Trip Report

UT: Zion – Birch Hollow and Keyhole

Hello All,

Our group headed down to Zion a few weekends ago to try some new canyons.
We checked out Birch Hollow and Keyhole (walk in permit).

Below are some pics:

We had a great time bringing along one of our friends who was new to technical canyons but up for the challenge.
The weather was perfect and both of these canyons offered incredible scenery. We are still newbies – and felt that these two canyons should be on the top of the list for anyone getting into canyoneering. They offer classic canyon scenery and fun challenges – but are very accessible and bolted. Note: Birch Hollow is accessible but without a shuttle the exit hike is long- we exited up Orderville Canyon to the North Canyon road – it makes for a long day and the road is consistently up hill.

Quick question for the community – I was planning to take a Technical Canyoneering Class through the UofU this Fall, but ended up having a wedding on the field weekend. Does anyone know of anything like this to build skills? I’m interested in building different types of anchors (retrievable, deadman), safety/efficiency tips for groups, different rope ascension techniques and tools.

Report Details

AuthorBackroadshome
DateAugust 19, 2015
Region
Discussion3 replies
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  • Mountaineer

    Great job! Rich Carlson in Cedar City has classes, so does Jared at NorthWashOutfitters in Blanding. Both are great.

    Getting out with others who are experienced will also help tremendously.

  • Backroadshome

    Yes. Our last outing was to Pandora’s Box. This trip was on the opposite end of the difficulty spectrum, which was a nice change.

  • ratagonia

    Very nice!