Conditions:Water Canyon (Zion National Park)-20250602150355
Latest: |
1 Jun 2025 (6 days ago) |
|---|
| Reported by: | RFontaine (276 reports) | |
|---|---|---|
| Quality: | Amazing |
|
| Waterflow: | Deep pools |
|
| Wetsuit: | None |
|
| Water temperature: | ||
| Difficulty: | ||
| Time: |  5 hours
|
|
Team: 2 people with experience level Advanced
Trip report URL:
Comments: Super fun super beautiful canyon! Great rappels and very pretty sections of slot! Lots to see on this route!
Approach took us 1.75hr at a leisurely pace. We started around noon and had the canyon to ourselves. The two guided tours were on the last 2 drops by this time.
Lots of opportunities to stem over pools throughout. Only 1 mandatory swim and a few wades. Water not cold, comfortable without neoprene, despite the clouds and slight breeze, air still warm.
Many of the raps are of high quality, fun down climbs and stemmy moves, very unique and beautiful rock features and deep keeper holes that are avoidable.
Really love this canyon for a full featured fun day out! A must do!
All condition reports
| Date | Quality | Waterflow | Wetsuit | Difficulty | Time | Team | Reported by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great | Deep pools
| Rain jacket
| Normal  |  9 hours
| 6 people Brand new to Advanced | BryceM777 (16 reports) | |
Comment: This canyon either flashed a day or two before we ran it or the rain filled in all the pools because wow there were some frequent swimmers as current conditions sit. Lots of fun wading through the deep pools. The temps were a modest high 70s the day we ran it and I think everyone was slightly cold without wetsuits but nothing too unbearable though. Our group of 6 spent 9 hours but that was completing all 14 rappels including the optional ones. I used a fiddlestick on the big 170 ft R5 as the pull from that angle would be terrible. There were a few other raps that I would also recommend ghosting due to hard pulls that can chew up rope and further the already prominent rope grooves in this canyon. This was 2 members first canyon and they absolutely loved the experience. A great and arguably better alternative if you can’t win those highly coveted Subway permits as the canyon walls look very much like Subway right at the first waterfall.
| |||||||
| Amazing | Deep pools
| None
| | 5 hours
| 2 people Advanced | RFontaine (276 reports) | |
Comment: Super fun super beautiful canyon! Great rappels and very pretty sections of slot! Lots to see on this route!
Approach took us 1.75hr at a leisurely pace. We started around noon and had the canyon to ourselves. The two guided tours were on the last 2 drops by this time. Lots of opportunities to stem over pools throughout. Only 1 mandatory swim and a few wades. Water not cold, comfortable without neoprene, despite the clouds and slight breeze, air still warm. Many of the raps are of high quality, fun down climbs and stemmy moves, very unique and beautiful rock features and deep keeper holes that are avoidable. Really love this canyon for a full featured fun day out! A must do!
| |||||||
| Amazing | Deep pools
| None
| Normal |  4 hours
| 4 people Advanced | Coops (121 reports),Kirbside (98 reports),AdamOtter (52 reports) | |
Comment: An amazing day in Water Canyon! We had done Heaps the day before so the group was a bit tired and some a little sick. The approach ended up taking an hour and 15 minutes as it was quite hot and we were a bit cooked. 2 sections required swimming (one you could use a different rap to avoid, the other has bolts for a guided rappel if needed). Otherwise water was only up to waist deep. Given the hot day and fast team our temperatures were good without wetsuits.
| |||||||
| Great | Deep pools
| None
| Normal | 4 hours
| 3 people Advanced | Sqshemet (78 reports),Kirbside (98 reports),Epeairs (73 reports) | |
Comment: Overall a good day in water, slightly negatively impacted by overcast conditions. Skies were threatening with some spitting hints of rain but it cleared up within an hour. A couple group members were a bit chilly without wetsuits by the end due to the overcast conditions.
| |||||||
| Amazing | Deep pools
| None
| Normal | 8 hours
| 6 people Beginner to Expert | Grapefruit (33 reports) | |
Comment: Hot on the approach but quickly cooled off in the canyon.
| |||||||
| Good | Very Low
| None
| Normal | | 4 people Advanced to Expert | Bricepollock (39 reports) | |
Comment: Went through with some friends, hopped in 2/3 of the way up for a chill day. Bypassed 1-2 rappels to avoid any swims (otherwise there was at least one). Lots of rope grooving in the canyon. Someone's loose dog was up there and had to guide them around which was annoying, but luckily it's easy to escape and re-enter. Pretty open canyon compared to other Zion area stuff. Often guided. Still fun though.
| |||||||
| Great | Deep pools
| Thin wetsuit
| Normal | 12 hours
| 5 people Beginner to Intermediate | PsychoWard (37 reports) | |
Comment: Great canyon with some beautiful views. It’s got a pretty big approach and lots of rappels. Expect a big day. Some swift water skills are useful here and this canyon can flow and has some deep pools, which we encountered. Anchors were all solid. Great day out.
| |||||||
| Amazing | Moderate
| None
| Normal | 7 hours
| 3 people Beginner to Advanced | Canyonman117 (7 reports) | |
| Great | Low
| Full wetsuit
| Normal | 5 hours
| 4 people Intermediate to Advanced | Cathy (2 reports) | |
Comment: Flowing right from the top, but no difficulties. Great time to do it.
| |||||||
| Amazing | High
| Full wetsuit
| Special challenges | 6 hours
| 3 people Intermediate to Advanced | Mfeingol (52 reports) | |
Comment: Water Canyon is in high flow mode right now. The upper half of the canyon looks to be unrunnable at the moment, with high flow and snow dams. The lower half below the middle drop-in is a delightful romp with massive waterfalls and some interesting challenges. Recommended, but only for people with 3C experience and some knowledge of the layout of the canyon.
| |||||||
| Great | Deep pools
| None
| | 8 hours
| 4 people Beginner to Advanced | RFontaine (276 reports) | |
Comment: Very fun canyon! Lots of very enjoyable rappels, beautiful scenery!
The approach trail is very enjoyable, beautiful views the whole way! We did the full route with no short cuts. (yes you can short cut some of it but is TOTALLY worth doing the whole route with all rappels!!) There are a few potholes that are easily avoidable with mild stemming. Lots of ankle to waist deep wades with only one short deep swim that was refreshing. No wetsuits, we were all good on temperature. Despite being summer, was not overly hot, especially with an early start. So much to see in this canyon, lots of variety, interesting rock shapes, a short narrows section, quite a few fun slots! The 170' rap was pristine! super fun! but all the others were fantastic too! We spent 2 hours near the end teaching ascending techniques and practicing passing knots, could easily be a 6hr canyon for the experienced crew.
| |||||||
| Great | Very Low
| Thin wetsuit
| Normal | 7 hours
| 3 people Intermediate to Advanced | Spacepyroman (10 reports) | |
| Great | Deep pools
| Rain jacket
| Normal | 8 hours
| 3 people Brand new to Advanced | Kirbside (98 reports) | |
Comment: Outside temperature was ~60-70° F all day. We regretted not bringing wetsuits and had to bail on the last few rappels due to thermal issues. 3/2 would have been perfect.
Overall beautiful canyon with a couple swims / pools. If you reach a log downclimb with a sketchy drop into water know that it bypassable via a rappel accessed by climbing up DCL. We missed this and would have preferred avoiding the drop and the additional water.
| |||||||
| Great | Very Low
| None
| Normal | 8 hours
| 4 people Expert to Brand new | Adolfo isassi (2 reports) | |
Comment: Water conditions are very low. There is a new obstacle in at the second rappel, a very dry pothole. This pothole has been a swimmer or with water high enough to escape easily. Now that is super dry, it is a modest keeper, but it may catch some by surprise. You can stem over with a full body-bridge, or go into it, and use a partner boost to get out. (Photo from successful escape point of view). Lower portion of the canyon had 2 very short swimmers.
| |||||||
| Great | Deep pools
| None
| Normal | 10 hours
| 4 people Beginner to Intermediate | Dfreeman1232 (5 reports) | |
Comment: Amazing day. 10:00am start. 10+ raps (a couple to avoid down climbing), several deep swimmers, dodging sketchy potholes, stemming narrow slots, and hiked out after dark. Water was cool and refreshing without wet suits.
| |||||||
