Private 3/4 Day Canyoneering Tour in Moab

My daughter and I really enjoyed the Zigzag canyoneering tour with our fabulous guide Joe on April 16, 2026. Joe was extremely helpful in explaining various movements in the technical climbing portion of the hike. He also gave very detailed instructions for the rappelling portions and was extremely safety conscious. This was my 5th canyoneering tour with Desert Highlights and I am so satisfied with the quality of the tours and guides I’ve decided it’s the only company in Moab that I’ll use for future tours! When we returned to the office after Zigzag Kai reminded me that I had done Zigzag with my son in April 2018. I had totally forgotten that I had done this tour previously. I didn’t mind doing it again with my daughter and it rekindled fond memories of when I had done it 8 years ago with my son!

My family, including husband and teenaged son, had a thrilling canyoneering experience with Kele through Zig Zag Canyon. We had never canyoneered before but had lots of experience hiking and some rock climbing - while this was helpful, it was much more important to be willing and physically fit participants. First, Kele is just a cool, chill but highly competent dude. He led the three of us perfectly - fun but calm and always safe. Second, the landscape and scenery just cannot be overhyped. Third, canyoneering is such an incredible combination of outdoor experiences that challenge and reward you, whether hiking to the summit, shimmying through a canyon, or rapelling 220 feet! Desert Highlights has near exclusive access to this canyon along with some others that offer different experiences, so it was very special bo enjoy quiet serenity in such a vast place. This was definitely the winning highlight of a trip that featured many - highly recommend, especially if you feel like you have "been there, done that!"

Our family has run 4 different canyons over 3 years with Desert Highlights and will definitely go out with them again the next time we are in town. The guides here are the best. Get out with them. You will have a great time.

Did a family 3/4 day canyoneering excursion with Jake and Skyler. Was nearly 7 hours. Have three boys 12, 12, and 15. They absolutely loved it. The younger boys were a bit anxious going into it but quickly realized they were capable. Largely thanks to our two awesome guides. They were extremely knowledgeable, professional and patient. They made a challenging adventure an absolute pleasure and a lifetime memory. Highest recommendation for anyone considering this. And yes it does involve a 225 foot rappel as the highlight of the tour. You will not be disappointed.

We had a great time canyoneering with Jacob! He was super nice, patient, and made you feel at ease. We’re would finely do it again!

You need to be in decent shape and not be afraid of heights. It was a spectacular tour and our guide Preston could not have been better. I have rappelled many times but the 220 foot descent still got my heart beating. You will never forget the outing.

Lucky & Greatness! I have done rappelling at many different places around the world, but never Utah. I have never squeezed my body through slots or narrows. I had some free time in early Feb. I decided Utah was closer than Australia or Costa Rica...so I decided to give it a try. I googled guide services. I settle on 2 based on photos, reviews, etc. What we all do. I talked to one (before talking to Desert Highlights). They seemed a little curt and not very flexible. On the other hand, I had a very pleasant and accommodating experience via text, email and phone with the owners of Desert Highlights. I wanted to visit the first week of Feb. They were very honest. They said that it would probably be too cold, but if I was up for it they would open up early...and me on a 'journey.' I was...and I glad (& lucky) I did. The weather the week before was exactly what they knew. Freezing. It probably would have been 'less fun & harder', but the cloud broke and the sun came out for my trip - 50s/60s, sunny. Lucky/Amazing. However, I also really thought it was amazing that DH was so honest it what to expect...even at the risk of my not going at that time. That was the 1st of many 5 stars they received. After many conversations of what to bring, suggestions on where to stay and how they would they pick me up from the airport...the trip was set. I arrived at the Moab and the picked me up, took me shopping for food and finally to my lodging. 2nd set of 5 stars for accommodating me and my pre-canyon requests. And finally to the good stuff. I don't want to force any of the canyons on anyone...because the were ALL so good and different. My recommendation - tell Jake exactly what you want to do/think you can do...and he will find magic. NOTE: if you are willing/able to go a little further - to Hanksville - and explore the Irish Canyons - Awesome & and very different. Another 5 stars for Jake's recommendations (listened to me and give me exactly what I was looking for + more). I could go on for a few more paragraphs, but not sure if anyone is still reading this, but...the the last 5 STARS go to Jake (great leader, listener, guide, enabler, pushed me to excel & not fail). Certainly check the weather (you might not get as I lucky as I did), but put this area and guide service on your list - GREATNESS!

By far the best thing I’ve done in Moab so far. My husband and I have come here for years and have done almost everything. We tried to do something different and we chose to do the zig zag tour. The tour was amazing, the views, photos we received and everything we saw. Will definitely be coming back yearly! Thank you, Herb for such a great time.

Our experience with Desert Highlights was fantastic beginning to end. We were a group of four looking for an adventurous trip doing canyoneering (our first times). It started with talking to Melissa on the phone who helped answer questions and got a feel for what we were looking for. She followed up our call via email with a ton of information and helped us pick the perfect excursion. Recommend talking to them to pick the right one for your group, they are super helpful. The day of the adventure was super convenient. We had a private group since it was four of us and we met our tour guide, Jake. We rode in a private vehicle to the starting point where we did a super intense hike with stunning views, scrambling, and even some rock climbing maneuvers (it was so cool and what we asked for!). Jake was the best. He was cool to talk to, very knowledgeable, and supportive and helped us feel totally safe throughout the entire trip. He even took amazing pictures and gave ski recommendations for Utah for our next visit! Cannot recommend Desert Highlights enough! Will absolutely book with them again. Thank you DH!

Just an AMAZING EXPERIENCE!! I booked the Pool Arch Canyon canyoneering experience for me and my 12 year-old goddaughter based solely on the reviews I had voraciously read and the fact that they are a small shop that provide private experiences… and every single part was beyond compare. From my initial conversation with Melissa on the phone who spent so much time with me to determine what I was looking for and really understand our experience levels (she actually suggested this longer adventure from the one I had originally called for, and I am ecstatic that she did), to the perfect communications, to meeting the amazing KAI, our guide extraordinaire, our time could not have been any better. Kai is amazing, fun, and it felt like a super fun day out with friends rather than just a guided trip. Kai knows her stuff, and we felt safe every step of the way with her. She was outstanding with my goddaughter, who is super athletic and loves this stuff, but of course had some nerves. She talked her through every part, and my goddaughter voted our time with Kai as the best part of our entire vacation!! I can’t recommend it any more highly, what a great experience. And the Pool Arch Canyon tour was pretty amazing, with incredible rappels, super fun rock scrambling and some very welcome pool wading in the heat. Thank you Kai!!