Epic Travel → North America → Mountain States → Utah → Zion National Park → ⊗ Keyhole Canyon

  ⊗ Technical Route ⊗

Warning: Do Not Attempt Without Proper Training – click here for details

Location: East Canyon, Zion National Park, Utah

Distance: 0.7 miles total, 0.3 miles technical

Elevation Gain: 200 feet

Time Required: 1-2 hours

Rappels: 2 or 3, lengths up to 30 feet

Red Tape/Notes: Permit required – visit the Zion Permits website; no shuttle required. For more info on this route (and others in Zion and around Utah), visit the Canyoneering USA website.

What’s Nearby?: Canyon Overlook Trail, Pine Creek Canyon, Spry Canyon

Keyhole is an extremely fun, quick route with beautiful dark, twisting passageways and notoriously cold water. It has been popular for years, particularly as an introductory canyon, and can easily be combined with Pine Creek in the same day. This canyon came heavily into the media spotlight in 2015 as the location of the flash flood tragedy that claimed the lives of 7 canyoneers – especially heartbreaking given the fact that this canyon actually has a relatively low potential for flash flooding when compared with other canyons (it has a fairly small collection zone) and is so short that it would require remarkably terrible luck to be in the narrows if a flood did occur. But it happened, and it serves as a reminder to all of us that what we do has its dangers and we make choices for better or worse every time we seek adventure. Let’s try and make them for the better as often as we can. And following that rather depressing note, I’ll end by saying that Keyhole is a wonderful canyon and absolutely worth an hour or two of your time!

Epic Travel → North America → Mountain States → Utah → Zion National Park → ⊗ Keyhole Canyon