Walker Gulch
| Rating: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| | Difficulty:3A III (v3a1 III) Raps:4, max ↨150ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:4WD - High Clearance Rock type:Sandstone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Start: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Condition Reports: | 11 Jan 2025
"Descended Walker for the first time and it was a charmer. Several interesting features above and below the short technical section made it an enjoyab |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best season: | Spring to Autum
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Regions: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
37.3328, -112.8810
37.3325, -112.8632
Search nearby locations
Weather forecast
Waterflow
Introduction[edit]
Walker is a charming short canyon carved through the same sandstone layers as neighboring Birch Hollow and Englestead. Its short technical section resembles Jolley Gulch, and the non-technical sections above and below have their own points of interest and beauty. If this canyon were more easily accessible it would be a local favorite.
Approach[edit]
The distances in the beta reflect access from the Orderville Canyon 4x4 Trailhead Parking. From the trailhead, either access the K1730 ATV road immediately, or walk down the Orderville wash and take a shortcut trail with some minor scrambling up a side gulch to access the road. Follow the road until you reach the top of the canyon.
Alternate access from a more car-friendly trailhead is possible via Dakota Ridge, making for a longer day with a shuttle from the Birch Hollow trailhead and a strenuous exit via Wild Wind Hollow.
Descent[edit]
The upper section of the canyon has a few obstacles before reaching the technical section. Notable among them is an overhung drop of approximately 80ft. There are no good rappel lines down this drop, and the lip of the drop is precarious and likely to be dangerous. Avoid by bypassing DCL and scrambling back down to the floor of the canyon. There are no particularly good routes, so choose one that you're comfortable with. A narrows section through pretty sandstone follows shortly after, with a number of logs adding interest to the narrows.
R1 is an approximately 150ft drop. Several anchors exist here, with a large boulder in the watercourse being the most obvious choice. A tree LDC is exposed and generally inadvisable in comparison. In winter conditions with an icy watercourse, a tree RDC above a short chute offers a good rappel line as well. Once in the chamber at the bottom of R1, R2 (15ft) and R3 (25ft) follow immediately after. R2 can be downclimbed but is best rappeled from a log above. R3 has a single bolt LDC. Below R3, an excellent stretch of photogenic narrows follows. Further down canyon, R4 (20ft) is anchored from a single bolt. It could be downclimbed, but the walls are slippery enough to make a rappel the safer option.
Exit[edit]
Continue downcanyon to the confluence with Orderville, then walk back up Orderville to the 4x4 parking lot.
Red tape[edit]
Beta sites[edit]
BluuGnome.com : Walker Gulch- CanyonCollective.com : Walker Gulch
- CanyoneeringUSA.com : Walker Gulch
Trip reports and media[edit]
- https://www.facebook.com/pat.winstanley.7/media_set?set=a.952822154776482.1073742010.100001461198708&type=3
- http://adamhaydock.blogspot.com/2017/06/walker-gulch-zion-national-park-utah.html : Walker Gulch