Pine Creek Canyon
A short canyon by the numbers, 1.3 miles and seven rappels, finishing with a 100 foot drop into the chamber called the Grotto. Traffic noise from the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel carries most of the way down.
Water level swings hard by season. RopeWiki's own framing: in March or April you may be swimming dark corridors in a 7mm wetsuit, and by June that same passage can be dry walking. The Cathedral rappel, 50 feet off glue in bolts, lands in a pool that is usually a swimmer and usually cold, because no sun reaches it. Parking above the tunnel is extremely congested, so most parties leave a car at the second switchback and drive the group up. The exit climbs only about 80 feet back to that switchback. A Zion canyoneering day trip permit is required.
Logistics
| Manager | NPS Zion National Park |
|---|---|
| Permit | Wilderness/canyoneering permit ALWAYS required (rope/rappel descent). Acquired via three Recreation.gov paths: Seasonal Lottery 4 months out in 25-day windows (Nov 1-25 for Jan-Mar, Feb 1-25 for Apr-Jun, May 1-25 for Jul-Sep, Aug 1-25 for Oct-Dec); winners notified the 27th, claim by deadline. Unclaimed spots released the 15th at 10am MT. Daily Lottery 2 days out, apply 12:00am-3:00pm MT, drawing at 3:00pm MT. Fees: $6 non-refundable lottery/application fee, $10 per person refundable recreation fee. Pickup at Zion Visitor Center permits desk day-before or day-of. Max group size: 12. |
| Distance | 1.3 mi |
| Elevation | ~700 ft |
| Time | 2 hr-6 hr |
| Technical | 7 rappels, longest 100 ft |
| Season | Late Spring; Summer; Fall |
| Flood risk | Moderate |
| Vehicle access | Passenger |
| Crowd | High (permits go fast) |
| Coordinates | 37.2133, -112.9405 |
Sources
- permitType: https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4251915
- feeUsd: https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/canyoneeringpermits.htm
- manager: https://ropewiki.com/Pine_Creek_Canyon
- nearest town: https://ropewiki.com/Pine_Creek_Canyon
- desc: https://ropewiki.com/Pine_Creek_Canyon
- notes: https://ropewiki.com/Pine_Creek_Canyon
- seasonal lottery: https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4251915
- daily lottery: https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4251918
- heroPhoto: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:End_of_Pine_Creek_Slot_Canyon_-_Zion_National_Park_DyeClan.com_-_panoramio_(1).jpg