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Apr 05, 2020 — Cherry Canyon uses a similar approach to its bigger neighbor Portal Canyon. Cherry is a short, pleasant canyon, great for late winter/early spring. Note that even though this is a dry canyon, you'll have to cross the Virgin River in order to start the approach. Check for river flow conditions before doing the canyon. Also, there is a divider within the Virgin River Gorge, making the northbound side of the Interstate the only place to park.
We crossed the Virgin River and headed up the major wash that curved east and then south. An easy-to-miss turn-off on the left up a minor drainage would serve as our ascent route. It's a little convoluted, but the drainage hits a dryfall and we began ascending up a Class 2+ crack to get to the ridge above. From here, we followed a ridge and a gully, picking the least brushy route we could find for about a thousand feet of vertical gain. We reached the end of a ridgeline where we could see the entrance to Cherry Canyon. We scrambled down into the drainage and followed the wash as Cherry Canyon became progressively more narrow. The rappels came on fairly quickly, all using solid anchors or bolts on our visit. The narrows were delighful and the rappels fun. The longest rappel was mellow and we didn't realize it was the big one until after finished the canyon. Cherry Canyon opens up for a while, and then narrows for a few more rappels, none particularly interesting.
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