Canyoneering Route Description

Diana's Throne Canyon - 3A I
Zion National Park, Utah

Quick Facts

04-26-15, 2 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 2.7 hours) Pictures Icon extra time due to dropping in too high.

Time Required - 2 to 3 hours
Distance - 2.1 miles Total, 0.6 miles Technical
Rappels - 9 Rappels, Longest Rappel 70 feet.  Multiple raps can be bypassed or downclimbed
Elevation Range - 5550 - 5990 Feet
Shuttle Required - No Vehicle - Passenger Permit Required - No

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up to 70 feet and 50 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.  Wet suits not needed.  After recent rains there may be a couple spots up to waist deep but are short and mostly avoidable.

General Comments

Diana's Throne Canyon sometimes called The Huntress Slot is about 1 mile west of a mesa listed on maps as Diana's Throne and is about 3 miles east of Mount Carmel Junction, Utah.  Diana's Throne canyon is a short route that can be enjoyed as a break while on a road trip passing by. The canyon is more of a hike with ropes than a deep committing canyon.  All obstacles can be hiked around if needed and the deep sculpted sections are short lived. Great entry level canyon where beginners can practice skills not far from the road.  The final slot below an optional exit is in my opinion the prettiest portion of the route.

When first checking out the area, we dropped into the wash about 0.4 miles higher than we should have adding 30 minutes and about 0.5 hours to the day. The wash up canyon of the drop in described here is wide open easy walking with multiple opportunities to drop down into the wash / canyon in various places. The route described here drops you down into the wash just above where the fun begins. You can enter the wash above the canyon in multiple places up canyon of where this route description drops in.

A few small spots could hold water to waist deep after recent rains but will usually be dry.

Some of the rappels in canyon can be easily bypassed or downclimbed. The rap count in this description includes all drops that were anchored at the time I went through. This canyon appears to be a canyon frequently guided making the many anchors a nice option. One more reason this canyon is good for beginners to test their skills.

Driving Directions

To get to the Trailhead

From the junction of highways 9 and 89 at Mount Carmel Junction Utah, travel southeast on highway 89 for 3 miles to a turn off (exDianaHnt) on the left (east) side of the road.  At the turn off is a large gravel area with a dirt road leading east away from the highway.

Note:
The turn off is near the apex of a corner as you are going up hill and is easy to miss if you are not looking for it.

Follow the dirt road east away from the highway crossing over a short section of old paved road that parallels the highway. A little over 400 feet from the highway is a turn out on the left (north) side of the dirt road where a few cars can park (tDianaHnt).

If you have 4wd you can drive in farther, but be warned there are sections of sand that may be an issue without 4WD.

To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod

No exit vehicle is needed.  This is done as a loop route.

Maps

GPS coordinate information listed at the bottom.  For information about waypoint naming and map symbols, refer to the Glossary page.

Map Link Icon
Click the links for maps of the route. Map of the entire route.

Details

The Approach:
From the parking spot (tDianaHnt) walk east along the dirt road for about 150 feet to a fork in the road.

At the fork in the dirt road (DianaHnt01) stay right to travel southeast along road 106Y which roughly follows a set of power lines. Continue for about 900 feet to a sign on the side of the road.

Note:
When returning from the exit of the canyon you will be coming in from the road on the left.  Note what this looks like so it will help guide you back on your return.

The next sign along the road (DianaHnt02) will be for for road 106Y and states you are entering public lands. Continue southeast about 600 feet to where a small side road crosses the main gravel road you are on.

From where the small side road crosses the main gravel (DianaHnt03), continue southeast along the main gravel road for about 900 feet to where another side road joins in on the left.

The next side road joining in from the left (DianaHnt04) is labeled as 106U. Turn left here leaving the large gravel road and begin following the smaller dirt road 106U to the north for about 330 feet as it curves to the right (east) where you will get to another small dirt road joining in on the left.

Note: If you pass road 106U and stay on the wide gravel road by mistake, you will get to a sign for road 106S about 0.28 miles east of here then road 106T about 0.38 miles east of here. If you get to road 106T by mistake, just turn left and follow the road about 300 feet down to the wash. Once in the wash turn left and walk northwest down canyon. That is what we did on our first time here but it added about 0.5 hours and 0.9 miles extra to the day to see wide open sandy wash up canyon.

Following the small side road 106U for about 330 feet gets you to a smaller dirt road on the left. Do not turn on the smaller dirt road and instead continue walking around the right hand curve to the east about 130 feet to another small road on the left (north).

This next small dirt road (DianaHnt06) Turn left (north) and follow this dirt road northeast about 0.2 miles (about 1000 feet) to where you can walk down into the wash.

Note: This small dirt road is faint and not well traveled and may be hard to follow. Route find through a mix of this faint road and desert, traveling northeast. About 600 feet northeast of here portions of the road are a little more worn in (DianaHnt07) and easier to follow. Remember, if in doubt about an exact bearing stay more right (east) as places higher up in the wash will have gentler slopes allowing entry down into the wash.

Drop down the steep side of the wash (DianaHnt08).  There are many places to drop in so if you lost the road and wandered through the desert you will be good no matter where you are able to drop in.

Turn left and walk a few hundred feet to the top of (yDianaHntTp) a walk through slot about 200 feet long.

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
From the top end of the walk through slot (yDianaHntTp) pass through the slot and continue in wider wash below the slot.

A little over 500 feet down canyon is a downclimb of about 6 feet (DianaHnt09).

About 250 feet farther is the top of (DianaHnt10) a shallow V-Slot to walk through. Shortly down canyon is a downclimb of about 5 feet over a choke stone.

 Rap 1 (dDianaHntR1-2) is about 250 feet farther, is anchored from a glue in anchor on the LDC side and drops about 20 feet with a gentle grade that some may be able to just hand line down.

Rap 2, just below rap 1, is anchored from 2 glue in anchors on the LDC side and drops about 25 feet.

Shortly down canyon of rap 2 is a pothole that would be about waist deep if full but is easily bypassed on the RDC side.

About 275 feet after rap 2 is a steeply sloped drop (DianaHnt11) of about 15 feet that is easy to bypass on the RDC side.

Rap 3 (dDianaHntR3-5) is about 125 feet farther, is anchored from 2 glue in anchors RDC on the ground and drops about 30 feet but is easily bypassed on the RDC side.

Rap 4, just at the bottom of rap 3, is anchored from 2 glue in anchors LDC on the ground where you will need about 70 feet of rope to get down to a pothole about waist deep in the slot below. Rap 4 starts out as moderately sloped slab then drops down into a vertical slot below. There are natural anchor options for rap 4 if the glue ins become damaged.

Rap 5, on the other side of the pothole below rap 4, is anchored from 2 glue in anchors on the RDC side and drops about 30 feet down sloped slickrock. If the glue in anchors become damaged it is possible to get to a small bush on the LDC side and handline down the sloped rap.

Just after rap 5 is downclimb of about 12 feet to slide down.

Rap 6 (dDianaHntR6), shortly down canyon of rap 5, is anchored from a single glue in anchor on the LDC side and drops about 8 feet. Optionally an aggressive partner assist can be done to downclimb the drop with teamwork.

Just after rap 6 is a walking slot with a few boulders to scramble up over.

Rap 7 (dDianaHntR7) is about 180 feet down canyon of rap 6, is anchored LDC from single glue in anchor about head high and drops about 20 feet. This is where the canyon makes a sharp left right jog.

Just after rap 7 is an easy downclimb / slide (DianaHnt12) of about 8 feet to wide open sandy wash to walk. Walk open sandy wash about 0.18 miles to the start of another slot and an optional exit.

At the start of the next slot (DianaHnt13) is a drop of about 15 feet to slide down under a choke stone before getting to rap 8 about 90 feet down canyon. This slot is one of the prettiest spots on the route with sculpted striped walls in deeper narrow slot.

Note: Optionally you can exit LDC here by scrambling up the moderately sloped side. Exiting here would shorten your total route by about 0.4 miles and miss this short lower slot. If exiting here go southwest up the LDC side then route find your way southwest across desert about 0.22 miles back to the trailhead where you parked.  But you will miss the prettiest slot on the route.

Rap 8 (dDianaHntR8) is anchored LDC from 2 bolted hangers and drops about 25 feet. Optionally rap 5 can be downclimbed with moderate difficulty.

About 120 feet down canyon is the start of (DianaHnt14) a deeper sculpted slot with a downclimb / stem / slide of about 15 feet. Enjoy some very pretty striped and sculpted walls then another downclimb of about 6 feet over a choke stone. There is also one pothole that could be up to chest deep if it has recently rained, but will likely be dry.

Rap 9 (dDianaHntR9) is about 100 feet farther, is anchored RDC from 2 bolted hangers about head high and drops about 15 feet. Skilled downclimbers may be able to downclimb this by going down about 3 feet then make an awkward transition to a side sculpted chute to complete the downclimb.

Shortly after rap 9 is a downclimb of about 4 feet then the slot ends about 100 feet down canyon of rap 9.

The Exit:
As the slot ends after rap 9 (yDianaHntBt) it opens up to wide sandy wash walking. Continue down the wash about 600 feet to where you can exit the canyon on the LDC (west) side.

The exit from the wash (DianaHnt15) has well used obvious trail on the LDC (west) side of the wash leading up sandy slopes out of the canyon. Follow the trails about 600 feet west up to the top of a wide flat sandy ridge.

Once on the sandy ridge (DianaHnt16) veer left and route find your way south about 0.25 miles up the sandy ridge and over to a dirt road junction.

From the junction in the dirt road (DianaHnt17) follow the road south away from the power line road about 400 feet back to the trailhead where you parked the car (tDianaHnt). 

GPS Waypoint Information

Downloadable GPX files available at BG-Gear Store (easier than manual entry and a great way to support Bluugnome).
Waypoint naming convention and map symbol information can be found on the Glossary page.  Elevations are approximate.
BEFORE manually entering coordinates set your system to WGS84 datum and Lat/Lon hddd.ddddd° coordinate format. 
Inconsistent datum's and coordinate formats will result in location errors.

Click to show / expand the list of waypoints below........
Dianas Throne (1) - Drive to Trailhead
  1. exDianaHnt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19473   W -112.66122        Elev: 5,770 Feet
    Exit for Dianas Throne / Hunrress. Exit off of the east side of highway 89 onto dirt road. Large gravel turn out with old worn paved segment of road running parallel to highway. Continue east on dirt road away from highway.
  2. tDianaHnt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19472   W -112.65993        Elev: 5,810 Feet
    Turn off on the left (north) side of the dirt road where a few cars can park to start the route for Diana's Throne. To start the route, walk east along the dirt road for about 150 feet to a fork in the road.
Dianas Throne (2) - Approach
  1. tDianaHnt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19472   W -112.65993        Elev: 5,810 Feet
    Turn off on the left (north) side of the dirt road where a few cars can park to start the route for Diana's Throne. To start the route, walk east along the dirt road for about 150 feet to a fork in the road.
  2. DianaHnt01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19482   W -112.65944        Elev: NaN Feet
    Fork in the road, Stay right to travel southeast along road 106Y which roughly follows a set of power lines. Continue for about 900 feet to a sign on the side of the road.
  3. DianaHnt02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19378   W -112.65662        Elev: NaN Feet
    Road sign for road 106Y and states you are entering public lands. Continue southeast about 600 feet to where a small side road crosses the main gravel road you are on.
  4. DianaHnt03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19222   W -112.65504        Elev: NaN Feet
    Small side road crosses main road. Continue southeast along the main gravel road for about 900 feet to where another side road joins in on the left.
  5. DianaHnt04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19096   W -112.65235        Elev: NaN Feet
    Side road to the left (north) labeled as 106U. Turn left here leaving the large gravel road and begin following the smaller dirt road 106U to the north for about 330 feet as it curves to the right (east) where you will get to another small dirt road joining in on the left. Note: If you pass road 106U and stay on the wide gravel road by mistake, you will get to a sign for road 106S about 0.28 miles east of here then road 106T about 0.38 miles east of here. If you get to road 106T by mistake, just turn left and follow the road about 300 feet down to the wash. Once in the wash turn left and walk northwest down canyon. That is what we did on our first time here but it added about 0.5 hours and 0.9 miles extra to the day to see wide open sandy wash up canyon.
  6. DianaHnt05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19160   W -112.65146        Elev: NaN Feet
    Small dirt road on the left. Do not turn on the smaller dirt road and instead continue walking around the right hand curve to the east about 130 feet to another small road on the left (north).
  7. DianaHnt06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19151   W -112.65102        Elev: 5,990 Feet
    Another small dirt road on the left running north. Turn left (north) and follow this dirt road northeast about 0.2 miles to where you can walk down into the wash. Note: This small dirt road is faint and not well traveled and may be hard to follow. Route find through a mix of this faint road and desert traveling northeast. About 600 feet northeast of here portions of this road are a little more worn in and easier to follow. Remember, if in doubt about an exact bearing stay more right (east) as places higher up in the wash will have gentler slopes allowing entry down into the wash.
  8. DianaHnt07          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19302   W -112.65013        Elev: NaN Feet
    Road is a little more defined and easier to follow. Continue northeast about 450 feet to where you can drop down into the wash below.
  9. DianaHnt08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19416   W -112.64937        Elev: 5,950 Feet
    Trail / road drops down into the wash here. Trun left and walk northwest down the wash.
  10. yDianaHntTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19450   W -112.65021        Elev: 5,930 Feet
    Top entry for Diana's Throne Canyon / The Huntress Slot. Up canyon end of a walk through slot about 200 feet long then opens to wide wash again.
Dianas Throne (3) - The Canyon
  1. yDianaHntTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19450   W -112.65021        Elev: 5,930 Feet
    Top entry for Diana's Throne Canyon / The Huntress Slot. Up canyon end of a walk through slot about 200 feet long then opens to wide wash again.
  2. DianaHnt09          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19518   W -112.65161        Elev: NaN Feet
    Downclimb of about 6 feet.
  3. DianaHnt10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19524   W -112.65252        Elev: NaN Feet
    Top of a shallow V-Slot to walk through. Shortly down canyon is a downclimb of about 5 feet over a choke stone.
  4. dDianaHntR1-2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19533   W -112.65339        Elev: NaN Feet
    Raps 1 and 2 - Diana's Throne Canyon. Rap 1 anchored from a glue in anchor on the LDC side and drops about 20 feet with a gentle grade that some may be able to just hand line down. Rap 2, just below rap 1, is anchored from 2 glue in anchors on the LDC side and drops about 25 feet. Shortly down canyon of rap 2 is a pothole that would be about waist deep if full but is easily bypassed on the RDC side.
  5. DianaHnt11          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19534   W -112.65431        Elev: NaN Feet
    Steeply sloped drop of about 15 feet that is easy to bypass on the RDC side.
  6. dDianaHntR3-5          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19553   W -112.65470        Elev: NaN Feet
    Raps 3, 4 and 5 - Diana's Throne Canyon. Rap 3 anchored from 2 glue in anchors RDC on the ground and drops about 30 feet but is easily bypassed on the RDC side. Rap 4, just at the bottom of rap 3, is anchored from 2 glue in anchors LDC on the ground where you will need about 70 feet of rope to get down to a pothole about waist deep in the slot below. Rap 4 starts out as moderately sloped slab then drops down into a vertical slot below. There are natural anchor options for rap 4 if the glue ins become damaged. Rap 5, on the other side of the pothole below rap 4, is anchored from 2 glue in anchors on the RDC side and drops about 30 feet down sloped slickrock. If the glue in anchors become damaged it is possible to get to a small bush on the LDC side and handline down the sloped rap. Just after rap 5 is downclimb of about 12 feet to slide down.
  7. dDianaHntR6          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19538   W -112.65511        Elev: NaN Feet
    Raps 6 - Diana's Throne Canyon. Anchored from a single glue in anchor on the LDC side and drops about 8 feet. Optionally an aggressive partner assist can be done to downclimb the drop with teamwork. Just after rap 6 is a walking slot with a few boulders to scramble up over.
  8. dDianaHntR7          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19567   W -112.65560        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 7 - Diana's Throne Canyon. Anchored LDC from single glue in anchor about head high and drops about 20 feet. This is where the canyon makes a sharp left right jog.
  9. DianaHnt12          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19571   W -112.65566        Elev: NaN Feet
    Just after rap 7 is an easy downclimb / slide of about 8 feet to wide open sandy wash to walk. Walk open sandy wash about 0.18 miles to the start of another slot and an optional exit.
  10. DianaHnt13          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19759   W -112.65742        Elev: NaN Feet
    Start of a slot with one drop of about 15 feet to slide down under a choke stone before getting to rap 8 about 90 feet down canyon. This slot is one of the prettiest spots on the routes with sculpted striped walls in deeper narrow slot. Optionally you can exit LDC here by scrambling up the moderately sloped side. Exiting here would shorten your total route by about 0.4 miles and miss this short lower slot. If exiting here go southwest up the LDC side then route find your way southwest across desert about 0.22 miles back to the trailhead where you parked.
  11. dDianaHntR8          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19761   W -112.65774        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 8 - Diana's Thorne Canyon. Anchored LDC from 2 bolted hangers and drops about 25 feet. Optionally rap 5 can be downclimbed with moderate difficulty.
  12. DianaHnt14          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19773   W -112.65814        Elev: NaN Feet
    Start of a deeper sculpted slot with a downclimb / stem / slide of about 15 feet. Enjoy some very pretty striped and sculpted walls then another downclimb of about 6 feet over a choke stone. There is also one pothole that could be up to chest deep if it has recently rained, but will likely be dry.
  13. dDianaHntR9          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19785   W -112.65833        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 9 - Diana's Throne Canyon. Anchored RDC from 2 bolted hangers about head high and drops about 15 feet. Skilled downclimbers may be able to downclimb this by going down about 3 feet then make an awkward transition to a side sculpted chute to complete the downclimb. Shortly after rap 9 is a downclimb of about 4 feet then the slot ends about 100 feet down canyon of rap 9.
  14. yDianaHntBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19811   W -112.65845        Elev: 5,580 Feet
    Bottom of Diana's Throne Canyon where the last slot opens up to wide sandy wash walking. Continue down the wash about 600 feet to where you can exit the canyon on the LDC (west) side.
Dianas Throne (4) - Exit
  1. yDianaHntBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19811   W -112.65845        Elev: 5,580 Feet
    Bottom of Diana's Throne Canyon where the last slot opens up to wide sandy wash walking. Continue down the wash about 600 feet to where you can exit the canyon on the LDC (west) side.
  2. DianaHnt15          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19971   W -112.65830        Elev: 5,550 Feet
    Well used obvious trail on the LDC (west) side of the wash lead up sandy slopes out of the canyon. Follow the trails about 600 feet west up to the top of a wide flat sandy ridge.
  3. DianaHnt16          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19914   W -112.65951        Elev: NaN Feet
    Crest of a wide sandy ridge. Veer left and route find your way south about 0.25 miles up the sandy ridge and over to a dirt road junction.
  4. DianaHnt17          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19550   W -112.65925        Elev: NaN Feet
    Junction in the dirt road with the power lines. Follow the road south away from the power line road about 400 feet back to the trailhead where you parked the car.
  5. tDianaHnt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.19472   W -112.65993        Elev: 5,810 Feet
    Turn off on the left (north) side of the dirt road where a few cars can park to start the route for Diana's Throne. To start the route, walk east along the dirt road for about 150 feet to a fork in the road.

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