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Canyoneering Route Description

Imlay Canyon - 4B IV or V  R
Zion National Park, Utah.

Pictures 06-07-08

Quick Facts

Full Imlay Canyon Route
06-07-08, 3 people, 2 Day (Travel time in route 24 hours) - Start from Lava Point - Canyon in Full Water Conditions.

Time Required - 16 to 24 hours
Distance from Lava Point -                             11.4 miles Total, 3.2 miles Technical
Distance from Angel's Landing Trailhead -   13.1 miles Total, 3.2 miles Technical.
Rappels - 46 Rappels, Longest Rappel 170 feet.
Elevation Range from Lava Point - 7480 - 4500 feet.
Elevation Range from Angles Landing Trailhead - 4176 - 7360 feet.
Shuttle Required - Yes if starting from Lava Point 36.3 miles  Vehicle - Passenger  Permit Required - Yes

See the Canyoneer Trip Report Explanation Notes page for an explanation of how the technical mileage or the gear used list is determined.

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up to 170 feet and 100 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.  There are a lot of rappels and if a lot of the raps need webbing added it can really add up.  If the canyon has been done recently, you will likely use very little webbing.   

Wet suits are required for this route.  Wet suits may not be needed in the upper half of Imlay down to about rap 16 since the swims are generally shallow and short.  From the cross roads down, wet suits are a must.  The trip down in early June we all wore 7mm wet suits and had some pretty chilly moments.  The trip down in mid July we wore 7mm wet suits and thought it was a bit too much.  5mm may have been a better choice for that time of year.  To be safe I recommend 5mm is the minimum thickness wet suit to be used for Imlay Canyon.

General Comments

I do not enjoy the upper half of this canyon nearly as much as the lower half of the canyon.  The upper half of this canyon involved a lot of bush whacking to get through some sections.  It made the trip a bit frustrating.  There were some fun raps in the upper section but in my opinion the bushwhacking detracted from it a lot.  The lower section was a lot more enjoyable and had the pot hole after pot hole feel I was looking for. 

I would enjoy a return trip here when the water is a lower, so I can see what the pot holes are like with less water in them.

Rap counts may vary depending on skill level and route choice.  A section containing a couple swims, some mud and rap 19 can be quickly bypassed using a bypass path.  Raps 34, 36 and 37 can be easily down climbed or hand lined.  Raps 39 and 40 can be combined into one rappel with an easy pull.

For an alternative route check out the description for the Imlay Canyon Sneak Route.

Getting to the Trailhead and Exit Vehicle (Escape Pod) Parking

To get to the Trailhead

There are a couple options for the start point of this route.  One route is to start at the Angels Landing trailhead and hike to Potato Hollow, which involves significant elevation gain.  The other route starts from the West Rim Trailhead at Lava Point.  Starting from Lava Point is shorter and involves elevation loss on the approach.  Starting from the Angels Landing trailhead is longer and involves significant elevation gain!  The only down side to the Lave Point start is the need for a car shuttle.

Starting from West Rim Trailhead at Lave Point -
From the South Gate of Zion National Park, drive about 14 miles west on highway 9 to the turn off for the Kolob Reservoir Road.  Follow the Kolob Reservoir Road 20.1 miles to the turn off for Lava Point (extLavaPoint).  Turn right and follow Lava Point Road 2.2 miles to the West Rim Trailhead (tWestRimN).  There are few roads around Lava Point which may mislead but there are signs  that will point you toward the West Rim Trailhead at Lava Point.

Starting from the Angel's Landing Trailhead -
Park at the visitor Zion Visitor Center and ride the shuttle to the Grotto bus stop.

To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod

An exit vehicle can be left at the visitor center for Zion.  After completing the route you will be able to ride the shuttle system from "Temple of Sinawava" to the visitor center.

Maps

Map showing entire route.

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Zoomed in map showing mostly the upper section of Imlay Canyon. trips.

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Zoomed in map showing mostly the lower section of Imlay Canyon.

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GPS Waypoint Information

Details

The Approach:

From the West Rim Trailhead at Lava Point,          (5.2 miles from trailhead to the Potato Hollow Junction)
From the West Rim Trailhead (tWestRimN) at Lava Point, follow the West Rim Trail south east.  Continue past the junction to the Wildcat Canyon Trail (jWldCatCny) about 500 feet into the trail and past the junction to Sawmill Springs (jSawMillSpg) at about 0.9 miles. About 5.2 miles from the trailhead is the junction to Potato Hollow (jPotatoHollow).  This junction is where you leave the West Rim Trail.

From the Angels Landing Trailhead,      (9.9 miles from trailhead to the Potato Hollow Junction)
After getting off the shuttle at the Grotto stop, walk across the road and start down the trail toward Angel’s Landing (tAngleLnd).  Go through Refrigerator Canyon and up the 21 Walter's Wiggles switch backs to Scouts Lookout (jWestRimS) at 2.1 miles from the trail head.  From Scout’s Lookout, follow the signs pointing to the West Rim Trail (not Angel’s Landing).   A few sign posts will help guide you along a short slick rock section.  About 1.2 miles after Scouts Lookout will be a bridge (cWstRmBridge) on the trail.  About 1 mile from the bridge the trail will turn from an overall direction of southwest and start up northeast along a trail cut into the side of a cliff heading northeast.  This u-turn in the trail is also the drop in point for Behunin Canyon (yBehuninTp). From this u-turn in the trail continue up a steep trail cut into the side of a rock cliff about 0.5 miles to the trail junction for Telephone Canyon (jTelphnCynTrl2) and the Cabin Spring.  If water is needed, Cabin Springs is about 300 feet down a trail, but check with rangers ahead of time to see if water is flowing.  From the trail junction stay left to follow the West Rim Trail another 3.2 miles to the junction for the other end of the Telephone Canyon Trail (jTelphnCynTrl1).  Continue on the West Rim Trail another 1.5 miles to the Junction for Potato Hollow (jPotatoHollow).  This junction is where you leave the West Rim Trail.

Follow the Potato Hollow trail south east toward the pond a few hundred feet from the Potato hallow junction.  From the pond there is no defined trail toward the Imlay route. When doing this route, do not cross over the pond. Instead stay to the west side of the pond and follow the water course downstream from the pond. You will find a series of faint paths running through the grass and trees in the area.

The Imlay Canyon route point 1 (wImlayRP-01) is located just downstream of the pond and just upstream of the actual head for Imlay Canyon (yImlayTp). Continue south a short distance to find the head of Imlay Canyon (yImlayTp) on the right (south). There may be water slowly trickling down the wall at the head of the canyon. From the head, walk close to the ledge of the canyon on what appears to be a trail LDC (the canyon will be on your right as you walk down canyon on the ledge.

About 450 feet from the head of Imlay Canyon) the ledge will cut hard left. If you walk straight ahead (rather then follow the ledge to the left) up to the ledge and look over (still facing down canyon) you will be able to look down about 30 feet to a couple of large pine trees with a large dead tree lying next to them. This the rap station for Rap1 (dImlayR1-3). 

The Canyon / Technical Section:
Rap 1 (dImlayR1-3) is anchored from one of the trees below the ledge and drops about 140 feet to another large pine tree.

Rap 2 is anchored from the pine tree at the bottom of Rap 1. Rap 2 drops about 60 feet to a small pool with some vegetation growing in it.

Rap 3 starts in the vegetation in the small pool below rap 2. Rap 3 drops about 100 feet down the water course with a pool mid way down the rap.

After rap 3 there are a lot of sections with dense vegetation that will bring to life the term bush whacking.  At first the bush whacking is no big deal but as the canyon continues it is easy to get frustrated because there is just so much of it.  From just below rap 3 and through most of the upper section of Imlay expect a lot of vegetation to get through over or around.

About 1,000 feet from the bottom of rap 3 you come to a drop in the water course (wImlayRP-02). The drop is about 0.4 miles from Potato Hollow.  At the top of this drop are a lot of small trees that do not look like good anchors. Look LDC for webbing on some other trees about 100 feet away.  To get to the trees scramble up the ridge on the left through some Manzanita bushes then drop down a steep slope with a lot of loose rock. This is where rap 4 begins.

Rap 4 (dImlayR4) is anchored from a tree and drops about 40 feet running next to a slow trickling water fall with moss growing in it.  Down canyon from Rap 4 is more bush whacking!

A very short distance after Rap 4 is another drop in the water course.  This drop is Definitely too high for 200' ropes. Scramble up a very steep slope LDC (north) and look for a small pine with webbing on it which is the anchor for Rap 5. Once at the top of the slope the tree is about 30 feet away. Be careful in this area since it is steep and someone could easily start sliding down.  The vegetation is a bit thick and you may need to really look around for the tree with webbing on it even though it is close by.

I had some GPS “issues” at this point so the coordinates for Rap 5 are only approximate.  The big drop a is a very short distance down canyon of Rap 4, is very obvious when looking down. You just absolutely know your ropes will not make it. Climb the steep slope on the left and look for the small pine with webbing on it.

Raps 5 - 7 (dImlayR5-7) are sequenced down a steep ledge with very little room at some of the stations.  spreading people along the rappels will help keep congestion down and make it safer.

Rap 5 is anchored from a small pine tree that has a few dead branches on it. The dead branches make me wonder if the tree is in bad health and may not be as secure as it should be. The area around Rap 5 is very steep and keeping no more than 2 people at a time at the station is a good idea. Rap 5 drops about 25 feet to a larger pine tree below.

Rap 6 is anchored from the pine tree at the bottom of rap 5. There is room for 2 people comfortably at the top of Rap 6 and 3 could fit if necessary but it would be cramped. The area is steep and everyone should clip in a safety here. Rap 6 drops about 50 feet to a rock ledge below.

Rap 7 drops about 170 feet and is anchored by one bolt and hanger and one piton. Rap 7 is a cool looking rap since it is high and runs along a wall of softly flowing water with moss and algae growing in it.  The trickling water makes for good scenery while on rap.

From the bottom  of rap 7, walk up a small incline to the west (up canyon) then down the steep slope on the other side to the canyon floor below.  Once on the canyon floor you will most likely be greeted with even more bush whacking!

Rap 8 (dImlayR8) is about 600 feet down canyon of rap 7.  Rap 8 is a drop in the water course of about 15 feet down a crack with a small pool midway down. Rap 8 is anchored from a tree just above the drop.

After rap 8 are a couple of down climbs into and across some pools of water just before reaching rap 9. These pools were almost chest level in some places and the water was pretty cold. We just suffered through the chilly water since they were short.

Rap 9 (dImlayR9) is about 0.3 miles down canyon from rap 8.  Rap 9 drops about 12 feet into a shallow pool below. Rap 9 is anchored from a small tree LDC.

About 0.25 miles below rap 9 is a spot that had snow in it on our decent in June (wImlayRP-03). Judging from the size of this chunk I believe it is common to find snow here. Climb up and over LDC about 500 feet away to find webbing on a tree for rap 10.

Rap 10 (dImlayR10) is anchored from a pine tree and drops about 35 feet down a section that could possibly be down climbed. Ropes make it much safer though. Rap 10 drops into a small side canyon (side canyon drops in from the north). A few hundred feet down this side canyon leads back to the main canyon floor.  Turn left (east) to continue down the main canyon.

After getting back into the main canyon are a few more small down climbs followed by a serious bout of bush whacking. The vegetation was extremely thick, causing travel in a couple spots to slow to an agonizing crawl. There are also a few more pools of water in some slots. Some of the pools can be stemmed across to avoid getting wet. Others pools are mandatory swimmers.  Just as the previous pools, nothing was over chest deep and most were only waist deep.  All are short in length.

Rap11 (dImlayR11) a short distance down the main canyon after rap 10.  Rap 11 drops about 10 feet down into a pool in a slot. Rap 11 is anchored LDC from a collection of small trunks of the bushes that impede travel.  Ironic the very bushes you have to fight to get down canyon are the same kind you use for an anchor to help you get down this rappel.

After rap 11 are more pools to cross in slots. Some could be stemmed across while others are swimmers. The pools start to get colder down canyon from here.

About 600 feet down canyon of  rap 11 is a large drop that gently rolls down to the floor below. There are no obvious anchors here and the drop has pot holes in it.  Look for webbing tied to a large pine tree RDC about 150 feet away which is the anchor for rap 12.

Rap 12 (dImlayR12) is anchored from a large tree and drops about 90 feet down a smooth wall to the canyon floor below.

Down canyon of rap 12 are some short narrow sections. The narrows have more pools to cross and are still no more than waist or chest deep but getting colder.

Rap 13 (dImlayR13) is about 450 feet down canyon of rap 12 and is in a tight deep section of some narrows. Rap 13 drops about 20 feet to a pool below and is anchored from 2 bolt and hangers LDC. This is the first section that had the tight deep feeling narrow slots.  This section gives a hint (only a hint) of what is store for your journey down the lower portion of Imlay.

Below rap 13 in the deep tight narrows are a couple of pools to cross. One of which is a swimmer for a few feet. Then a couple down climbs down to and across more pools of water.

Rap 14 (dImlayR14) is down a drop of about 30 that could possibly be down climbed (though not too safe with an unstable log jam down the first few feet).  Rap 14 is anchored from a small tree up a steep slope LDC. The first person down will have to climb up to set the rope. The rest can have the person below flick the rope to them to make it easier.

Rap 15 (dImlayR15) is about 600 down canyon off rap14. Rap 15 drops about 8 feet to a pool below into a slot. The water continues to get colder.  Rap 15 has a little awkward start since it is anchored from the log you are standing on to start the rap. There is also an overhang as you drop over the edge.

A few more pools to wade through where you may find more pockets of snow.  The pockets of snow melting into the water are why the pools keep getting colder.

Rap 16 is about 350 feet down canyon of rap 15.  Just above rap 16 is a great place to set up camp for the night if your itinerary allows stopping here.  The camp spot is right next to the anchor for rap 16, is elevated up out of the water course, has soft sand to sleep on and has water in pools near by for water filtering (al the comforts of home).  Sleeping here will give you the chance to listen to the canyon frogs sing you to sleep.  Ok they will most likely Scream you awake.  They are loud but comforting in a way.

Rap 16 (dImlayR16-18) is anchored from a small pine LDC and drops about 25 feet into the deep tight slot below camp. There is a small pothole midway and only ankle deep water at the bottom of Rap 16 but a waist deep pool to cross to get to Rap 17.

Rap 17 is very near the bottom of rap 16.  Rap 17 drops about 25 feet between 2 narrow walls and is anchored from 2 bolt and hangers RDC.  At the bottom of Rap 17 is a pool to cross about waist deep and 50 feet long.

Rap 18 is on the other side of the pool below rap 17.  Rap 18 is anchored from one bolt and hanger RDC and drops about 15 feet to a pothole about 5 feet in diameter and about 5 feet deep.  This pothole can be avoided if you are careful.  Guess I wasn't too careful since I know it is about 5 feet deep.  On the other side of the pot hole is a short drop to a pool. The first part of the pool is a swimmer.

Beyond this pool the canyon takes a sharp right and is easy walking to the cross roads area. A few hundred feet and you are in the cross roads where you will see a canyon come in RDC (wImlayRP-04) then a short distance later another canyon comes in LDC (wImlayRP-05). Then another few hundred feet of easy walking.

Next will be a a down climb of about 8 feet over some logs and into a pool.  Before dropping down into the pool you have a choice to make.  You can continue down the water course through a couple pools filled with debris and slog through some muddy sections to get to the top of rap 19.  Or you can access a bypass route that will go around the pools, the mud and around rap 19.  If you are pushed for time the bypass is a good choice.

Note: 
The Sneak Route drops into the canyon very close to the ramp up for the bypass or rap 19.  If following Sneak Route this is where you will drop into the canyon.

Continue down the water course:
Down climb about 8 feet over logs down into the pool below.  The first part of the pool is a swimmer.  If the water level is high here you may need to duck under an overhanging rock and point your nose up so you still have breathing room.  After the swim there is a section of walking in the mud leading to another pool.  This second pool generally has a LOT of sticks, leaves, pine needles and logs in it.  Getting through this second pool is a lot like navigating the trash compactor on the Death Star in Star Wars.  After crossing the debris filled hole it is a short muddy walk over to the top of rap 19.

Rap19 (dImlayR19) is about  0.2 miles down canyon of rap 18.  Rap 19 is anchored LDC from 2 bolt and hangers and starts into a short section of slot. Rap 19 is a 2 stage rap and first drops about 20 feet over some logs then down more to a large pool about knee deep. The other side of this pool has another drop of about 12 feet to another pool. From the top of the rap to the lower pool is about 60 feet of rope travel.  At the bottom of rap 19 is a pool you will need to swim to get to the other side.

Using the bypass route to get around the pools and rap 19:
When you get to the down climb into the pool, turn around and walk back up canyon about 100 feet.  Look for a slope up the slick rock on the LDC side of the canyon.  Climb up the slope to get to a wide open ledge with a few paths worn in various places.  Follow the paths down canyon until the ledge starts to drop back down toward the canyon floor.  Then stay to the far left and look for a down climb in a slot next to the canyon wall.  Stem down the slot to a pool below and wade / swim to the other end of the pool.  You are now at the bottom of rap 19.

This route can be a time saver if you are trying to make good canyon times or are just in a hurry.  The ledge can also make a good spot to camp if you want to get up out of the water course.

Rap 20 (dImlayR20) is about 600 hundred feet down canyon of rap 19 with a couple pools and short down climbs along the way.  Rap 20 is anchored from a log, jammed at the top of the rappel. Rap 20 drops about 12 feet to a deep pool in a slot.

After swimming the pool below rap 20 the canyon opens just a little and provides some easy walking. Then quickly presents you with a couple more down climbs into pools in narrow slots. One of these slots was fun with a down climb about 8 feet under a large choke stone wedged above you then swim further down under another large choke stone.

The large rock wedged overhead of about 6ft in diameter is a good land marker to let you know you are between raps 20 ad 21.

On the other side of the pool with the large choke stones over head, is a climb "up" a log jam made up of mostly small to medium size debris. Getting up on the rock at the top of the log jamb is a bit tricky with your pack on. The large boulder is the top of rap 21.

Rap 21 (dImlayR21-22) is about 600 feet down canyon of rap 20.  Rap 21 is anchored with webbing slung around a choke stone between the wall and the right side of the large boulder at the top of the log jamb. Rap 21 drops about 15 feet to a pool below in a slot and has some log debris scattered in it.

Rap 22 is shortly after rap 21.  Rap 22 drops about 15 feet to another pool.  Rap 22 is anchored from a log about 20 feet up canyon from the rap.  The top of R22 has a boulder sitting at the top of it that is covered in lots of nodules. The rock looks out of place compared to everything around it. It is made of the same sandstone but is not carved smooth. Instead it is the bumpiest rock around.  This makes a good landmark to know you are at Rap 22.

After rap 22 there are a couple small down climbs into more pools then the canyon opens up for a short distance and allows easy walking. Near the end of this open section another canyon seems to join from LDC.

The canyon starts to close up tight again.  It gets tighter, deeper, and wetter with pothole after pot hole.

Rap 23 (dImlayR23) is almost 0.25 miles down canyon of rap 22 and is the start of the deep, twisting, pothole filled section. Rap 23 is anchored RDC from a single bolt and hanger and drops about 20 feet to a pool below with smooth twisting walls to close it in.

Rap 24 (dImlayR24-27) is about 80 feet down canyon of rap 23.  Rap 24 is anchored from a choke stone at your feet and drops about 15 feet into another pool. The canyon begins to get deep and dark in this area. You feel like you are in the belly of the beast.

Rap 25 is just around the corner below rap 24. Rap 25 has a window to go through to get to the anchor (a single bolt and hanger LDC) and drops about 20 feet to a pool below. The column that forms the edge of the window can be used as a balanced rappel with one person on each side if you want to take the time to play.

Rap 26 and Rap 27 are immediately after rap25. Rap 26 is anchored from a log at the top of the rap and drops about 15 feet to a pool. Rap 27 is anchored LDC by 2 bolt and hangers and drops about 35 feet to a pool below. There are a couple logs wedged in a pothole midway down Rap 27.

After rap 27 down climb through a tight crack underneath a jammed log. It is not possible to fit through this crack with your pack on. If your pack is too large you will still have a hard time pushing it up and through the wider section of this crack.  Or you can climb up onto the log and rap off a single VERY old anchor or hand line climb down.

Rap 28 and Rap 29 (dImlayR28-29) are about 1200 feet down canyon of rap 27.  Rap 28 is anchored from a log LDC and drops about 12 feet to a pool below. Rap 29 is anchored from a log at the top of the rap and drops about 20 feet to a pool below.

In case you hadn’t noticed by the redundancy of the last few rappel explanations, I would like to add that the canyon is continually tight, wet, and full of potholes and logs with rap after rap in this section.

Rap 30 (dImlayR30) is about 600 feet after rap 29.  Rap 30 is anchored RDC from a single bolt and hanger and drops about 20 feet to a pool below. Is this starting to sound familiar yet?

Just after rap 30 is a possible keeper hole. With high water levels (which is the only way I have seen it so far) there is an advantage but there is still no way to climb out the other side.  A hooking kit will help get you up the other side easily since previous travelers have already chipped hole in the rock.

Rap 31 and Rap 32 (dImlayR31-32) are about 250 feet down canyon of rap 30.   Rap 31 is anchored LDC from 2 bolted hangers and drops about 12 feet to a pool. Rap 32 is anchored LDC from 2 bolt and hangers and starts over some log debris and drops about 15 feet to a pool below.

Rap 33 (dImlayR33) is about 100 feet down canyon of rap 32.  Rap 33 is anchored LDC with 2 bolt and hangers and drops about 25 feet to a keeper hole at the bottom. The hole had a narrow slot exit that was completely blocked with a fallen log. The log does not easily lend itself to being lassoed from the top of the rap.  Dropping into the hole and using a pot shot bag to grab the log above and climb out seems to work if you can not just climb the log. On the other side of the log is down climb of about 6 feet to another large pool.  It is helpful to have one person stay on to of the log after climbing out to assist others climb out and to shuttle packs.

After rap 33 is a series of 6 or 8 foot drops down into potholes to swim out of.  A short distance later is another keeper hole the is easily escaped with the hooking kit.

After the keeper hole the canyon opens up for a brief moment then tightens again with a short down climb from a log to a slot with a pool in it. Then the canyon opens up again for an easy walk over a few hundred feet. The canyon tightens up once again where two large trees have fallen at the narrow entrance (wImlayRP-06).

This next tight section of the canyon is only about 600 feet long. At the end of this section you will find yourself about 110 feet up on a ledge looking down into the Narrows. This 600 foot section contains Raps 34 – 46 one right after the other. That’s 12 rappels in about 600 feet. I will not give a play by play except where noteworthy.

Rap 34 (dImlayR34-37) is anchored from a log at the top of the rappel and drops about 6 feet to a pool.  Rap 34 can be down climbed.

Rap 35 is anchored LDC from 2 bolt and hangers and drops about 25 feet to a pool.

Rap 36 is anchored from a log at the top of the rappel and drops about 10 feet to a pool.  Rap 36 can be hand lined easily.

Rap 37 is anchored RDC from a single piton (pointing down rappel) and drops about 15 feet to a dry rocky floor. The position of this piton made me a bit nervous. The rap was not pulling on it in a sheering fashion but rather like it was trying to pull the piton right out of the rock.  This rap can easily be hand lined as well.  Or all but the last person can be meat anchored from the top and the last person down will be easy to capture as he slides down the slope.

Rap 38 (dImlayR38-40) is anchored RDC with one bolt and hanger and drops about 15 feet to a pool.

Rap 39 is anchored LDC from 2 bolt and hangers and drops about 15 feet to a pool.  One of the anchors is old and thin.

Rap 40 is anchored LDC from 2 bolt and hangers LDC and drops down a sloped wall about 20 feet to a pool.

Note:
Using 60 feet of rope travel you can rap from rap 39 and bypass rap 40.  The rope pull from the bottom of rap 40 is pretty easy.

Rap 41 (dImlayR41-43) is anchored RDC from a single bolt and hanger and drops about 30 feet to a pool below. Somewhere along this section you can hear the roar of water flowing through the narrows.

Rap 42 is anchored from the top of a log wedged in a narrow opening. There are 2 bolt and hangers RDC just above the log. Rap 42 drops about 20 feet to a pool.

Rap 43 is about 100 feet down canyon of rap 42.  Rap 43 is anchored LDC from one bolt and hanger and a log at the top of the rappel and drops about 10 feet to a pool.

Rap 44 (dImlayR44-46) is anchored RDC from 2 bolt and hangers and drops about 25 feet to a pool below. The pool below this rap is a keeper and is cluttered with wood debris. The other side of the pool has a short smooth wall to climb up out of. There are no holes chiseled here for hooking out. If you want to hook out you will have to chisel your own holes.  From the top of the rappel, throw a pot shot over the logs on the other side of the keeper below.  There are enough logs to give ample spots to get the pot shot hung up to use as an aid to climb out the other side after dropping to the pool.  A combination of prusik loops and butterfly knots tied in the rope as steps should get you to the other side.  If this hole is full it is an easy climb onto the ledge.

At the top of the escape side of the pool below rap 44 the logs extend as a bridge over yet another pool.

Rap 45 is on the other side of the log bridge. From the top of Rap 44 to the bottom of Rap 45 there is very little room for people and packs. Extra care needs to be taken to get all people and cargo across this area safely.

Rap 45 anchored LDC from 2 bolt and hangers and drops about 45 feet to a large pool.

Note:
While sitting at the top of Rap 45 looking back up canyon toward rap 44, you can see some anchors on the left (RDC). It looks like the hole below rap 44 may be avoidable. It looks like there may have be a route RDC up and around Rap 44 and dropping to the exit side of the keeper.  I thought it worth mentioning in case it turns out to be a better route.

On the other side of the pool below Rap 45 is a walk out and about 25 feet of dry land as you approach the ledge looking 110 feet down to the Virgin River Narrows. The roaring sound is a lot louder now. This is Rap 46.

Rap 46 is anchored from bolted hangers around the corner LDC on an exposed ledge over the narrows.  There are 2 bolt and hangers LDC about 10 feet from the ledge. Webbing Runners are strung from there to the bolt and hangers LDC around the corner for the rap station.  These web runners are a great safety to tie in too while rigging the final rap of 110 feet.

Touch down in the Virgin River Narrows marks the end of the Canyon portion of the Imlay route (yImlayBt) and is 3.4 miles from Potato Hollow.

The Exit:
The bottom of Rap 46 is in the Virgin Narrows and is the bottom exit of Imlay Canyon (yImlayBt).  Travel 2.7 miles down stream (south) to the Temple of Sinawava which is the lower trailhead for the Virgin River Narrows (tNarrowsBot).  The last mile is paved sidewalk.

From the Temple of Sinawava ride the Zion shuttle to the visitor center to pick up the vehicle you left there.

GPS Waypoint Information

Back to the Canyoneering Trip Report List page.

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