Conditions:Keyhole Canyon (Zion National Park)-20250528172335
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...additional reports
Latest: |
25 May 2025 (29 days ago) |
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| Reported by: | BWylie (24 reports) | |
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| Quality: | Good |
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| Waterflow: | Very Low |
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| Wetsuit: | Thin wetsuit |
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| Water temperature: | ||
| Difficulty: | ||
| Time: |  3 hours
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Team: 4 people with experience level Brand new to Advanced
Trip report URL:
Comments: We spent some amount of time stemming up canyon before starting Keyhole - fun practice! Actual time in Keyhole to car was 1.5hrs. There are some webbing handlines/anchors set far up and the water is just gross enough to motivate climbing moves. At the entrance to Keyhole, there is one relatively brave lizard that ate a lot of bugs 5 feet from us getting ready. Keyhole itself is low water - one swimming disconnect, mostly thigh-high. One spot smells kind of bad near the end of the narrows. The canyon is beautiful. I was happy in a 5/3, a member of the group who runs much warmer was "only a bit colder than preferable" in shorts and a tank top.
All condition reports
| Date | Quality | Waterflow | Wetsuit | Difficulty | Time | Team | Reported by |
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| Good | Deep pools
| None 
| Normal |  1 hour
| 3 people Intermediate to Advanced | Mchlprk11100 (15 reports) | |
Comment: Ran the canyon after completing Spry. Like the last post mentioned, lots of beautiful scenery and canyon for little work on the approach and exit. At most 2 pools were chest deep and the rest were about waist deep. Quick and hot enough that wetsuits were not required. Would recommend bringing smaller backpacks and knee pads to help get through the narrower sections that require some stemming.
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| Great | | None
| | 1 hour
| 6 people Intermediate to Advanced | RFontaine (281 reports) | |
Comment: Massive bang for the buck, beautiful, dark, and beginner friendly! Lots of water, canyon is very full, water fairly clean. Quite a few wades. Only one or 2 brief swims. Lots of fun optional stemming through narrow sections. No wetsuits needed mostly comfortable without if you can handle a brief chill here and there. Took us 1 hr at a leisurely pace.
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| Good | Very Low
| Thin wetsuit
| | 3 hours
| 4 people Brand new to Advanced | BWylie (24 reports) | |
Comment: We spent some amount of time stemming up canyon before starting Keyhole - fun practice! Actual time in Keyhole to car was 1.5hrs. There are some webbing handlines/anchors set far up and the water is just gross enough to motivate climbing moves. At the entrance to Keyhole, there is one relatively brave lizard that ate a lot of bugs 5 feet from us getting ready. Keyhole itself is low water - one swimming disconnect, mostly thigh-high. One spot smells kind of bad near the end of the narrows. The canyon is beautiful. I was happy in a 5/3, a member of the group who runs much warmer was "only a bit colder than preferable" in shorts and a tank top.
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| Great | Dry
| Thin wetsuit
| Easy | 2 hours
| 2 people Advanced to Brand new | Treyshoe (37 reports) | |
Comment: Water was low with the only swimmer being at the bottom of rap 1. Fun day!
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| Great | Deep pools
| Full wetsuit 
| Normal | 1 hour
| 6 people Intermediate to Advanced | Sqshemet (78 reports),Kirbside (98 reports),Epeairs (73 reports) | |
Comment: Great day in Keyhole! We did an evening Keyhole + Pine Creek as a warm up and gear test for Heaps the next day. Keyhole is always amazing and a good degree of fun movement even for advanced individuals. Time excludes time spent exploring up canyon after dropping down to the wash.
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| Great | Very Low
| Thin wetsuit
| Normal | 3 hours
| 2 people Beginner to Intermediate | BryceM777 (17 reports) | |
Comment: The water has definitely gotten smellier this time of year wading through all the cesspools. Nonetheless still a fun, short, and easy canyon. Be cognizant of other canyoneers in the down climb section just before going into the first slot. One of the boys of a family of 6 pushed a really big rock down that almost hit my partner who was finishing her down climb. Fortunately she dodged it. Definitely put on your helmet before starting the down climb. It was a good reminder for me that sometimes the most dangerous part of a canyon isn’t always the technical rappelling section nor is it always your specific groups fault. Be safe and alert out there even in the canyons you think are the most straightforward.
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| Amazing | Very Low
| None
| Easy | 1 hour
| 7 people Brand new to Expert | Ingalls (28 reports) | |
Comment: Fun run with a group on a hot day. A little lower than we hoped but had some new canyoneers in tow who had an absolute blast.
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| Great | Deep pools
| Thin wetsuit
| Special challenges | 4 hours
| 4 people Brand new to Intermediate | BryceM777 (17 reports) | |
Comment: Keyhole was a very short enjoyable canyon after baking in the 100 deg weather for the hike up. The water was pretty chilly but the 3 out of 4 members that wore 3/2 wetsuits were very comfortable. The deepest the water got was about chest deep in some areas. We took a little longer than most groups running through this due to the experience level and because one of the members thought they lost their wallet after changing out of the wetsuits at the end of the slot. Additionally, one member of our team did not have a wetsuit and definitely shivered during the technical slot section of keyhole. A 3/2 summer suit with no neoprene on the arms and legs also works fine in these current conditions.
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| Amazing | Deep pools
| Thin wetsuit
| Easy | 2 hours
| 2 people Brand new to Intermediate | Grapefruit (34 reports) | |
Comment: There were a few swimmers and chest deep wades. We were comfortable in 4/3 wetsuits but that water is cold. No flow.
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| Amazing | Deep pools
| Full wetsuit
| Easy | 2 hours
| 4 people Advanced to Expert | Bricepollock (39 reports) | |
Comment: Great run through keyhole. Only real swim was a short launch across gap after first rappel and then the remaining water at the end which is easily bypassed. Lots of fun stemming if you want it.
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| Great | Deep pools
| Thick wetsuit 
| Normal | 1 hour
| 6 people Advanced to Beginner | MRickerd (37 reports) | |
Comment: BIL procured permits through Zion NP. Did Keyhole and Pine Creek in single day.
First section of canyon we all bypassed getting wet. Second part of canyon the water was very cold, but air temp was pleasant. First time wife and I used our 7mm full wetsuits, but two members of party went without wetsuits. Large pool just before second rap was ice cold. Rigged R2 and R3 simultaneously to keep others out of water for longer than necessary. It was fun finishing the canyon due to the angle of the slot. Bypassed final long swim to stay warm for Pine Creek. Very fun, short canyon.
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| Amazing | Deep pools
| Thin wetsuit
| Normal | 1 hour
| 2 people Intermediate to Advanced | Thegazelle (53 reports) | |
Comment: A good chuck of swimmers. Fun dark slots. A lot more fun than expected. Don’t judge a canyon by its size.
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| Good | Very Low
| Thin wetsuit
| | | 5 people Brand new to Intermediate | Itschoice (1 reports) | |
Comment: Easy canyon with little water. A bit stagnant and stinky. Deer parts added to the experience but would not stop anyone from our group. They can be avoided. Four of the five of us had 3mm wetsuits. The person with no wetsuits said if we had been in the water much longer the cold would have started to bother him.
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| Great | Deep pools
| | | | 3 people Intermediate to Advanced | Sgarnold (5 reports) | |
Comment: Great day through the canyon. Few swimming parts for 6 ft tall ppl.
Currently a pretty fresh dead deer in the first few pools (we think less than a week old). It's easily passed but just a FYI if you have squeamish member(s).
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| Good | Deep pools
| None
| Easy | 3 hours
| 4 people Brand new to Advanced | Coalemus (160 reports) | |
Comment: Woof, waited for several days for the groups in front of us to clear through. They were very slow and loud. Good thing we brought a bottle of Jack and some instruments to kill the time. Had flashed the afternoon before so everything was very full, pretty warm and muddy with tons of debris. Good clean forest duff stew never hurt anybody. With warm air temps and monsoon water, we were fine nekkid. Didn't chill at all. Our noobie got a toe boo-boo trying to emulate our stemming moves. Should survive with treatment.
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