Overview

Hype:

Englestead Canyon starts with a dramatic 300-foot rappel at the head of the canyon. The canyon has a few more rappels and some walking and scrambling sections. It is very scenic with tall, colorful walls. With a competent, small group, you can tackle the entire canyon in a couple hours. With large or slower groups, the long rappel could add many hours. From the bottom of Englestead, you can hike down Orderville (preferred) and out the Narrows or you can hike up Orderville to a shuttle vehicle.

Canyon Rating: 4A/B

Time: 6-10 hours

Length: Approach: 0.6 miles, Canyon: 1.2 miles, Exit: 5.6 miles down Orderville or 3.6 miles up Orderville

Longest Rappel: 4+ to 300 ft

Gear: Standard canyoneering gear. A wetsuit is recommended if exiting down Orderville in cooler weather.

Fees: Park Entrance, Canyoneering Permit

Recommended Ages:

	0-3
	4-11
	12-19
	20-49
	50-69
	70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Permits: Required. Make a reservation online

Links: https://www.roadtripryan.com/go/t/utah/zion/englestead-canyon

Getting There

Navigate to 37.300968, -112.892143.

Park at the obvious turn-around at the end of the road.

Route

Shuttle

Englestead Canyon requires a shuttle vehicle or a LOT of road walking. The trailhead described here is down a high clearance road so both your vehicles will need high clearance. Leave one vehicle at the visitor center parking lot (recommended for going down Orderville) or at the Orderville trailhead (if going up Orderville) and take your other vehicle to the Englestead trailhead.

Approach

0.6 miles.

From the trailhead, follow the well-traveled trail down the hillside to a drainage. Continue down the drainage until you reach the top of Englestead Canyon.

Canyon

 

Exit

Once you reach the confluence of Englestead and Orderville, you can choose between two exits. Going down Orderville is highly recommended. It's a little longer, but it's scenic and fun the whole way. Going up Orderville is ugly and dull. The only reason to do the dumb exit is if you don't have enough time to do the longer shuttle.

Down Orderville (5.6 miles)

Hike down Orderville Canyon for 3.2 miles to the confluence of Oderville Gulch and the Narrows. Near the bottom of Orderville Gulch, you will likely encounter tourists who have hiked up the Narrows and a short ways up Oderville. There are some nice little waterfalls and boulder jambs that spice things up a little bit. Most groups will likely get very wet here, but it is possible for more athletic canyoneering to navigate the obstacles with minimal water exposure. Once at the junction, continue down the Narrows for 1.5 miles then take the Riverside Walk the last 0.9 miles to the Temple of Sinawava bus stop. Most of this route involves wading in shallow water.

Up Orderville (3.6 miles)

Hike up Orderville Canyon for 3.6 mile to the trailhead. Most or all of this route is dry.

Maps

Closest City or Region: Zion National Park, Utah

Coordinates: 37.304967, -112.891208

Interactive Guide Map

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May 21, 2021 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Dana Sherry,

Logistics

10:00 - Beaver Road Trailhead

10:15 - Top of Englestead Canyon

12:15 - Bottom of Englestead Canyon

2:45 - Bottom of Orderville Canyon

3:45 - Temple of Sinawava Bus Stop

Story

I wanted to do Heaps Canyon for my birthday weekend. I left a day earlier than the rest of the group so I could get the permit and drop off the shuttle vehicle.

Dana had a trip planned with some other friends that bailed, and he reached out to me a day or so before the trip to see if I was interested and available. It worked out perfectly. We hadn't done any canyons together before this. We met at the visitor center and picked up the permit and dropped off a shuttle vehicle. Then we drove up to the trailhead. The trailhead we used wasn't published on other canyoneering beta sites, but I found it through scoping out other roads. It ended up being a lot more direct than the other trailheads. We did the canyon without any issues and had a great time. Englestead was entirely dry, but Orderville was flowing below the confluence. We stopped for lunch at the confluence of Englestead and Orderville then continued down Orderville. We took wetsuits in our packs but never put them on.

We finished around 3:45 and caught the bus to the visitor center then picked up the shuttle vehicle and drove back to the trailhead to get the second vehicle.

Pictures