Canyoneering Route Description

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

Quick Facts

06-07-08, 3 people, 2 Day (Travel time in route 24 hours) - Start from Lava Point - Canyon in Full Water Conditions.
07-28-18, 3 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 16.8 hours) - Start from Lava Point

Time Required - 16 to 18 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

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 that can use a lot of your webbing if replacement is needed.  If the canyon has been done recently, you will likely use very little webbing.

Potshots, hooks and other pothole escape gear should be on hand in the event they are needed.

Wet suits are required for this route.  From the cross roads down, wet suits are a must. 5mm thickness should do well during moderate weather.

General Comments

I do not enjoy the upper half as much as the lower half.  The upper half of Imlay Canyon is a mix of open canyon with vegetation and a few sections where it feels deep and committing.  The lower section is much deeper, narrow and committing feeling with pothole after pothole.

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 to enjoy only the lower half of the canyon check out the description for the Imlay Canyon Sneak Route.

Driving Directions

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

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

Click the links for maps of the route. Map of the entire route.
Map of the upper section.
Map of the lower section.

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.

From the junction to Potato Hollow (jPotatoHollow) follow the trail eastish toward Potato Hollow.

About 475 feet from the trail junction the trail passes by the northern end (wImlayRP-01) of a pond overgrown with grass.  As the trail passes the pond, the trail gives way to lots of thick grass and vines with a few intermittent use trails cut through.  Find your way about 90 feet southeast to the head of Imlay Canyon where tall grass fades away to more open walking at the head of the canyon (yImlayTp).

The Canyon / Technical Section:
From the head of the canyon (yImlayTp), route find east along the RDC (north) side rim of the canyon walk staying relatively close to the rim.  About 480 feet down canyon, the rim will cut hard left and is where you can look down a minor ledge to large trees to find the webbing for rap 1.

Rap 1 (dImlayR1-3) anchored from large tree and drops 150 feet.
Rap 2, at the bottom of rap 1, anchored from tree and drops about 60 feet.
Rap 3, at the bottom of rap 2, anchored from a large shrub and uses about 100 feet of rope over a couple stages.

About 500 feet farther is ledge (wImlayRP-02) in water course with no good anchors. Scramble up along the LDC side contouring down canyon about 100 feet over to webbing on a tree for the next rap.

Rap 4 (dImlayR4) is anchored from a tree and drops 40 feet along a slow trickling water fall.  A very short distance down canyon is a very big drop in the watercourse too tall for 200 foot ropes. From the top of that drop, scramble up the steep slope on the LDC (north) side and look for a small pine tree with webbing on it for the next rap about 50 feet away.  Be careful as this section is steep and very exposed.  There is some vegetation which can make locating the anchor a little difficult.

Rap 5 (dImlayR5-7), anchored from small tree and drops about 30 feet to a larger pine tree.

Rap 6, at the bottom of rap 5, anchored from large pine tree and drops about 70 feet to a small rock ledge just out of view. Starting down this rap can be a little stressful as you can not immediately see the next anchor and and feel like 70 feet is not near enough rope. Shortly down the rap you can see the next rap station on the small ledge below.  The ledge for rap 6 fits 2 people well and 3 would be difficult to manage.

Rap 7, at the bottom of rap 6, anchored from old hanger, piton and two newer glue in anchors and drops 180 feet along a sheer wall.

From the bottom  of rap 7, walk up a small incline in the up canyon direction then down the steep slope on the other side to the canyon floor below.  Continuing down canyon has some bushwhacking and side ravines to navigate your way around.  Scramble your way down into the canyon where possible. 

Note:
On my visit in 2008, we continued down canyon after rap 7 and found ourselves up high on a ridge. Rather than find a way to scramble in, we set up a rappel to get back to the canyon floor, oops.

Continuing down canyon is mostly wash walking with one short narrow section that has a few downclimbs chest deep pools.  Rap 8 is about 0.55 miles down canyon of rap 7.

Rap 8 (dImlayR8) anchored LDC from a small tree and drops about 30 feet to a pool to swim.

Shortly down canyon is skinny section (wImlayRP-03) that can be bypassed scrambling up on the LDC side then back down in with teh next rap just down canyon.

Rap 9 (dImlayR9) is anchored LDC from a single loose bolted hanger and drops about 15 feet down sloped slickrock that could be slid / down climbed by some. Continue down canyon down climbing down to and through 2 or 3 water filled potholes that will have some swimming before reaching the next rap.

Rap 10 (dImlayR10) is anchored RDC from a choke stone and drops about 20 feet to more swimming in narrow slot. Shortly after is a downclimb of 8 to 10 feet as the canyon widens just a little.  About 200 feet down canyon is rap 11.

Rap11 (dImlayR11) is anchored from a bush and drops about 12 feet over a boulder to a pool below.  This drop can be downclimbed using the anchor as a hand line.  Just after this rap are more pools to cross, some can be stemmed across while others are swimmers.  About 600 feet farther the canyon will begin to widen and drop quickly which is where the next rap is.  Down canyon of rap 12 are some short narrow sections to downclimb through with more pools of waist to chest deep.

Rap 13 (dImlayR13) is anchored from 2 bolted hangers on the LDC side and drops about 20 feet into deeper narrows.  This is the first section that had the tight deep feeling narrow slots.  Below rap 13 in the deep tight narrows are a few pools and a downclimbs over logs of about 10 to 12 feet each.

Rap 14 (dImlayR14) is anchored from a log and drops about 25 feet. Canyon continues narrow with more pools to swim.  A few hundred feet down canyon is the next rap.

Rap 15 (dImlayR15) anchored from a log with an awkward start and drops about 8 feet to a pool below into a slot.  A few more pools to wade through for about 350 feet down canyon to the next rap.  At the top of rap 16 is a wide level ledge on the LDC side where a group can camp.

Rap 16 (dImlayR16-18) anchored from a small tree and drops about 25 feet into a narrows with a shallow pothole midway down. Wade across a waist deep pothole to the next rap.

Rap 17 anchored from 2 bolted hangers RDC and drops about 25 feet between narrow walls. Wade across a 50 foot long pool to the next rap.

Rap 18 anchored from one bolted hanger and drops about 15 feet to a pothole about 5 feet in and 5 feet deep with a short drop on the other side down to a large pool to swim to more3 open canyon. The pothole at the bottom of the rap can be avoided with some effort.

After the long pool to swim, the canyon makes a sharp right turn to easy walking into the cross roads area.  A few hundred feet farther a side canyon drops in from RDC (wImlayRP-04) and you are in the cross roads.  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

Click to show / expand the list of waypoints below........

Imlay (1) - Drive to Upper Trailhead

extKolobRes          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.20374   W -113.18604        Elev: NaN Feet Turn off for Kolob Reservior Raod. tLftFrkNrthCk          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.28480   W -113.09576        Elev: 5,070 Feet Trailhead for the Left Fork of North Creek trail. tWildCatCyn          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33985   W -113.07587        Elev: 6,970 Feet Wild Cat Canyon Trailhead. extLavaPoint          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.39454   W -113.05287        Elev: 7,898 Feet Turn off for Lava Point off of the Kolob Reservoir Road. tWestRimN          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.38155   W -113.02298        Elev: 7,470 Feet Northern trailhead for the West Rim Trail (by Lava Point).

Imlay (2) Approach from Upper Trailhead

tWestRimN          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.38155   W -113.02298        Elev: 7,470 Feet Northern trailhead for the West Rim Trail (by Lava Point). jWldCatCny          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.38057   W -113.02244        Elev: 7,450 Feet Junction where the Wild Cat Canyon Trail ends at the West Rim Trail. jSawMillSpg          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.37184   W -113.01502        Elev: 7,290 Feet Junction to Saw Mill Spring jPotatoHollow          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32098   W -112.98908        Elev: 6,810 Feet Junction off the West Rim Trail to Potato Hallow. To go to the top of Imlay Canyon follow the trail eastish toward Potato Hollow. wImlayRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32062   W -112.98745        Elev: NaN Feet Trail passes by the northern end of a pond overgrown with grass. As the trail passes the pond, the trail gives way to lots of thick grass and vines with a few intermittent use trails cut through. Find your way about 90 feet southeast to the head of Imlay Canyon where tall grass fades away to more open walking at the head of the canyon. yImlayTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32045   W -112.98730        Elev: 6,740 Feet Top of Imlay Canyon. Route find east along the RDC (north) side rim of the canyon staying relatively close to the rim. About 480 feet down canyon, the rim will cut hard left and is where you can look down a minor ledge to large trees to find the webbing for rap 1.

Imlay (3) - Approach from Lower Trailhead

wBusStpGrotto          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.25908   W -112.95121        Elev: 4,280 Feet The Grotto shuttle stop on the Zion - Floor of the Valley road. tAngleLnd          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.25998   W -112.95152        Elev: 4,300 Feet Angel's Landing Trailhead. sWaltrsWiglsTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.27534   W -112.95128        Elev: NaN Feet Top of Walter's Wiggles. 21 short steep switchbacks cut into the rock for the trail. jWestRimS          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.27492   W -112.95085        Elev: 5,330 Feet Junction off the Angel's Landing trail for the Southern West Rim Trailhead. This is known as Scouts Lookout. cWstRmBridge          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.28598   W -112.95582        Elev: 5,590 Feet A bridge allowing the trail to cross a stream. jImlaySneak          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.28683   W -112.95903        Elev: 5,690 Feet This is where you leave the trail to start the off trail portion of the Sneak Route to Imlay Canyon. jTelphnCynTrl2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.28674   W -112.96846        Elev: 6,740 Feet Junction where the Telephone Canyon trail and the Cabin Springs trail both meet the West Rim Trail. sCabinSpng          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.28756   W -112.96841        Elev: 6,706 Feet Cabin Spring. Seasonal Water filtering source. jWestRimCamp4          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.28539   W -112.98403        Elev: 7,340 Feet Junction to Camp 4 on the West Rim Trail. jTelphnCynTrl1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.30388   W -112.98553        Elev: NaN Feet Junction where the Telephone Canyon trail meets the West Rim Trail jPotatoHollow          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32098   W -112.98908        Elev: 6,810 Feet Junction off the West Rim Trail to Potato Hallow. To go to the top of Imlay Canyon follow the trail eastish toward Potato Hollow. wImlayRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32062   W -112.98745        Elev: NaN Feet Trail passes by the northern end of a pond overgrown with grass. As the trail passes the pond, the trail gives way to lots of thick grass and vines with a few intermittent use trails cut through. Find your way about 90 feet southeast to the head of Imlay Canyon where tall grass fades away to more open walking at the head of the canyon. yImlayTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32045   W -112.98730        Elev: 6,740 Feet Top of Imlay Canyon. Route find east along the RDC (north) side rim of the canyon staying relatively close to the rim. About 480 feet down canyon, the rim will cut hard left and is where you can look down a minor ledge to large trees to find the webbing for rap 1.

Imlay (4) - The Canyon,

yImlayTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32045   W -112.98730        Elev: 6,740 Feet Top of Imlay Canyon. Route find east along the RDC (north) side rim of the canyon staying relatively close to the rim. About 480 feet down canyon, the rim will cut hard left and is where you can look down a minor ledge to large trees to find the webbing for rap 1. dImlayR1-3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31987   W -112.98598        Elev: NaN Feet Imlay Canyon - Raps 1-3 Rap 1, anchored from large tree and drops 150 feet. Rap 2, at the bottom of rap 1, anchored from tree and drops about 60 feet. Rap 3, at the bottom of rap 2, anchored from a large shrub and uses about 100 feet of rope over a couple stages. wImlayRP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31943   W -112.98393        Elev: NaN Feet Ledge in water course with no good anchors. Scramble up along the LDC side contouring down canyon about 100 feet over to webbing on a tree for the next rap. dImlayR4          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31957   W -112.98372        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 4 - Imlay Canyon. Anchored from a tree and drops 40 feet along a slow trickling water fall. A very short distance down canyon is a very big drop in the watercourse too tall for 200 foot ropes. From the top of that drop, scramble up the steep slope on the LDC (north) side and look for a small pine tree with webbing on it for the next rap about 50 feet away. Be careful as this section is steep and very exposed. There is some vegetation which can make locating the anchor a little difficult. dImlayR5-7          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31953   W -112.98342        Elev: NaN Feet Raps 5 - 7 - Imlay Canyon. Rap 5, anchored from small tree and drops about 30 feet to a larger pine tree. Rap 6, at the bottom of rap 5, anchored from large pine tree and drops about 70 feet to a small rock ledge just out of view. Starting down this rap can be a little stressful as you can not immediately see the next anchor and and feel like 70 feet is not near enough rope. Shortly down the rap you can see the next rap station on the small ledge below. The ledge for rap 6 fits 2 people well and 3 would be difficult to manage. Rap 7, at the bottom of rap 6, anchored from old hanger, piton and two newer glue in anchors and drops 180 feet along a sheer wall. From the bottom  of rap 7, walk up a small incline in the up canyon direction then down the steep slope on the other side to the canyon floor below. Continuing down canyon has some bushwhacking and side ravines to navigate your way around.  Scramble your way down into the canyon where possible. Note: On my visit in 2008, we continued down canyon after rap 7 and found ourselves up high on a ridge. Rather than find a way to scramble in, we set up a rappel to get back to the canyon floor, oops. dImlayR8          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31884   W -112.97458        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 8 - Imlay Canyon. Anchored LDC from a small tree and drops about 30 feet to a pool to swim. dImlayR9          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31897   W -112.97427        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 9 - Imlay Canyon. Anchored LDC from a single loose bolted hanger and drops about 15 feet down sloped slickrock that could be slid / down climbed by some. Continue down canyon down climbing down to and through 2 or 3 water filled potholes that will have some swimming. wImlayRP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31887   W -112.97445        Elev: NaN Feet Skinny section that can be bypassed scrambling up on the LDC side then back down in. dImlayR10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31903   W -112.97414        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 10 - Imlay Canyon. Anchored RDC from a choke stone and drops about 20 feet to more swimming in narrow slot. Shortly after is a downclimb of 8 to 10 feet as the canyon widens just a little. dImlayR11          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31967   W -112.97362        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 11 - Imlay Canyon. Anchored from a bush and drops about 12 feet over a boulder to a pool below. This drop can be downclimbed using the anchor as a hand line. Just after this rap are more pools to cross, some can be stemmed across while others are swimmers. About 600 feet farther the canyon will begin to widen and drop quickly which is where the next rap is. dImlayR12          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31936   W -112.97103        Elev: 5,660 Feet Rap 12 - Imlay Canyon. Anchored from a very large pine tree on the RDC side and drops about 90 feet down a sloped wall on the RDC side. Just before this rap, the canyon begins to widen significantly and drop quickly. From there follow a use trail on the RDC side staying high and contouring over to a large pine tree for the anchor. Down canyon of rap 12 are some short narrow sections to downclimb through with more pools of waist to chest deep. dImlayR13          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31992   W -112.96976        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 13 - Imlay Canyon. Anchored from 2 bolted hangers on the LDC side and drops about 20 feet into deeper narrows. This is the first section that had the tight deep feeling narrow slots. Below rap 13 in the deep tight narrows are a few pools and a downclimbs over logs of about 10 to 12 feet each. dImlayR14          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31750   W -112.96704        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 14 - Imlay Canyon. Anchored from a log and drops about 25 feet. Canyon continues narrow with more pools to swim. dImlayR15          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31657   W -112.96549        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 15 - Imlay Canyon. Anchored from a log with an awkward start and drops about 8 feet to a pool below into a slot. A few more pools to wade through for about 350 feet down canyon to the next rap. dImlayR16-18          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31663   W -112.96437        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 16 -17 - Imlay Canyon. At the top of rap 16 is a wide level ledge on the LDC side where a group can camp. Rap 16 anchored from a small tree and drops about 25 feet into a narrows with a shallow pothole midway down. Wade across a waist deep pothole to the next rap. Rap 17 anchored from 2 bolted hangers RDC and drops about 25 feet between narrow walls. Wade across a 50 foot long pool to the next rap. Rap 18 anchored from one bolted hanger and drops about 15 feet to a pothole about 5 feet in and 5 feet deep with a short drop on the other side down to a large pool to swim to more3 open canyon. The pothole at the bottom of the rap can be avoided with some effort. After the long pool to swim, the canyon makes a sharp right turn to easy walking into the cross roads area. wImlayRP-04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31608   W -112.96355        Elev: 5,340 Feet Another canyon drops in RDC. wImlayRP-05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31625   W -112.96307        Elev: NaN Feet Another canyon drops in LDC. wImlayCrossRds          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31593   W -112.96232        Elev: 5,320 Feet Cross Roads in Imlay Canyon where the shortcut route joins the main route. dImlayR19          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31594   W -112.96107        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 19 in Imlay Canyon. Uses about 60 feet of rope travel over all. Anchored LDC from 2 bolt and hangers. 20 feet then across a pool then down another 12 feet. dImlayR20          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31532   W -112.95955        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 20 in Imlay Canyon. Drops 12 feet to pool anchored from log. dImlayR21-22          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31403   W -112.95851        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 21 - 22 in Imlay Canyon. Shortly before reaching rap 21 will be a large stone wedged overhead of about 6ft in diameter. To get to rap 21 you will need to climb up a ramp of log jam debris. Rap 21 drops about 15 feet anchored from choke stone RDC by large boulder. Rap 22 drops about 15 feet to pool anchored up canyon about 20 feet by log used as a dead man. Bumpy rock at the top is a good landmark. dImlayR23          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31203   W -112.95576        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 23 in Imlay Canyon. Drops about 20 feet to a pool anchored from 1 bolt and hanger RDC. dImlayR24-27          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31172   W -112.95558        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 24 - 27 in Imlay Canyon. Rap 24 drops about 15 feet and anchored from choke stone at your feet. Rap 25 drops about 20 feet and is anchored from a single bolted anchor LDC on the other side of a natural window. Rap 26 drops about 15 feet and is anchored from a log at the top of the rap. Rap 27 drops about 35 feet and is anchored LDC by 2 bolted hangers. sImlayDarkSlot          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.31138   W -112.95561        Elev: NaN Feet Approximate location of the dark slot in Imlay Canyon dImlayR28-29          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.30981   W -112.95421        Elev: NaN Feet Raps 28 - 29 in Imlay Canyon. Rap 28 drops about 12 feet and is anchored LDC from a log. Rap 29 drops about 20 feet and is anchored from a log. dImlayR30          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.30947   W -112.95352        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 30 in Imlay Canyon. Drops about 20 feet and is anchored RDC from a single bolted hanger. dImlayR31-32          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.30910   W -112.95317        Elev: NaN Feet Raps 31 and 32 in Imlay Canyon. Rap 31 drops about 12 feet. Rap 32 drops about 15 feet and is anchored LDC from 2 bolted hangers. dImlayR33          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.30883   W -112.95267        Elev: NaN Feet Rap 33 in Imlay. Drops about 25 feet to a keeper. Anchored LDC from 2 bolt and hangers. wImlayRP-06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.30836   W -112.95062        Elev: 4,950 Feet Canyon opens briefly. Then tightens up again here. dImlayR34-37          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.30834   W -112.95022        Elev: NaN Feet Raps 34 - 37 in Imlay Canyon. Rap 34 drops about 6 feet, anchored from a log and can easily be down climbed. Rap 35 drops about 25 feet and is anchored LDC from 2 bolted hangers. Rap 36 drops about 8 feet is anchored from a log and can be easily down climbed. Rap 37 drops about 15 feet and is anchored from a scarily placed piton RDC and can easily be handlined as well. dImlayR38-40          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.30895   W -112.94955        Elev: NaN Feet Raps 38 - 40 in Imlay Canyon. Rap 38 drops about 15 feet and is anchored from a single bolted hanger RDC. Rap 39 drops about 15 feet and anchored from 2 bolted hangers LDC Rap 40 drops about 20 feet and is anchored from 2 bolted hangers LDC. Raps 39 and 40 can be combined as a single rap using 60 feet or rope travel. dImlayR41-43          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.30945   W -112.94936        Elev: NaN Feet Raps 41 - 43 in Imlay Canyon. Rap 41 drops about 30 feet and anchored from a single bolted hanger RDC. Rap 42 drops about 20 feet and is anchored from 2 bolted hangers RDC. Rap 43 drops about 10 feet and is anchored from one bolted hanger LDC. dImlayR44-46          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.30972   W -112.94927        Elev: NaN Feet Raps 44 - 46 in Imlay Canyon. Rap 44 drops about 25 feet to a keeper and is anchored 2 bolted hangers RDC. Rap 45 drops about 45 feet and is anchored from 2 bolted hangers LDC. Rap 46 drops about 115 feet to the Narrows and is anchored from a few bolted hangers LDC around a corner on a ledge. yImlayBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.30986   W -112.94923        Elev: 4,670 Feet Bottom of Imlay Canyoneering route where it dumps into The Zion Narrows.

Imlay (5) - Exit

yImlayBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.30986   W -112.94923        Elev: 4,670 Feet Bottom of Imlay Canyoneering route where it dumps into The Zion Narrows. yOrdervilleBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.30803   W -112.94661        Elev: 4,670 Feet Bottom exit of Orderville Canyon. Junction where Orderville Canyon meets the narrows in the North Fork of the Virgin River. Zion Ntl. Park yMysteryBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.29928   W -112.94447        Elev: 4,560 Feet Bottom exit of Mystery Canyon where it meets the Virgin River Narrows after the 120 foot Rap 11. jRiverWalkEnd          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.29672   W -112.94818        Elev: 4,560 Feet This is where the river walk side walk meets the river in The Narrows. tNarrowsBot          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.28535   W -112.94785        Elev: 4,440 Feet Bottom trailhead for the Virgin River Narrows at the Temple of Sinawava.