Dang trailhead. The trailhead is along the same unpaved track that passes close to Bell and Little Wild Horse canyons - a side road heading west, starting just before the entrance to Goblin Valley State Park. After the parking area for these first two canyons, the track continues west, beside or along a stony creek.
March 7, 2021Just got back from Up ding, down dang Lots of water in the middle of dang, minimal water up ding I would recommend bringing rope for lowering packs on the downclimbs, and a longer one if you’re planning on lowering kids Great time! Lots of sun and perfect skies
March 4, 2021If anyone has done these canyons in the last week or so, please update with water levels/conditions. Headed there in 1.5 weeks and curious how they are fairing as it varies greatly each year. Thanks!!!!
January 30, 2021Went up Ding and down Dang on January 30. It was about 40° F most of the day. There's some water on the way up Ding, but these stretches are short and you can stem over them. There was ice on most of the pools. A couple inches of new snow in the high country between the canyons, but it's an easy walk even in running shoes. Dang Canyon had more water than I expected, and I wasn't able to stem over the last long pool. Water above my waist. Freezing cold. The paracord at the big drop has been removed and a rope is there now. Thanks to those who have placed bolts at other locations. I carried and used a 40' rope at a couple other places. Going with one or two other people would help getting down the bigger drops. I was solo and needed the rope. I saw footprints from two others that came in later in the day. Otherwise, I had the canyons to myself. Beautiful hike. The main page says this is about 6 miles. That's about the length of the loop. This feels closer to 8 miles with the in and out at the beginning.
January 24, 2021Beautiful hike. However, this is a hard one if you are not used to using a rope as you need a hand line to negotiate a couple of drops in the Dang canyon. As many mentioned in the review, it is a good idea to bring a rope. Going up Ding required some relatively easy scrambling and some sections needed stemming as there were many water pools; if hiked in the summer or fall you can easily walk in the water. Water level never passed my knees.
January 10, 2021Completed loop on January 10th, 2020. Trail conditions good but cold. Had to crunch through 1/4 mile of a couple of inches of shaded snow between the two canyons which had us pretty well chilled coming into Dang. I would bring a rope if you have one (40' should do to double-up through the ring and pull through) as the only rope anchored at the major down-climb section was an old paracord that I would not trust. The "crux" is only about a 10' drop with which a rope helps ease the nerves and there is no need to climb all the way down into the 40' hole. Though it was below freezing, and has been for the majority of the last few weeks, there were still three pools of short water near the bottom of Dang. As long as you have some decent amount of stemming ability (this 50-yr old had no problems), you can get over these without getting wet. Little Wildhorse/Bells has better slot canyon scenery and there are better hikes in Utah, but this was definitely a fun and beautiful afternoon. Also, did see some mountain lion tracks in the snow, so don't go sprinting around the canyons during crepuscular times! *No idea why the All-Trails hike starts at the Little Wildhorse trailhead as there is a really good road down another mile-and-a-half to the actual signed Ding and Dang trailhead.
January 9, 2021December 18, 2020Amazing canyon duo for anyone getting into canyoneering (ME)! Completed mid/early-December and offered great looks of the canyon in an overcast. We beat the snow storms although it was sleeting outside for a little bit, but no true concern. One thing to note, which no one mentions that I saw, bring a rope for the 40ft dry fall descent. This will make your nerves and trip more enjoyable.
December 4, 2020I had no trouble driving the short dirt section to the trailhead in my murano. The route was kind of cool but not as good as Little Wild Horse or Crack Canyon. Ding was easy, Dang a bit more technical, with some climbing and stemming to stay dry. I brought a short rope (20-30') and used it once.
December 4, 2020November 26, 2020November 22, 2020Did the entire loop up right side & down left (from the base). Would have been easier to do the other way around but we would have no doubt been turned around by the upper thigh-high pool of water that had to be crossed. Loads of down climbing rope assisted. Class II fun!
November 1, 2020Up the right side!! Lots of fun scrambling, more technical
October 21, 2020For Rock climbers, it is a fun little scramble. All the hard parts have a piece or webbing to pull yourself up. If you can support your body weight for a length of time, don’t do this hike. This is a scramble and requires experience with climbing on rocks.
October 20, 2020Lots of fun. Lots of climbing. We did not go the whole way. Would do more later.
October 16, 2020October 13, 2020Have to come back without the pup.
October 3, 2020We hiked up Ding first and the first rock climb was a bit challenging. we made it all the way up. Dang on the way down was more challenging. Thank you to whom ever left the ropes because I don't think we would have made it down without them. It was a challenging hike but loved it. It was 8.2 miles out and back.
September 27, 2020Fun
September 26, 2020Two great slot canyons! Some of the best I’ve seen so far. Note that these are a bit tougher than typical - if you are worried about going down 20+ feet nearly vertically, holding only on to someone’s old rope with your hands, do NOT go there. There are many climbing obstacles that are more than simple scrambles. Note that you can drive easily down the dirt road 1.2 miles and save that boring part of the hike.
September 25, 2020September 19, 2020September 14, 2020
