Ah, Icebox, the often overlooked and seldom done canyon in the Kolob Canyon section of Zion National Park Reviews from the few I have known that have done it have been mixed No glowing recommendations, but also no scathing reviews either I finally got a chance to check it out in the summer of 2015 My verdict Well, at almost 13 miles and 2000' of elevation gain, the route has length a plus in my book It is definitely seldom visited and feels very off the beaten path also a plus in my book In hot times, it doesn't re...

Refrigerator Canyon is very tough to recommend The canyon is split by the Angel's Landing trail into an Upper Section and a Lower Section The upper section tends to be steep, brushy and has two short rappels Just when you are about to reach the Angel's Landing trail, the toilet paper piles come into view Yuck! Apparently, hikers often step off the trail and do their daily business here Very gross If I haven't dissuaded you from doing the upper section, I would recommend bringing disposable gloves and a garbage bag ...

CLOSED as of 2019: Major rockfall in 2019 has closed this route from the Main Canyon This description is left up in the hopes this historic trail is re-opened For the adventurous hiker, Hidden Canyon offers a plethora of fun and challenging obstacles to overcome Many groups turn around at the arch, but adventure awaits above with numerous obstacles that can be defeated with a bit of teamwork or good route finding until the difficulties become insurmountable If working up canyon above the arch, be sure you can safel...

Ah, Upper Telephone is one of the canyons I kept putting off doing The long-ish approach and short nature had led me to believe it wasn't going to be very good Turns out it is charming and quite beautiful This is a short canyon with a lot of rappels situated high up on the West Rim The name comes from back when the telephone line used to be run through this canyon up to the West Rim Doing just Upper Telephone is a charming day and will take most groups a pretty decent chunk of time 6-8 hours Motivated and fast grou...

Ah Behunin Canyon, most either love it or hate it, with very few being on the fence about it Odd to me that such a popular canyon has such a strong love or hate opinion in people For my 2 cents, it is a good canyon I am in the love it category, though that is likely because it was one of the first few canyons I did solo many years ago Behunin has a bit of a bear of an approach If doing this in the summer, start early to beat the heat The canyons itself is lovely, with big rappels, open areas and great views This is...

Smiling Cricket Canyon, also known as Poe Canyon and even L Canyon, was first descended by Mike Bogart and Jenny Hall in 1981 and called Poe Their bold descent went unrepeated and more or less unknown for almost 30 years In 2007, Jason Pease wandered the area looking for canyons and re-found Poe, naming it Smiling Cricket He descended it in the summer of 2008 with Mark Fleck Of the three canyons in the area Happy Dog, Laughing Baboon, and Smiling Cricket, Jason and Mark ended up in the biggest of the three He and M...

THE quintessential beginner canyon in Zion, Keyhole has been many canyoneers introduction to Zion canyoneering The canyon is VERY short, taking most groups 1-2 hours to complete The rappels are short, and straight forward, and navigation is fairly easy This is suitable for most groups with at least some technical experience Note: Keyhole is a great beginners canyon, but does have a fair amount of cold water exposure Wetsuits required in all but the very hottest conditions, and even then, a wetsuit is welcomed

Echo, with its easy navigation, short drops and short length, makes a fantastic beginner canyoneering experience in Zion A step up from Keyhole, but easier than Pine Creek It is deep, dark, sculpted, and stunning I can't recommend this one enough to those wanting to get started in Zion Echo does have a reputation for holding snow and ice late into the spring If going in the spring, check with the Visitor Center for current conditions Ice and snow can make the canyon extremely dangerous Regardless of the time you do...

Ah Clearwater Canyon! My first trip through in 2003 was one of the biggest canyoneering trips I had done up till then We, not knowing anything about the canyon, descended it loaded for bear with about 700+ feet of rope, bolt kit, wetsuits, etc The canyon turned out to be a more or less casual romp deep in the backcountry Over the years I had wanted to get back to it, but the opportunity never arose Finally, in 2015 with Diane, I made another trip through and found the canyon much prettier than I had remembered Clea...

Crumbling Canyon is a canyon that truly lives up to its name! The canyon, cutting a steep path down through conglomerate rock, is more of a steep gully than a canyon This is an outing I wanted to love It has a lot going for it on paper, a short approach, a short canyon section, and only a few relatively short rappels It seemed the perfect family outing! Well, it turned out more crumbly and more arduous than perhaps it looked on paper The approach is short, but steep! Once up, the descent down into the canyon is ste...