Conditions:Imlay Canyon (Sneak Route)-20190723035504

Latest:	21 Jul 2019 (5 yrs, 10 mos ago)

Reported by:	Willie92708 (997 reports), Reeves (37 reports)
Quality:	Amazing
Waterflow:	Deep pools
Wetsuit:	Thin wetsuit
Water temperature:
Difficulty:	Special challenges
Time:	12 hours

Team: 5 people

Trip report URL:

Comments: We started at 5:00AM at the Grotto, and made the drop-in point by 8:30AM. Virgin river by 3:00PM, and back at the Zion shuttle bus by 5:00PM. We were bumping up against another party that had camped overnight at the drop-in point, and we were not in a hurry in the technical section, thus taking more time from drop-in to the river.

Water levels are down from trip 3 weeks back, requiring a few hooking moves on some potholes for escape. One of the "potshot" potholes is totally dried up, and there is a pile of rock at the exit side, so you do not have to use a guided rappel to exit it. The other "potshot" pothole (one with the log) is best exited with a guided rappel. The pothole with the split passage (in the picture) is jump-able, and I depth checked, the rest jumped it. There are a few other places to jump too.

Overall an amazing trip as always. Tons of tadpoles in some pools, and many frogs around. The ferns on the walls in some spots are really nice. The log soup through was easy and fun. Everyone stayed warm enough, until both groups were waiting at the final rappel.

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
9 May 2025	Amazing		Full wetsuit		10 hours	6 people Beginner to Advanced	RFontaine (270 reports),Kirbside (96 reports)
Comment: Always incredible and full value! Top notch beauty and fun! We cut over far left at end of approach to follow a drainage down and rappelled into upper Imlay before the last 2 drops. Very worth doing! All pot holes very full and escapable without gear by mono-ing the pockets. Should still always bring a pair of hooks just in case. Water clean and comfy in a 5/4 wetsuit.
11 Oct 2024	Amazing	Deep pools	Full wetsuit	Special challenges	10 hours	5 people Advanced	Coops (120 reports),Kirbside (96 reports),AdamOtter (52 reports)
Comment: Amazing day in Imlay. My first time doing Imlay **not** in easy mode. Water level was lowish. 2-5 feet below the lip in most cases. Most problems yielded to partner assists + hooks. One assist required one person to be underwater (water depth was ~7-8 feet) and the other person to insert a hook. One exit was made easier using the hook holes as mono pockets. One exit required a pot shot or rope bag throw. Overall quite fun if you are looking for some challenges. Anchors are in a condition they are often in in Imlay (sketchy looking bolts and sometimes odd placements due to the floor level changing as obstacles change).
2 Sep 2024	Amazing	Deep pools	Full wetsuit	Normal	9 hours	3 people Advanced	Sqshemet (75 reports),Kirbside (96 reports),Epeairs (70 reports)
Comment: Overall an amazing day in Imlay, as always. We took the right side approach but dropped in above the 2 potholes the left approach adds. CEM from a tree at the head of the wash was 90ish feet. Imlay is very full but water level is starting to go down slowly. No pothole challenges. Group was cozy in a mix of 5.5:3, 10:5, 7:3 wetsuits with no rain jackets. We were moving efficiently and a slower group might be more chilly. Time does not include a few hours spent in Orderville on the way out.
5 Jul 2024	Amazing					6 people Intermediate to Advanced	RFontaine (270 reports)
Comment: This canyon is an amazing journey and is currently in exquisite conditions!! We did FULL Imlay and started hiking from Lava Point at 4am. Made it to the 1st rap in 1.5hrs. Upper Imlay is just okay. After the initial large rappels (that are just meh) , there is lots of downclimbing and wash walking! There are a few neat narrows but nothing compared to lower. This section is a one and done for me (not much juice for the squeeze). I will just do sneak route going forward. Lower Imlay is INCREDIBLE. We arrived at the crossroads around 12:30. Much of the canyon is dry and the potholes are all VERY low making escapes more challenging and fun! Probably only 1 swim in the entire canyon (that I can recall) most of the keepers are so low you can walk across. We didnt even wetsuit up until near the end of the canyon at last narrows! A 4/3 wetsuit was more than sufficient at this point. We arrived at the shuttle at 8pm, last shuttle is 8:15 this time of year. I love experiencing Imlay in these conditions! Super fun mode!!
10 Jun 2024	Amazing	Deep pools	Full wetsuit	Special challenges	14 hours	5 people Advanced	Canyon.406 (40 reports)
Comment: Was a good time. Took our sweet time with great breaks. Last section of narrows was entertaining. Didn't try to kill me. Will do again.
19 Oct 2023	Great		Thick wetsuit	Easy	11 hours	4 people Advanced to Expert	Xenonrocket (102 reports),Rbowru (54 reports)
Comment: Pothole water level was in full mode, and we didn't need to do any technical escapes. Got through the second technical section in ~1/2 the estimated time. We were wearing wetsuits with between 6-9mm on the core.
27 Aug 2023	Amazing	Deep pools	Full wetsuit	Easy	12 hours	3 people Intermediate to Advanced	Cheveran (90 reports)
Comment: Great fun! We escaped the heat by swimming through Imlay all day. Took right sneak route, which has obvious use trails. The approach took 4.5 h with several breaks. 5.5h in canyon, including lots of photos and a lunch break. We took our time on the exit, enjoying the Narrows and goofing around. Imlay was very full, no pothole challenges. Anchors are OK, some are showing significant wear.
7 Aug 2023	Amazing	Deep pools	Thin wetsuit	Advanced	14 hours	3 people Intermediate to Advanced	Canyon.406 (40 reports)
Comment: Took our very sweet time down this canyon. Was everyones first time. Took a couple long breaks. Didn't try to kill me. Will do again.
2 Jul 2023	Amazing	Deep pools	Thin wetsuit		12 hours	5 people Beginner to Advanced	RFontaine (270 reports)
Comment: One of the absolute best canyons in Zion!! (but you probably already knew that) Pot holes are all very full, only need a single hook for a few of them. (this will probably change quickly with all this heat) Water was fairly clean, much of the log soup is cleared out! I wore a 4/3 wet suit and was comfy, although I usually run warm I think. My team members all layered their suits for more substantial neoprene. I brought a 2mm shorty to layer but ended up quickly taking it off as it was too much for me. The sculpting in this canyon is gorgeous, coupled with the fun potholes and big final rap It's one of my all time favorites! 12hrs at a moderate pace with a 45min lunch break.
25 Sep 2022	Amazing	Deep pools	Full wetsuit	Normal	10 hours	4 people Advanced	Erek (206 reports),Kirbside (96 reports)
Comment: Canyon was in easy mode. All potholes full, no special challenges. Some pools were a little smelly. Great canyon. Time is from car start at Grotto to Zion shuttle bus. 3.5 hour approach. 0.5 hours gear up, and snack stops. 5 hours descent in canyon. 1 hour exit.
17 Sep 2022	Amazing	Low	Full wetsuit	Normal	11 hours	2 people Intermediate to Advanced	Kirbside (96 reports)
Comment: Imlay is currently in easy mode. No problematic pothole escapes; the canyon is even lightly flowing. Group in 5mm + rain jacket and 5mm + 2mm shorty + rain jacket and temperatures were good (maybe slightly cold at the beginning but otherwise fine). Started at 5:20am from the Grotto, back to the line for the shuttle at 4:40 pm. We were maintaining a leisurely pace (lots of snack breaks) but were efficient through rappels. Anchors were fine but some were showing their age.
12 Jun 2022	Amazing	Deep pools	Thin wetsuit		13 hours	5 people Advanced	Brdn.gonzales (44 reports),RFontaine (270 reports)
Comment: Absolutely LOVED this canyon! We started our hike at 4:20am which was perfect! We stayed out of the sun the entire approach, which took us 4hrs. I love that hike so much to see! The canyon was So beautiful and intricate with multiple very fun rappels and multiple pot hole escapes requiring hooks and talons - which was EXTRA fun!! Wore a 4/3 suit and was comfy. Final rap down to the narrows was gorgeous. Seemed to be EXACTLY 120’. We took our time and enjoyed the narrows. Absolutely wonderful day with a fun an efficient crew! My favorite Zion adventure to date!
24 May 2022	Great	Deep pools	Full wetsuit	Special challenges	11 hours	4 people Intermediate to Expert	Aquamoo (91 reports)
Comment: First time through imlay, it was a blast. Water was really cold but not too bad. A lot of the potholes were in keeper mode, quite a few were 2’ below the lip. We got to use the grappling hook which was a lot of fun.
19 Sep 2021	Amazing	Deep pools	Thin wetsuit	Special challenges	12 hours	6 people Intermediate to Advanced	EMoorcroft (450 reports)
Comment: Potholes are pretty full and relatively easy to escape in general. With a hook, or bag toss and some basic climbing skills, current conditions were not extremely challenging. We joined forces with 2 others that had permits and that bumped our group up to 6. We tried leap frogging most of the route but this was challenging for a larger group and with multiple obstacles we would bottle neck from time to time. Most of the corridors were dark and had few opportunities to warm up in the sunlight. Wore thin wet suits worked well but towards the end a couple members got cold. The teeter totter log towards the end of the route was a trip. seemed wedge in well but would teeter totter when weighted. The trash compactor was short lived but awesome. Young buck Nclegg broke out the hook and Bruce Lee kicks to get out of the keepers.
19 Oct 2019	Good	Very Low	Full wetsuit	Easy	10 hours	6 people	Morgan (103 reports),Reeves (37 reports)
Comment: Water in the canyon is extremely low. One pothole just before the final rappel sequence is still a swimmer, and several others were knee deep. Wetsuits are currently unnecessary for the vast majority of the canyon, but you will want them for the final sequence where water still exists (it's freezing!) We were able to exit all potholes with partner assists and/or pack tosses.

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