Canyoneering Englestead Canyon

Zion East Side

Overview

Mon

51° | 34°

Tue

52° | 29°

Wed

59° | 31°

Thu

60° | 36°

Fri

49° | 28°

( Rated 4.5 / 44 Ratings )

94 Todo Lists / 22 Ticks

RATING: 4A/B

LENGTH: 8-10+ hours (Exiting Up Orderville 8.9 miles, Exiting Down Orderville 9 miles)

SEASON: Late Spring, Summer, Fall

GEAR: Standard Technical Gear

RAPPELS: 4+ to 90 m ( 296 ft. )

WATER: Little to a few pools in Englestead, much in lower Orderville

FLASHFLOOD: High

A permit is required for this trip. For permit information see this page.

Mon

51° | 34°

Tue

52° | 29°

Wed

59° | 31°

Thu

60° | 36°

Fri

49° | 28°

Bridge - Lower Englestead Canyon

Englestead has one of the most dramatic starts of any canyon in Zion. It goes from an open, shallow canyon to a slot in one spectacular 300' drop! I first did the canyon in 2003, and over the years had forgotten the details, except that first rappel. When I went back and re-visited it in 2012, the first rappel was indeed as spectacular as I had remembered. The rest of the canyon is good as well, and offers two choices of exits: a spectacular, but longer exit out the bottom of Orderville, or a shorter, less good exit up Orderville.

Water Note: Englestead used to be fairly dry, but floods have scoured out some pools. I would NOT take a wetsuit for Englestead in hot weather, but would in cooler temps. If doing the preferred route down Orderville, a wet suit is advised in all but the hottest times of the year. Lower Orderville has a lot of wading and generally a few short swims. It can be very cold in spring and fall!

Note: The first rappel has been the scene of several accidents and near misses. This is not a beginner canyon. All members of your group need to be highly skilled for the big rappel. It CAN be broken up into 3 rappels (30m, 60m, and 18m), but is better done in one long drop. If doing it as several shorter rappels, a group size of 3 or less is required, as the stances at the anchors are very small.

The big rappel also tends to burn a lot of time for groups. If your group size is more than 3, beware going down Orderville may make for a very long day. A group or 2-3 can likely go out the bottom of Orderville in 8-10 hours, but larger groups may take much longer. Consider the shorter route up Orderville if you group is large or less skilled.

Head of Englestead Canyon

First Rappel Englestead Canyon

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