Results 1 to 11 of 11

Thread: Canyons for Newbies in and around Zion

  1. #1

    Canyons for Newbies in and around Zion

    I'm heading to Zion with some newbies that have rappeled before, have gear and will be in good hands with some experienced canyoneers and just wondering other than Yankee Doodle, is there any other good newbie canyons in and / or around Zion that anyone can recommend?

  2. # ADS
    Circuit advertisement
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Posts
    Many
     

  3. #2
    with competent leadership, all of the canyons in Zion can be done by beginners (depending on the athletic ability of the persons of course) hehehehehe

    Pine Creek and Keyhole are some of the typical canyons to start with though. Huge bang for your buck, and very very pretty!
    CanyoneeringUtah.blogspot.com
    My YouTube Channel

    "As you journey through life, choose your destination well, but do not hurry there. You will arrive soon enough. Wander the back roads and forgotten path[s] ... Such things are riches for the soul. And if upon arrival, you find that your destination is not exactly as you had dreamed, ... know that the true worth of your travels lies not in where you come to be at journey

  4. #3
    Canyon Wrangler canyoncaver's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    contact between limestone and sandstone
    Posts
    345
    Birch Hollow

  5. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Kuya View Post
    with competent leadership, all of the canyons in Zion can be done by beginners (depending on the athletic ability of the persons of course)
    Might the reader of this statement assume that the writer has done all of the canyons in Zion, and evaluated them from a beginner perspective? And what is competent leadership? We have seen several recent examples of mishaps resulting from trips with incompetent leadership, the leaders of which no doubt thought they were competent going in. We all do, until something goes wrong. If you *think* you're a competent leader, then do the community a favor and get an outside perspective on your skills. An evaluation by a professional, ideally.

    Beginners come in many flavors; if the flavor is "rank" then Pine Creek might be more scary than fun. Consider a lower-commitment evaluation trip first. Keyhole is great, because you can bail out easily at the mid/lower Keyhole junction. It can be exhilarating to do something out of your league, but there is arguably more value in working your way up through levels of difficulty. It's a lot safer, and the rewards gained from the cumulative experience are often more satisfying than those derived from one big splash of fun (or trauma, depending). I'm talking here about the difference being shepherded through a canyon vs. a low-key guided approach. The latter allows for better growth and development for the beginner, while the former is more of an amusement park approach.

  6. Likes Kuya liked this post
  7. #5
    Subway, Orderville, Echo, and Lower Kolob, though the latter requires route finding skills.
    Utah is a very special and unique place. There is no where else like it on earth. Please take care of it and keep the remaining wild areas in pristine condition. The world will be a better place if you do.

  8. #6
    Go straight for Kolob, dude. FTW.
    The end of the world for some...
    The foundation of paradise for others.

  9. #7
    Yeah I'd do Yankee Doodle or Keyhole. Get a feel for their skill level, comfort bailing off high ledges, stemming ability, fitness/hiking level, etc. Then make a decision. Pine Creek is easy but it has some extra scary raps and sitting there for half an hour trying to convince someone off a ledge just isn't fun. If they are avid hikers and in good shape, fat man's misery is also a great easy scenic amazing canyon, just super long. probably one of my faves though.
    Your safety is not my responsibility.

  10. #8
    I like Echo canyon as well because hiking up the switchback will quickly determine who is in shape versus who claimed to be in shape - just learned this the hard way by taking some friends & sons thru Mystery and it was a looong day as one person was NOT in shape despite claiming otherwise (have no desire to be other "Pandora's Box" group!!!)

  11. Likes Kuya liked this post
  12. #9
    Pick something with a really long and nasty bushwhack approach. This way the ones that want to come back for more are truly future canyoneers.

  13. Likes Kuya liked this post
  14. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by mzamp View Post
    Pick something with a really long and nasty bushwhack approach.
    Hmmm checkerboard comes to mind. Great canyon though once you get in it.

  15. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by TommyBoy View Post
    Hmmm checkerboard comes to mind. Great canyon though once you get in it.
    And then a looooong hike out. Funny thing is everyone would bitch about the exit if the approach was not so much worse. Hahaha

    Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

Similar Threads

  1. Canyons in and around Zion
    By edsbay in forum Canyoneering
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 02-09-2013, 12:59 PM
  2. Newbies looking for cool canyons with raps under 100 feet
    By HikingDebbie in forum General Discussion
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 02-05-2013, 08:37 PM
  3. Relative Newbies - Zion in July
    By sarahlizzy in forum Canyoneering
    Replies: 63
    Last Post: 05-05-2009, 06:39 AM
  4. Any Interest In Some Zion Canyons 25-27 Jul
    By Wasatch in forum Canyoneering
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 07-11-2008, 11:50 AM
  5. Zion Canyons 18-20 May
    By Wasatch in forum Canyoneering
    Replies: 13
    Last Post: 05-15-2007, 05:03 PM

Visitors found this page by searching for:

Outdoor Forum

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •