Shake Tree Canyon 3CII, Arizona

Shake Tree is a C-class classic canyon located near Payson, AZ. The drive to the trailhead is a nice dirt road for 2WD high clearance — you can't camp at the trailhead but there is camping along the way. The approach is straightforward following a trail to the canyon, with a small amount of bushwhacking taking around 10–15 minutes. Heading into the canyon you will find 9 rappels in beautiful waterfall scenes.

The largest rap was around 150 ft so we brought 200 ft ropes — it's the most dramatic and a blast! The raps are in rapid fire succession which brings the charm level high. All raps were easy to pull and anchors were in good shape. I suspect this canyon flows quite well in snowmelt and after storms. Check weather reports before entering — flash floods can be deadly. The exit was straightforward and we were back at the car in 8 hours. I highly recommend this canyon if you are in the region.