Canyoneering Route Description

Walker Gulch - 3A II (III)
Zion National Park, Utah.

Quick Facts

06-23-12, 3 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 6.25 hours) Pictures Icon From the lower parking area after driving the first 2.2 miles.

Time Required from Upper Trailhead - 9 to 11 from upper TH.
Time Required from Lower Parking Area - 6 to 8 hours from lower parking area.
Distance from Upper Trailhead - 8.2 miles Total, 1.4 miles Technical
Distance from Lower Parking Area - 6 miles Total, 1.4 miles Technical
Rappels - 2 Rappels, Longest Rappel 150 feet.
Elevation Range - 6400 -  5380Feet
Shuttle Required - No Vehicle - Passenger vehicle to upper TH.  High Clearance, 4WD to drive in farther.  Permit Required - No

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear, Ropes and or pull cords for rappels up to 150 feet and 30 feet of 1 inch webbing for sling placement. 

General Comments

Walker Gulch has a short technical section but is very scenic and well worth the visit.

Walker Gulch is outside Zion National Park so no permits are needed.  While you do not need a permit, please keep groups to 12 people or less, travel in water courses or use trails where possible to avoid land wear, pack it in - pack it out and clean up any un-needed anchor material.  The more we take care of what we have, the less likely it is that land management entities will regulate us.

While Walker Gulch is rated a 3 in technical difficulty it should be noted that the anchor for rap 1 is in a precarious spot and great care should be taken when getting to and rigging rap 1.

The first 2.2 miles of the route can be walked or driven.  However that 2.2 miles can be very rough and steep requiring the need for a capable 4WD high clearance vehicle.  The route description here gives approach directions from the upper trailhead by walking.  If you have a capable vehicle you can shave off 2.2 miles from the start and 2.2 miles from the exit of the route for a grand total savings of 4.4 miles.  This is a significant time savings making a 4WD vehicle the preferred choice for driving into the route.  Without a capable vehicle this canyon has a high pay to play ratio but if you enjoy an extended hike as part of your day it may be a nice option.

The difference between the II and the III time rating depends on if you have a vehicle to drive the first part of the route or not.

Safety Note:
As you start down into Walker Gulch from the dirt road you will get to a large drop of about 90 feet.  DO NOT walk over to the edge.  The top of this drop is severely overhung and may break away.  A very large tree at the top of the drop looks like the perfect anchor or safe spot to stand.  The tree is on a large overhang that looks like it may one day crumble taking the tree and anything near it over the edge.

Driving Directions

To get to the Trailhead

From the East Gate of Zion National Park, travel 2.4 miles east on highway 9 to the turn for North Fork (wEngDP-01).  Turn Left (north) toward North Fork.

Drive 5.3 miles on the paved North Fork Road to the turn for the Ponderosa Ranch. The pavement ends (wBirchHlwDP-01) a few hundred feet past the turn for the Ponderosa Ranch. 

From the turn off for the Ponderosa Ranch continue on the North Fork Road for 3.1 miles to a large turn out on the left (west) side of the road which is the trailhead for Birch Hollow (tBirchHollow).

From the turn off to Birch Hallow continue on the North Fork road for 3 miles to a turn off (extOrderville) on the left (west) for the Upper Orderville Trailhead.

Turn left off of the North Fork Road and drive 0.2 miles southwest to a big open meadow area with a gate (tOrdervilleTp) on the southwest end.

If you have low clearance or only 2WD this is where you will need to park to begin the route (tOrdervilleTp).

Note - 4WD High Clearance recommended:
If you happen to have high clearance and and 4WD you can drive 2.2 miles down a sometimes very rough dirt road to a parking area in a meadow.  Driving in and out with a 4WD high clearance vehicle will shave off a total of 4.4 miles from you walk round trip.  For this reason 4WD High Clearance is recommended for this route.  The route described here will be walking in, so if you have a capable vehicle read the appraoch portion and note that you can drive the first 2.2 miles.

Note:
The North Fork road is dirt and usually in good enough condition for a standard passenger car to travel unless muddy from recent rains.  So passenger cars will normally be able to drive in.

Warning:
The dirt portion of the North Fork Road can become impassable with rain.  The road has a lot of clay content and becomes very slick with just a little rain.  Even 4WD vehicles quickly become useless.  If there is a high likelihood of rain, consider opting out of this route that day.  Afternoon showers at some times of the year can create an impassable road in a very short time.  We got stuck overnight only 0.5 miles from pavement (4WD vehicles included).

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 drive into the route.
Map of the entire route.
Map zoomed in showing entire route from lower parking area.

Details

The Approach:
From the upper trailhead (tOrdervilleTp) walk west-ish down the road on the other side of the gate.  Be sure to close the gate behind you!  The first 0.8 miles of the road are steep and may be washed out in places from flooding.  After the first 0.8 miles the road levels off and follows along the Orderville drainage crossing over it in a couple places.  About 2.2 miles down from the gate is a large meadow area with parking and a trailhead sign (pkOrdrvlUprAlt).

Note:
If you are driving the first portion of the approach this is where you will park.

From the parking area follow use trails southwest down the Orderville drainage.  0.5 miles along the trail there will be a side drainage / canyon on the right (northwest) side.  When you get to where that side drainage dumps into Orderville (jWalker-Apr).  Turn right and follow northwest up this side drainage.

About 0.25 miles up the drainage will be a fork (wWalkerRP-01).  Go north up the right fork.  Shortly after this fork will be a dry fall that you can easily by pass on the right (east) side.  Shortly after bypassing the dry fall you will be up on an old road.  When you get up onto the road, turn left and walk north up to where the road crosses over the head of the fork you just came up (wWalkerRP-02).

Note:
The road you will follow for a lot of this approach is not shown on all maps.  Some maps have this labeled as the "Orderville Gulch Jeep Road" and it starts from near the current day lower parking area for Orderville.  Some maps do not show this road but do show a trail following roughly the same contour but slightly to the side of this road.

Some sections of the Jeep Road you will be following are in good condition and look as though they are still in use.  Other sections of the road are tore up and overgrown making it sometimes difficult to follow for short distances.  I find it bazaar how some sections look like the years have almost erased them mixed with sections that look like they are still semi regularly used.

To continue toward Walker Gulch continue on the old jeep road as it winds its way roughly west and slowly climbs upward. 

About 0.5 miles from the drainage the road goes around a point (wWalkerRP-03) and levels off a bit and turns right to travel north.  While walking this section of the road you have views to the left (west) down over the upper portions of Walker Gulch.

After rounding the point the road slowly descends over the next 0.7 miles to where it turns left (west) and crosses over (wWalkerRP-04) the upper right fork of Walker Gulch.

About 400 feet farther the roads degrades to where it is difficult to follow in place.  Continue west contouring around the hill side as it begins to go north following clues of where the road once was.

About 0.22 miles after crossing the upper right fork of Walker Gulch the road begins to contour around a point (wWalkerRP-05) where it tops out and begins to travel down to the north.  This section is still faint and difficult to follow.  Continue north through a section with a lot of old fire damage.

The road north after rounding the point is VERY difficult to follow.  Continue north looking for the road.  You will likely be too far to the left (west) but the steep slope on the left will prevent you from going too far.  About 400 feet after rounding the point (wWalkerRP-06) the road is clear, well defined and looks like it is frequently used.  If you go too far the steep slope on the left (west) will likely force you up the slope to where you will find the clear road again.

About 350 feet after the road clears up it veers left (west) to go around the head of a small drainage (wWalkerRP-07). 

Just after crossing this drainage the road quality degrades again but is still well defined enough to follow for about 600 feet to where it veers right (north) around a point (wWalkerRP-08) and begins to slowly descend again.

About 900 feet farther the road crosses over a small drainage (wWalkerRP-09). 

About 200 feet west of here the Orderville Gulch Jeep Road ends which is where you turn left and start south down into the Walker Gulch draiange (yWalkerGulchTp).

Note:
There are roads that travel both north and west of here but you need to cross over the wet vegetated portion of Walker Gulch here to get over to them.  The other road is less than 100 feet northwest of this point but is almost impossible to see from here.

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
From where you leave the end of the Orderville Gulch Jeep Road (yWalkerGulchTp) walk south down Walker Gulch.

About 250 feet down canyon will be a drop of about 90 feet (wWalkerRP-10).  Do not go over to this edge, parts of it are overhung and the cliff band is made of loose crumbly rock.  When you get a view from down canyon you may notice that even a very large tree that may one day crumble over the edge.

Bypass this drop by walking the LDC (east) side and route finding your way down the steep slope.  Getting down the slope is a little tedious as you pick your way down the loose rock and dirt.

After getting to the canyon floor walk down canyon about 400 feet to the start of a sandstone slot (wWalkerRP-11).  The slot is about 450 feet long before the canyon becomes wide open wash with trees again.  Part way down the slot is a downclimb of about 8 feet that may need a partner assist to get down.

About 300 feet down canyon of where the slot ended is a large overhang on the LDC side (wWalkerRP-12).

About 0.33 miles down canyon the wide open wash gives way to a very deep slot that is impressive to see as you walk up to the head of the deep slot.  The start of the slot is where rap 1 is and where the technical fun and scenery begin.

Rap 1 (dWalkerGulchR1) is anchored from a large pine tree on the LDC (east) side of the canyon on a sloped ledge of loose dirt and drops 150 feet down a vertical wall with some free hang for part of the drop.  Be very careful not to slip over the edge as you get over to the anchor and clip in while at the anchor.  The actual drop is a little shorter but bring rope for 150 feet so you are not caught short.

At the bottom of rap 1 you are in a very deep slot canyon with a ton of scenic value and the beauty of the canyon continues down canyon making Walker Gulch worth the visit.

About 40 feet down canyon of rap 1 is a drop of about 20 feet down a narrow slot with logs jammed in it.  The logs allow the drop to be downclimbed but it is an awkward and eerie downclimb over the logs.  If the downclimb is not something you want to do you can set an anchor on the logs to rappel or handline down.  The log jam downclimb can be described as .... freaky.

Just after the log jam is another downclimb of about 8 feet.  Just after the 8 foot downclimb is rap 2.

Rap 2 (dWalkerGulchR2) is about 100 feet down canyon of rap 1, is anchored from large rocks on the LDC side at the top of the drop and drops about 15 feet with an overhang near the bottom.  Rap 2 is the last rap of the canyon.

Down canyon of rap 2 are multiple easy downclimbs between 6 and 10 feet each.   After about 500 feet the rest of the canyon has sections of long corridors and an occasional downclimb of 6 to 8 feet all the way to the end of the canyon.  The end of Walker Gulch (yWalkerGulchBt) where it dumps into Orderville is about 0.7 miles down canyon of rap 2.

The Exit:
From the bottom of Walker Gulch (yWalkerGulchBt) turn left and walk east up Orderville. 

About 0.6 miles up canyon is the bottom of Birch Hollow joining in from the right (south).

About 0.4 miles farther up Orderville is a large drainage joining in from the right (south) and is referred to as Wild Wind Hollow.

About 200 feet past the Wild Wind Hollow drainage a use trail starts (jOrderSltBypBt) up the dirt slope on the south side of the Orderville drainage which is a bypass trail to get around the Orderville Slot.  The Orderville Slot is a deep but short technical slot.

The use trail is steep for about 400 feet to the top (jOrderSltBypTp).  After getting to the top of the steep bypass trail continue northeast up the Orderville drainage once again enjoying easy walking for 0.8 miles back to the lower parking area (pkOrdrvlUprAlt).

If you drove in the first 2.2 miles this is where your cars are parked.  If you walked in you will need to follow the road another 2.2 miles back up to the upper trailhead (tOrdervilleTp).

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........
Walker Gulch (1) - Drive in to Trailhead
  1. wEngDP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.23934   W -112.83230        Elev: 5,869 Feet
    Turn to the North Fork off Highway 9.
  2. wEngDP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.27285   W -112.87304        Elev: NaN Feet
    Turn left, to the Ponderosa Ranch.
  3. wBirchHlwDP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.27620   W -112.87358        Elev: NaN Feet
    Paved road turns to Dirt road.
  4. wBirchHlwDP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.30654   W -112.86085        Elev: NaN Feet
    Dirt road / ATV trail leaves main road. Follow this to start an alternate route into Birch Hollow.
  5. tBirchHollow          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.30973   W -112.85655        Elev: 6,740 Feet
    Trailhead for Birch Hollow. It is a very large turn out on the west side of the road.
  6. extOrderville          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33710   W -112.83050        Elev: NaN Feet
    Turn off for Orderville from the North Fork road. 11.4 miles from highway 9.
  7. tOrdervilleTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33527   W -112.83343        Elev: 6,400 Feet
    Trailhead for upper Orderville Canyon. There is a gate here and room to camp for a few cars.
Walker Gulch (2) - Approach
  1. tOrdervilleTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33527   W -112.83343        Elev: 6,400 Feet
    Trailhead for upper Orderville Canyon. There is a gate here and room to camp for a few cars.
  2. pkOrdrvlUprAlt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33239   W -112.86321        Elev: 5,760 Feet
    A large turn out to park in IF you have 4WD to drive in. Otherwise you need to hike this portion of the Orderville route.
  3. jWalker-Apr          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32779   W -112.86796        Elev: 5,700 Feet
    This is where a side draiange joins in from the north side of Orderville. To get up to the top Walker Gulch follow northwest up this drainage.
  4. wWalkerRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32935   W -112.87208        Elev: NaN Feet
    A fork in the side draiiange. Travel north up the right fork. Shortly up the right fork will be a dry fall which is easily bypassed on the RDC side.
  5. wWalkerRP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32990   W -112.87204        Elev: 5,920 Feet
    This is where an old road crosses over the head of the fork you just came up. The road is labeled on some maps as "Orderville Gulch Jeep Road". To continue toward Walker Gulch follow the road west.
  6. wWalkerRP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32991   W -112.87814        Elev: 6,175 Feet
    The Orderville Cuch Jeep Road goes around a point here and begins to travel north with views down over Walker Gulch on your left (west) side Walker Gulch.
  7. wWalkerRP-04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33858   W -112.87484        Elev: 6,130 Feet
    Road crosses over the upper right fork of Walker Gulch here. About 400 feet west of here the road degrades and is difficult to follow in places. Continue west following clues of where the road once was as it contours around and begins to head north about 0.22 miles from here.
  8. wWalkerRP-05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33781   W -112.87774        Elev: 6,130 Feet
    Road is faint and difficult to follow here where it tops out and goes around a point and begins to head north again. There is a lot of old fire damage here.
  9. wWalkerRP-06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33890   W -112.87750        Elev: NaN Feet
    The road becomes well defined again and looks like it is commonly used. As you get to this spot you may be too far to the left (west) and will need to go up the slope a bit to find the road.
  10. wWalkerRP-07          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33973   W -112.87767        Elev: NaN Feet
    Road goes around the head of a small draiange and starts to go west. Shortly after this the road degrades again but is still easy to follow for about 600 feet up to where it goes around a point.
  11. wWalkerRP-08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33886   W -112.87928        Elev: NaN Feet
    Road goes around a point and begins to slowly descend to teh north. The road is in much better shape here again.
  12. wWalkerRP-09          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.34124   W -112.87961        Elev: NaN Feet
    Road crosses over a drainage here. The road quality is degraded for about 200 feet south of here.
  13. yWalkerGulchTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.34129   W -112.88034        Elev: 5,955 Feet
    Top of Walker Gulch where you leave the dirt road and begin heading down Walker Gulch. At this point the canyon is a wide wash with lots of forested growth.
Walker Gulch (3) - The Canyon and Exit
  1. yWalkerGulchTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.34129   W -112.88034        Elev: 5,955 Feet
    Top of Walker Gulch where you leave the dirt road and begin heading down Walker Gulch. At this point the canyon is a wide wash with lots of forested growth.
  2. wWalkerRP-10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.34060   W -112.88049        Elev: NaN Feet
    Drop of about 90 feet. DO NOT walk over to the edge. It is severely overhung and even a large tree that looks safe is not safe. Bypass the drop by walking the LDC side and route finding your way down the steep slope to the canyon floor.
  3. wWalkerRP-11          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33932   W -112.88077        Elev: 5,900 Feet
    Start of a narrow section a littel over 400 feet long then the canyon is wide open wash with trees again. There is a downclimb of about 8 feet part way down the slot that is best done with a partner assist.
  4. wWalkerRP-12          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33729   W -112.88100        Elev: NaN Feet
    Large overhang on the LDC side of the wash.
  5. dWalkerGulchR1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33281   W -112.88095        Elev: 5,730 Feet
    Rap 1 - Walker Gulch. Anchored LDC from a large pine tree on the edge of the deep slot and drops about 150 feet down a vertical wall with some free hang on the way down. Be very careful getting out to the anchor since it is on sloped loose dirt and clip in while at the anchor station. The actual drop is less than 150 but rated long to be safe. About 40 feet down canyon is a drop of about 20 feet over logs jammed in a narrow slot. Optionally an anchor can be set on the logs to handline or rappel down the drop.
  6. dWalkerGulchR2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33255   W -112.88107        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 2 - Walker Gulch. Anchored from large rocks at the top of the drop and drops about 15 feet with an overhang near the bottom.
  7. yWalkerGulchBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32430   W -112.88586        Elev: 5,380 Feet
    Bottom of Walker Gulch where it dumps into Orderville.
  8. yBirchHollowBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32337   W -112.87600        Elev: 5,510 Feet
    Bottom Exit of Birch Hollow where it meets Orderville Canyon / Gulch.
  9. tWildWindHlwBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32445   W -112.87040        Elev: 5,535 Feet
    Bottom of Wild Wind Hollow. A non technical and brush filled hollow leading up out of Orederville sometimes used as a return route after Birch Hollow.
  10. jOrderSltBypBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32505   W -112.87035        Elev: NaN Feet
    A use trail starts up a dirt slope on the south side of the draiange to bypass a deep slot in the water course known as the Orderville Slot.
  11. jOrderSltBypTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32591   W -112.86952        Elev: 5,670 Feet
    Top of a use trail used to bypass the Orderville Slot.
  12. jWalker-Apr          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.32779   W -112.86796        Elev: 5,700 Feet
    This is where a side draiange joins in from the north side of Orderville. To get up to the top Walker Gulch follow northwest up this drainage.
  13. pkOrdrvlUprAlt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.33239   W -112.86321        Elev: 5,760 Feet
    A large turn out to park in IF you have 4WD to drive in. Otherwise you need to hike this portion of the Orderville route.