Zion in March

[hummingbird]

Hi All,
Me and two friends want to come to Zion around March 16-19. Are there any canyons or hikes that can be done by three noobs at this time of year? (Two of us have been through a canyon before, one of us has only rappelled.)
Sarah

[jman]

March is iffy for canyons due to snowmelt and large sheets of ice in the canyons (all depends on the winter year of course). For example I've done the Subway in March when there was little flow, and a little ice in one spot. Another year it was completely snowed over and not a ton of fun.

Another time we did Keyhole canyon in March and it was so awesome! It was raging due to the snowmelt and there was large chunks of ice in it and drysuits were mandatory.

As noobs though, I would probably stay away from canyons until you get more experience in better conditions. That's just my recommendation.

However, you could do Yankee Doodle just outside of Zion. That's a good beginner canyon, free, and short. It will probably have a waist-deep swim but that's about it.

Hikes you can do in March are Angels Landing and Emerald Pools. There's are great in the Spring! Another hike is called "Many Pools" in Tanya Milligans book. That's another spring favorite.

Btw - what canyon did you do?

[tanya]

If you have wet or dry suits you could try Keyhole. It's a great little canyon with VERY COLD water, but easy rappels. That said you should have an experienced person with you, so it might not be a good idea at all like Jman said.

I am guessing you have not been to Zion before so you will want to hit the highlights! Jman mentions some good ones. You could experience some little canyons in Zion in March like Gifford Canyon, Shelf Canyon, Mineral (right outside of Zion), but if its your first trip I would hit Angels Landing, Emerald Pools, Weeping Rock, Hidden Canyon and if open, rent some gear and go a ways up the Narrows.

[hummingbird]

Thanks for the suggestions. It's actually not my first trip to Zion, but there is a lot there I haven't experienced. I've done angels a couple times and the canyon I went through was spry.
How is subway for noobs? And does anyone know what the conditions are like this year?

[Deathcricket]

How is subway for noobs? And does anyone know what the conditions are like this year?

Subway in the summer is very noob friendly. That time of year... You could get in big trouble or maybe have zero trouble trouble depending on water levels. Check out this TR from a couple years ago, there is a video with conditions. I think it was April the trip took place.

http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...e-Subway-Video

[jman]

Subway is super cold in March. However, like DC was saying, depends on the winter year. And you might experience a lot of water or not. It would be best to determine a week before for the Subway.

Subway is beginner friendly for sure. But the time you are going can change it from Beginneer to Experts only. That's why we hesitate.

Spry is a great canyon. Pretty cool that you got to experience that first.

You could attempt keyhole, but I would wear a thick wetsuit, or rent a drysuit from one of the outfitters in Springdale. You could hike to the entrance of Keyhole and see the waterflow right there. If it's less than calf-deep, you should be okay. But again, I would go full-loaded with a thick wetsuit/drysuit and make sure everyone knows how to rappel. Being very cold is not the best time to learn how to rappel.

Yankee Doodle, outside of Zion, (closer to St. George actually) is a nice beginner canyon with rare times where it flows. There should be some water in March in the canyon, but it should be short in regards to exposure (compared to Keyhole).

Pinecreek is another "advanced beginner" canyon, as it has a free hang for 90 feet or so. But it is a fun, wet canyon and very beautiful! But it all depends on flow in order to make it "safe" for you and your group. When the time comes, you could ask for a invite and see if any locals wouldn't mind taking your group through.

[blueeyes]

I really enjoyed hiking through the Red Caves http://www.zionnational-park.com/zion-red-cave.htm I think they are very photogenic would love to go back and take more time to photograph and fairly easy. When I went we just hiked no rappelling but there is that option.

Here are some of the pictures from our hike through the Red Caves
http://www.meetup.com/Red-Rock-Hikin...bumId=11608042

[hank moon]

http://www.nps.gov/zion/parknews/inj...eek-canyon.htm


Excerpt: While canyon hiking (canyoneering) in Zion can be a challenging and rewarding activity, it is not one that should be entered into lightly. At least one member of each party should be experienced in canyoneering and the use of any required technical equipment.

More:

http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...creek-Accident


http://www.ksl.com/?nid=960&sid=15212891

And from the American Canyoneers accident report roundup:

http://www.americancanyoneers.org/2012/11/

[COLOR=#444444][FONT=PT Sans]Pine Creek had the most accidents

[Scott P]

Are there any canyons or hikes that can be done by three noobs at this time of year? (Two of us have been through a canyon before, one of us has only rappelled.)

Since you said "or hikes", there are plenty of those and this time of year is usually beautiful in Zion.

Coalpits Wash/Huber Wash/Petrified Forest Trail (the latter can be muddy when wet) are usually all great this time of year. Don't miss the frozen waterfall at the head of Jennings Creek either.

Places like Kolob Arch are a crap shoot this time of year, but by mid-March you have usually have a pretty good chance of having reasonable conditions.

If you go to Zion, Snow Canyon (named for a person; not the white stuff) isn't far away and is almost always beautiful this time of year.