Canyoneering - Diana's Throne 7/21-22/23

Itinerary:

Friday (overnight camping):

Carpool (Group 1) - 2:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Trailhead - 6:30 pm

Shuttle Set-Up - 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Drive to Camp - 7:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Saturday:

Carpool (Group 2) - 4:00 am - 8:30 am

Trailhead (Group 1 & 2) - 8:30 am

Run Canyon - 8:30 am - 12:00 pm

Shuttle Back to Trailhead - 12:30 pm - 1:00 pm

Dinner & Drive Home - 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Directions: Elkheart Cliffs Trailhead, Mt Carmel Junction (Entrance and Exit are the same) - The trailhead is about 7.5 miles south of Orderville and 27 miles east of Zion's visitor center. It's a dirt pullout on the north side of I-89.

Camping - Zion Scenic Byway Dispersed Camping

Activity: Canyoneering Diana's Throne (Elkhart Cliffs) - This is a 2.3 mile loop (do counter clockwise) that takes about 3 - 5 hours to complete. It has 10 rappels and beautiful views! As you hike into the canyon, bring a GPS map app such as Gaia (download the map). All rappels are bolted except one off a large tree root (we do as a handline).

After some down climbs and scrambles, you'll hit your first rappel. Rappel 1 is about 12 ft. Rappel 2 comes up quickly and is 25 ft. The third rappel is 35 ft and slopes downward. After a 10 minute hike, you'll reach rappel 4, which is 50 ft on the left (2 level rappel) or a 60 ft rappel on the right under a juniper. Next there is a short walk to another rappel, which is 30 ft. Rappel 5 is about 10 ft, leaving 6 and 7 to be around 15 ft. Rappel 8 is 20 ft and is quickly followed by 9, which is 15 ft. The final 9th rappel is 10 ft and ends the slot canyon. The hike back to the car is about 0.5 miles of an uphill sandy slope (hike towards the power lines). Again, bring a downloaded map from Gaia or AllTrails. All Trails Trip Report Road Trip Ryan Trip Report

Gear: harness (can rent), helmet (can rent), rappel device (ATS, Squirrl, Critter, etc), locking carabiners, (NO COTTON) thin liner T-shirt, hiking pants, fleece jacket, rain/windproof jacket, hiking boots or grippy shoes, headlamp, backpack, 2 L water, 6-8 snacks, first aid kit, small knife, sunscreen, sunglasses, 3 65 m 8-9mm static ropes w rope bags, repeads, webbing

Rentals:

- Harness: $5/day (BYU Outdoors Unltd); $17 (BYU Outdoors Unltd)

- Helmet: $4/day (BYU Outdoors Unltd); $4/day (UVU Outdoor Adventure Center)