Overview

Hype:

Keyhole Canyon is an awesome little canyon in Zion National Park. It's short but fun. There are several rappels, very scenic deep canyon walls, and lots of swimming.

Canyon Rating: 3B

Time: 1-4 hours

Length: 0.9 miles round trip

Longest Rappel: 30 ft

Gear: 60 foot rope. Standard rappelling gear. A wetsuit is highly recommended.

Fees: Entrance fee, optional backcountry reservation fee, 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: Zion Canyoneering Permits
Tom’s Utah Canyoneering Guide
ZionNational-Park.com
Climb-Utah.com
Climb-Utah.com
ZionNational-Park.com

Getting There

Navigate to 37.223600, -112.903901.

Route

Approach

Park at one of the pullouts near Keyhole Canyon. Follow the road until you get to the turnof. Hike up a short but steep slickrock hillside and scramble down the other side. 

Canyon

Rappel #1: 15 ft off a 2-bolt anchor into a pool of water.

Climb #1: Downclimb under a log. Can also be rappelled.

Rappel #2: 15 ft off a single-bolt anchor into a pool of water followed by a downclimb. Alternatively, you could do this as a 2-stage rappel.

Maps

Closest City or Region: Zion National Park, Utah

Coordinates: 37.223629, -112.903961

Interactive Guide Map

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June 7, 2017 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Savannah Dye, Anthony Dye, Ondylyn Wagner, Landon Burnett, Amy Mears,

Logistics

1 hour 15 minutes

Story

We took a bunch of family through Keyhole as part of the 2017 Burnett Reunion.

Video of Trip

Pictures

June 6, 2017 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Anthony Dye, Todd Coons, Loreen Coons, Brittany Coons, Aubrey Coons, Caleb Coons, Dixon Sorensen, Broox Sorensen, Lawson Burnett, Landon Burnett,

Logistics

2 hours 15 minutes

Story

We took a bunch of family through Keyhole as part of the 2017 Burnett Reunion.

Pictures

September 24, 2016 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Anthony Dye, Randy Riddle, Barbara Riddle, ,

Logistics

Start: 8:45

Finish: 10:30

Total: 1.75 hours

Story

There was some heavy rain a few days before our trip, so the canyon was full. We grabbed our permit at the backcountry desk, waited forever at the tunnel, parked, suited up, and hit the canyon. It was tons of fun.

Video of Trip

Pictures

June 5, 2009 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Zac Dye,

Logistics

3.5 Hours.

Story

Friday, June 5, 2009, Zac, Tara, and I did Keyhole Canyon. It was supposed to take 1-2 hours, but we did it in 3.5. It was a lot of fun and involved a few rappels and a lot of very freezing cold water.

A couple highlights from this hike:

At the start of the second canyon, there is a rappel down into a pool of water. Zac went first and tried to kick off the wall and drop onto the opposite bank. He fell short and landed all-out in the water. Tara went next and stopped on the near bank. I came down last. When I got to the bottom, I unhooked my harness and held onto the rope to swing closer to the opposite bank. I held on with one hand and threw the free end of the rope to Zac, who wrapped it around a tree branch so I could hang onto the rope as I crossed the water.

Tara followed and splashed in the water but managed to stay at least mostly dry.

Then the rope got stuck. We accidentally pulled on the short end, and the long end had a couple loops, which we tried to shake out unsuccessfully. I volunteered to swim back over to untangle the rope, but it was too high for me to reach. Eventually I was able to climb up the rope (because the knot was stuck in the carabiner) and grab the free end enough to get it out.

The second awesome moment was at another pool of deeper-than-head water. Tara and Zac went first. I didn't want to swim with a backpack (containing a 250-ft rope) on, so I chucked it to them. It fell short and floated over to them. Then I chucked my shirt (wanting to keep it dry if I could). It sailed over their heads and over a cliff into a pool of water. So much for keeping it dry. We had to rappel down the next part before we could get it back.

Towards the end of the hike, there was a very long section of narrow canyon filling with bitter-cold water. We started chimneying across but each step took us closer and closer to the water. Knee deep. Waist deep. Neck deep. It was so cold. And the end was nowhere in sight. Eventually we reached a spot where we could walk again. I noticed a dead squirrel floating tail-up in the water, and the thought occurred to me that the reason it died was because it froze to death before it could get out. Not wanting to send anyone into a panic, I saved that information until we safely reached the end of the canyon. After a few more swims and a bit more walking, we made it back to the road. And you guessed it, we turned the heater on full blast when we got back to the car. We're thinking it might be a good idea to invest in wet suits.

Pictures