Canyoneering Route Description
Walker Gulch - 3A II (III)
Zion National Park, Utah.
06-23-12, 3 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 6.25 hours)
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
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.
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.
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.
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 drive into the route.
Map of the entire route.
Map zoomed in showing entire route from lower parking area.
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).
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 |
- wEngDP-01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.23934
W -112.83230
Elev: 5,869 Feet
Turn to the North Fork off Highway 9.
- wEngDP-02
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.27285
W -112.87304
Elev: NaN Feet
Turn left, to the Ponderosa Ranch.
- wBirchHlwDP-01
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.27620
W -112.87358
Elev: NaN Feet
Paved road turns to Dirt road.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 |
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 |
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- wWalkerRP-12
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.33729
W -112.88100
Elev: NaN Feet
Large overhang on the LDC side of the wash.
- 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.
- 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.
- yWalkerGulchBt
Lat/Lon (WGS84): N 37.32430
W -112.88586
Elev: 5,380 Feet
Bottom of Walker Gulch where it dumps into Orderville.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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