Canyoneering Route Description
The Subway - 3B III
Zion National Park, Utah.
2008-05-17, 4 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 8.25 hours)
2015-01-11, 4 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 11 hours) - (long
time due to snow and ice)
2022-12-17, 5 people, 1 Day (Travel
time in route 11 hours) - (Via Russell Gulch, long
time due to snow and ice)
Time Required - 7 to 9 hours
Distance - 7.7 miles Total, 1.3 miles Technical
Rappels - 4 Rappels, Longest Rappel 25 feet.
Elevation Range - 6970 - 4670 Feet
Shuttle Required -Yes 7.6 Miles Vehicle - Passenger
Permit Required - Yes
Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up
to 25 feet and 30 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement.
Wet suits 3mm full recommended when days are in the 70's and
80's.
The Subway's standard route is not too technically demanding.
It is possible to do the route with no rappelling by using a
hand line for each of the rappels but for safety this is not
recommended.
Hikers are told they can see "The Subway" by hiking in from the
bottom (starting at the Left Fork of the North Creek trailhead) and going up to "The Subway". If this is done only
a small portion of the scenic area of "The Subway" can be seen.
If you want to see all of the good stuff, this route should be done from
the top down. The more scenic and commonly photographed
portion of "The Subway is the section up canyon of rap 4.
Only a small portion of the good stuff is down canyon of rap 4.
To get to the Trailhead
From the South Gate entrance to Zion National Park, drive about
14 miles west on highway 9 to the turn off for Kolob Reservoir (Kolob
Reservoir Road). Drive another 15.6 miles to the Wildcat
Canyon trailhead. Park your car and start your route.
To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod
From the South Gate to Zion National Park, drive about 14 miles
west on highway 9 to the turn off for Kolob Reservoir (Kolob
Reservoir Road). Drive about 8.2 miles to the Left Fork of
North Creek trailhead. Park the exit vehicle here then
continue up to the Wild Cat Canyon trailhead to begin the route.
Leave a vehicle here as the escape pod.
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 approach.
Map of the Russell Gulch and Das Boot technical sections.
Map of the Subway technical section and exit.
The Approach:
From the Wildcat Canyon trailhead (tWildCatCyn) follow the trail
about 1 mile to the Northgate peaks trail junction (you will pass
the Hop Valley connector trail junction shortly before the Northgate
junction). Turn right (south) at the junction (jNorthGatePks)
and follow the Northgate Peaks trail.
400 or 500 feet after turning onto the Northgate Peaks trail will be
a signed junction for the Subway route (jSubwayRte). Turn left
(southeast) and follow the trail leading to a wide open slope of
white slick rock.
Continue southeast at an angle down the slick rock slope. There
should be a few cairns along the way to mark the route. About
0.2 miles from the Subway junction on a bearing of 142 degrees is a trail
that starts east through the trees (wSubWayRP-01a). Do not
drop into the forest here. The park service wants foot traffic
to continue south along the slick rock to reduce impact on the
forest.
Continue following the slick rock ledge system just above the
forested area for about 450 feet to where the ledge system begins to
end and slant steeply (wSubWayRP-01b). When you are nearing
the end of the slick rock ledge system look for a use trail down in
the sandy vegetated area below. Drop down to the use trail and
follow it east a short distance before it turns and continues south.
From here follow the trail through alternating sections of trail and
slick rock. Route points wSubWayRP-02 through wSubWayRP-05 are
points where the trail starts back up after a slick rock section.
The trail here generally follows a
southeast direction as it winds through the landscape. There are
multiple use trails cut into this area so you may find a slightly
different route upon subsequent visits.
About 1 mile from the Subway junction the trails and cairns should
lead you to a long steep drop (wSubWayRP-06) to the shelf below.
After dropping down to the shelf below, continue southeast about 600
feet to where the trail crosses a large wash (yRussellGlchTp). The
wash is
Russell Gulch.
Continue across Russell Gulch and follow a sandy trail up to another
slick rock section. Looking straight ahead (southeast) you will see
a small peak sandstone peak on the other side of the sand stone.
The peak will have a large slot running down it with lots of trees
growing in it. Follow along the slick rock toward this peak with a
forested slot running down it. The slick rock through here has a
lot of cross bedding running along it. Some of this cross bedding
forms natural sidewalk like sections to walk on. As you get closer
to the peak you will be able to see a saddle to the left (east) of
it with a beehive at the top.
Walk up the slope to get to the beehive (sSeagullSlopTp). The
beehive marks the top of what I call Seagull Slope. Looking down
(southeast) Seagull Slope the cross bedding in the slick rock looks
like currents in the ocean. Going down Sea Gull Slope (when doing
the standard Subway approach) it feels like you are a sea gull
flying over ocean currents. That is why I named it Sea Gull Slope.
From the beehive (sSeagullSlopTp) walk down Seagull Slope to the
south east. At the bottom of Seagull Slope is a trail
continuing through sections of sand and vegetation mixed with slick
rock.
A short distance later the trail will cross a wash
(wSubWayRP-07). After crossing the wash follow the trail
along mixed sections of sad and slick rock. (wSubWayRP-08)
and (wSubWayRP-09) are points where the trail resumes after
crossing sections of slick rock.
About 0.5 miles from the bottom of Seagull Slope is a chute on
the right side of a the trial (wSubWayRP-10). Down climb
this chute to get to the last section of Russell Gulch just
before it meets the Left Fork of North Creek. At the
bottom of the chute will be a pool that is formed at the bottom
of a water fall (not always running with water) in a grotto like
area (sRuslGlchGroto).
From the grotto walk about 250 feet down stream to the junction
of Russell Gulch and The Left Fork of North Creek (ySubWayTp).
This is what is marked as the top of the Subway canyon
route.
The Canyon / Technical Section:
From the junction of Russell Gulch and the Left Fork of North Creek
(ySubWayTp) turn right (south west / down stream) to start down the
Subway canyon route.
Rap 1 (dSubWayR1) is about 500 feet down canyon of the Russell Gulch
junction. Rap 1 is RDC (right down canyon) and anchored with
webbing tied around a choke stone. It is only a 12 foot rap but
has a slightly awkward start down a slot between the canyon wall
and a large boulder.
Shortly after rap 1 you get to see hints of what The Subway
section of the canyon might look like. The wall on the left is
under cut so much it appears to be half of a tunnel. The
further down canyon you get the more water you start to see.
About 0.3 miles down canyon of rap 1 is a pool that will likely
be the first swim of the day. The canyon continues in and out of the water with a few
very short down climbs.
Rap 2 (dSubWayR2) is about 0.5 miles down canyon of rap 1.
Rap 2 is anchored from a glue in anchor RDC
about 7 feet up on the wall. Rap 2 drops only about 6 feet
into a narrow slot full of water. This was my favorite raps on
the route because of the swim right after it and the round choke
stone overhead part way along the swim.
The water in the slot below Rap 2 is only waist deep directly below the rap
but gets deeper just beyond and requires swimming in a few
places. About 30 feet into the slot is a large, perfectly round
volcanic rock wedged between the walls a few feet overhead. It
is quite the contrast to the lightly colored sandstone walls of
the water filled slot. The swim length is about 150 feet.
The canyon widens a little until Rap 3 is reached about 0.2 miles
down canyon of rap 2.
Rap 3 (dSubWayR3) is anchored RDC from a glue in anchor about 5
feet up on the wall and drops about 10 feet to a slot filled only knee deep with
water. Below Rap 3 is the start of
another narrow slot section. Rap 3 is short but scenic.
There is
a small natural arch next to the rap LDC. The rap looks great
watching from below, as someone descends in flowing water with
the natural arch next to them. There is another natural arch
near the bottom of the slot about 2.5 feet in diameter that can
be crawled through just for fun.
Just below rap 3 is a trough about 2 feet wide cut in the canyon
floor in a narrow section. The trough is full of water but the
ledges are exposed allowing one to walk along the trough. This
trough is at the upper end of the commonly photographed section
of the Subway.
The walls on both sides are cut in deeply and appear to be 2
halves of a tunnel. The canyon makes a hard right where another
water course joins. After following the canyon right more of
the subway shape is seen. This short section of the canyon
definitely deserves the name “The Subwayâ€. It becomes
obvious why it is the subject of so many photos.
A short distance after the canyon makes the hard right, is a
wide water fall. No need to bypass this water fall. There is
an easy to find spot where the drop is only 3 and half or 4 feet
and is easy to slide down.
Rap 4 (dSubWayR4) is about 1000 feet down canyon of rap 3.
Rap 4 is LDC of a water fall with a drop of about 25 feet.
After getting to the top of the water fall look down canyon LDC
for a set of anchors at the top of a sloped wall down to the
canyon floor. Rap 4 is anchored from 2 bolted and hangers at the top of
a sloped wall about 25 feet high. Just above the anchors is
another single anchor as well.
Note:
To get to the top of rap 4 you will have to cross the watercourse from the
RDC side to the LDC side. For years there have been logs jammed in the
spot where you cross the watercourse near the top of a waterfall. In
2013 it was reported the logs had washed away making the crossing difficult
involving a big jump. Some people have attempted to replace the logs
but they can easily be washed out again. There are new bolts placed on
the RDC side of the water fall down by a pothole like feature. To get
to the new bolts you will not need to cross the waterfall. Stay on the
RDC side and look for the anchors down around a pothole section.
Below rap 4 is a little more of The Subway. Those starting from
the bottom of this route and stopping here miss some of the best
portions of "The Subway". I recommend doing this route from the
top down if you want to see the good stuff.
About 350 feet down canyon of rap 4 is the end of the scenic
"Subway" section (sTheSubwayBt). After the scenic "Subway"
section the canyon starts to widened out and makes a good spot
to break for lunch and enjoy the way and scenery.
Below "The Subway" are a lot of wide flat sections of rock with
the water flowing over it. The rock in this area is a deep rust
color and is very slick. It would be easy to slip and hurt
yourself in this section. There are also a few small waterfalls
worth stopping at for some picture moments. Just below these
short scenic water falls and slick rust colored rock is what I have marked as the bottom of the canyon route
(ySubWayBt).
The Exit:
From the bottom of the canyon route (ySubWayBt) follow the Left
Fork of North Creek. Beyond this point, the route is a mix of trails on the
canyon sides and areas where walking through the water is needed.
About 1.2 miles down canyon from the end of the "Subway"
is a large rock RDC with dinosaur tracks on it
(sDinosaurTrks). Some of the tracks are quite deep and
very clear. The tracks are on a
couple of very large white boulders RDC.
About 1.2 miles down canyon from the dinosaur tracks is the junction for the trail up the side of the
right ( north west) side of the canyon to the exit
vehicle parked at the Left Fork of North Creek trailhead.
The junction for the exit trail is 0.5 miles from where Pine
Spring wash comes in RDC. A sign with a foot step on it
(jFootTrlSgn01) is posted about 225 feet before reaching the
exit trail. From where the exit trail meets the main
canyon wash (jLftFrkNrthCk) the ascent up to the trailhead is up
a steep ravine and soon turns to a steep trail along the hill
side to the top to the Left Fork of North Creek trailhead.
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........
| Subway 1 - Drive past the Subway Exit then to the 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.
|
| Subway 2 - Approach |
- tWildCatCyn
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.33985
W -113.07587
Elev: 6,970 Feet
Wild Cat Canyon Trailhead.
- jHopVlyCnct
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.33957
W -113.06195
Elev: 6,915 Feet
Junction for the Hop Valley Connector Trail.
- jNorthGatePks
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.34009
W -113.05970
Elev: 6,930 Feet
Junction to the Northgate Peaks trail.
- jSubwayRte
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.33913
W -113.05943
Elev: NaN Feet
Junction to "The Subway" route from the Northgate Peaks trail.
- wSubWayRP-01a
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.33649
W -113.05685
Elev: 6,790 Feet
A route drops into the forest here, DO NOT follow it. Continue south along the slick rock for about 450 feet before dropping off the slick rock.
Old route was to leave sandstone here and start into the forest. Do not drop into the forest here. Continue south along the slick rock. The park service wants foot traffic to stay up on the slick rock here and bypass the section of forest to minimize impact on the forest.
- wSubWayRP-01b
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.33504
W -113.05621
Elev: 6,796 Feet
As the slick roack ledge system starts to taper off and become steep here, veer left (east) and drop down to the sandy vegetated area below and follow a use trail.
- wSubWayRP-02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.33512
W -113.05422
Elev: NaN Feet
Trail starts after flat sandstone area.
- wSubWayRP-03
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.33434
W -113.05278
Elev: NaN Feet
Trail starts after flat sandstone area.
- wSubWayRP-04
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.33377
W -113.05103
Elev: NaN Feet
Trail starts after flat sandstone area.
- wSubWayRP-05
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.33195
W -113.04766
Elev: NaN Feet
Trail starts after flat sandstone area.
- wSubWayRP-06
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.33138
W -113.04640
Elev: 6,210 Feet
Long steep drop to the shelf below.
- yRussellGlchTp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.32987
W -113.04490
Elev: 6,025 Feet
Trail crosses a wash. Continue across wash not into the wash.
Top entry for Russel Gulch
- sSeagullSlopTp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.32727
W -113.04327
Elev: 6,115 Feet
Top of Seagull Slope. This slope looks like currents in the ocean and you feel like a seagull flying over that ocean when walking down it.
- sSeagullSlopBt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.32470
W -113.04157
Elev: 5,890 Feet
Bottom of Seagull Slope.
- wSubWayRP-07
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.32403
W -113.04104
Elev: NaN Feet
Trail crosses a wash here.
- wSubWayRP-08
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.32317
W -113.04069
Elev: NaN Feet
Trail starts after flat sandstone area.
- wSubWayRP-09
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.32193
W -113.04000
Elev: 5,803 Feet
Trail starts after flat sandstone area.
- wSubWayRP-10
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.31824
W -113.04004
Elev: 5,710 Feet
Top of a chute that leads down into Russell Gulch.
- sRuslGlchGroto
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.31857
W -113.04073
Elev: NaN Feet
A pool at the bottom of a grotto in Russell Gulch just before reaching the Left Fork of North Creek.
- ySubWayTp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.31765
W -113.04064
Elev: 5,590 Feet
Top of The Subway canyoneering route.
|
| Subway 3 - The Canyon, |
- ySubWayTp
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.31765
W -113.04064
Elev: 5,590 Feet
Top of The Subway canyoneering route.
- dSubWayR1
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.31690
W -113.04209
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 1 for "The Subway" Route. Drops 12 feet and is anchored RDC from a choke stone.
- dSubWayR2
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.31240
W -113.04785
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 2 for "The Subway" Route. Drops 6 feet and is anchored RDC from a glue in anchor just over head high.
- dSubWayR3
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.31156
W -113.05137
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 3 for "The Subway" Route. Drops 10 feet and is anchored RDC from a glue in anchor about head high. Two natural arches one at top and one at the bottom.
- dSubWayR4
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.30951
W -113.05178
Elev: NaN Feet
Rap 4 for "The Subway" Route. Drops 25 feet down a sloped wall. Anchored LDC from 2 bolt and hangers.
Note that in 2013 the logs at the top of the waterfall to cross to get to the top of rap 4 have washed out. A new set of bolts have been installed on the RDC side of the canyon in a pothole like feature near the top of the waterfall. To get to the new anchors you stay on the RDC side and do not need to cross the water course.
- sTheSubwayBt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.31012
W -113.05264
Elev: NaN Feet
Bottom of "The Subway" scenic section.
- ySubWayBt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.30937
W -113.05442
Elev: 5,280 Feet
Bottom exit of "The Subway" canyon route.
|
| Subway 4 - Exit |
- ySubWayBt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.30937
W -113.05442
Elev: 5,280 Feet
Bottom exit of "The Subway" canyon route.
- sDinosaurTrks
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.29957
W -113.06992
Elev: NaN Feet
Dinosaur Tracks in a large rock RDC. Pretty deep ones with good clarity.
- jFootTrlSgn01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.28924
W -113.08490
Elev: NaN Feet
Foot trail sign by the creek showing the way to the junction for the Left Fork North Creek trailhead.
- jLftFrkNrthCk
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.28891
W -113.08558
Elev: 4,670 Feet
Junction where Left Fork North Creek trail drops into the wash.
- tLftFrkNrthCk
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.28480
W -113.09576
Elev: 5,070 Feet
Trailhead for the Left Fork of North Creek trail.
|