Canyoneering with a baby?

I have seen videos of people canyoneering with babies however I can’t find much research on how to be safe doing it and advice or how to go about it or if it is even a safe possibility to have baby strapped to you while doing it. My husband and I are planning on doing the subway hike in zions this summer and there are a few repel areas and some water to swim through in the slots. I am not set on brining the baby, she will be 12 months old at the time but if I can find safe ways to bring her and prepare appropriately than I would love to bring her. If it’s not possible to bring her safely then we will leave her at camp with one of us staying behind but we would really love to bring her so if anyone has done this type of thing with a 12m old and has advise and education for us please share. Or if this is just to unrealistic at her age, what age does it because realistic?

Update: There would be a large group of us going so if one of us stayed at camp the other would not be going alone. I was not set on bringing the baby anyway I was leaning against it in the first place and the comments on here have solidified that she will not be going with us. I have done the subway before 3 months post op ACL repair and I honestly didn’t think it was to bad, apart from the two people in our group who didn’t bring enough water for themselves the hike was great, however it has been several years since I’ve done it so maybe I don’t remember how rough it can get. I have applied for the permit and I do understand that a permit is required.

We will definitely wait until she is older before we start brining her on this level of adventure. Thank you for the comments and advice!

in canyoneeringby brittbritt003

25%

29d

FlashRage

29d

Please do not do this.

theoriginalharbinger

29d

As volunteer SAR for a Zion-adjacent geography, can't second this hard enough.

People die on the Subway a lot, in large part because of perceived easiness. Which, yeah, it's easy, but also, no way in hell I'd take any individual incapable of walking through that terrain. One of the most recent deaths on that route was somebody who just slipped on the downclimb (not even the technical part of the canyon) getting into the drainage (which isn't even 4th class; I wouldn't put anything in Russel or Zion as 4th class; it's all 3rd or on-rap).

Which is to say nothing of the moving water, swims, cold water, loghopping on the way out, etc. One of the top generators of SAR calls (not callouts, which is a different matter) in Zion is people who climb down into Left Fork and can't climb the very simple 500 foot hill back up.

My larger point here is: find a sitter, but there's no point in taking a child who can't manage himself into there.

User deleted comment

29d

bpat

29d

If it worked for a chihuahua, maybe it can work with a baby.

But yeah, please don’t do this

hydrated_child

29d

Ya just pop em in a dry bag and toss em across the swims!

Global_Situation_246

29d

Coming from a canyoneering professional in Zion, absolutely not. Youngest Id say is 5 years old. They need to understand risk management.

answerguru

29d

This is a bad idea all around. Too many unknowns and possible dangers to even consider. In an emergency most people can barely keep it together and rescue themselves, let alone a tiny and fragile human strapped to them. Please don’t.

KAWAWOOKIE

29d

As a dad who has taken his young kids canyoneering, do not take your 12-month-old on the subway. The fact that you haven't done it before and are not an expert makes this a slam dunk decision. I have a lot of experience and have done significantly harder canyons and I wouldn't take someone that young either.

There are other more appropriate spots you can take the kid And enjoy the outdoors together.

tri_wine

29d

We took our daughter canyoneering when she was a baby, but it was a completely dry canyon with nothing more technical than an easy scramble or two where we could hand the baby pack up/down. I definitely wouldn't take a baby in a wet canyon and can't even imagine trying to safely rappel with one. Too many things that can go wrong with very high consequences.

barelyclimbing

🍰

29d

If you think it’s safe to bring a 12 month old to do the Subway then you’re probably not qualified to do the canyon yourselves. Physically fit adults with all of the appropriate gear get rescued from the canyon all of the time. You would almost certainly be put in jail for child endangerment if anything happens to you, and your likelihood will be far, far, far higher with a 12 month old.

hydrated_child

29d

Do not bring a baby canyoneering. Children are extremely susceptible to cold water exposure injury and head injury. You’ll likely encounter hazards involving both. Having a baby with you could put both the child and yourselves in a lot of danger, in a canyon which is already a dangerous/risky place to be.

I also recommend against the plan of one of you soloing the canyon. A lot can go wrong and having 2+ people instantly mitigates the “what if” factor a little bit. If you knock your head or turn your ankle and don’t have a buddy… that’s really bad. These are remote areas already not super accessible for search and rescue and the like. I wouldn’t want to increase the delay in response when you don’t show up back at camp hours and hours later and no one knows exactly where you are or what happened. (See “127 hours” if you have questions about soloing Utah slot canyons).

Based on your questions and plan I would recommend hiring a guide. Make sure to at least talk to the Zion backcountry permits desk to obtain a permit before you do anything. Ask them the questions you have asked above if you’re still not sure what the best plan is to visit the subway.

barelyclimbing

🍰

29d

You cannot have a guide inside the park, but there are other canyons nearby that you can do guided. Without a 12 month old baby.

VBB67

29d

Please don’t. Lots of downsides, no upside (other than maybe some cute pictures). You can teach a 6 year old basic skills & safety and go back then and they will remember the experience.

Wokkin_n_Wowwin

29d

But think of the epic fake Instagram points!

jtkzoe

29d

If you’ve never been rappelling and technical canyoneering before it’s a good idea to have someone with you who has. And it’s definitely not a good idea to take added responsibilities (ie - a kid). I’ve done the subway several times. It can get cold (even in summer) and involves a lot of swimming. The climb into the canyon is super steep - like a ladder in parts. The technical section isn’t difficult by canyoneering standards but it’s still a technical canyon. There is a place called the bowling alley that involves some down climbing that is hard enough on your own. The hike out is also a slog and involves scrambling. This is also assuming water levels are low and you don’t have to deal with fast water conditions. The fact that you spelled ‘rappel’ as ‘repel’ and Zion as Zions tells me you’ll have enough trouble getting through on your own. This isn’t meant to be condescending, just realistic. Don’t take your baby through there.

chijrt

29d

I don't have kids but I highly recommend not going to the subway carrying an infant. If you do the "top down" hike, it is very exhausting. It's a 9 to 13 hour hike depending on your pace.

[deleted]

29d

Your crotch goblin will not remember it. What’s the point? Are trying to piss off any other hikers in the canyon with a crying baby?

[deleted]

29d

It’s for the gram lol

brittbritt003

-8

29d

It’s more about not letting having children stop us from doing what we love and not having childcare during that time. But yeah it sounds like we were ignorantly stupid for thinking it could be possible so we won’t be brining her. And no neither of us have Instagram or any other social media, just Reddit

OKsoTwoThings

29d

Damn, I was all set to 🍿on this comment thread. Could you at least pretend to dig in for the public good?