Imlay Canyon - Zion National Park

Imlay Canyon - Zion National Park

Zion National Park is THE place to go for technical canyons. There are a ton of choices. All different difficulty levels. Zion National Park is the Mecca for canyoneers.

There are the 'regular' canyons. Keyhole, Pine Creek, the Subway. And then there are the crown jewels. The ones only the most proficient canyoneers dare to enter. High walls, deep potholes, difficult approaches, countless rappels.....Canyons of legend where you are right on the edge of risk versus reward.

OK. I'm getting a little dramatic here. But most canyoneers will tell you, there are canyons in Zion, and then there are THE canyons in Zion. Those canyons are Heaps and Imlay Canyon.

I read the beta. I watched the videos. And I was pretty damned scared. Imlay Canyon seemed daunting. Was I in over my head? Was I just crazy? Maybe I should stick to Pine Creek and Keyhole.

Well, I have a few buddies who canyoneer. If you know the sport, you know the type. Just the right balance between fearless and capable. The kind of guys who egg you on and brush things off. But you still know they know what they're doing.

So yeah. They talked me into doing Imlay Canyon. I trained. I studied. I worried. A lot. But with all things canyoneering, you have to prepare. You have to be smart. But eventually, you have to go out there and do it. No, you don't want to get over your head, but you also have to go for it sometimes or you might as well just stick to the paved trails.

The approach to Imlay is brutal. You basically climb up to the saddle on Angels Landing and keep going the opposite way. Next thing you know, you're on West Rim Trail, looking down at Angels Landing. Let that sink in. You're looking DOWN on Angels Landing. You turn off to a use trail and...the ups and downs just keep coming at you. It's brutal. I think I said that. But that's offset by the fact that you are in wild country that 99.9% of Zion's visitors will never see. And that makes it worth it.

Then, you're there. Imlay Canyon. It immediatley narrows up and it's on. The Trash Compactor presents itself and, depending on the conditions, you get a good feeling for the challenge you're in for.

Rappel after rappel and eventually you're in a deep, dark, curved and beautiful canyon. Imlay throws challenge after challenge, potholes were so common we immediately lost count.

And finally, you're back in the sun. Feeling more confident (hopefully) after what you've overcome.

And Imlay just throws more at you. More rappels. More potholes. More deep narrows.

It seems like it'll never end. But then again, I was having so much fun I didn't care. I was honestly a little torn between relief and disappointment when I finally heard the Zion Narrows down below.

Last rappel. And it's awesome. The feeling of accomplishment as you free hang down into the Zion Narrows - hopefully to a crowd - is impossible to describe.

And then it's done. A 'short' walk out the Zion Narrows and you're back to the Temple of Sinawava. Then the River Walk. It was a shock to me to go from such a wild and remote place to the crowds.

And now it's over. Imlay Canyon is in the books. I swore I'd never do it again at the time. Sore legs, sore arms....I was dead tired. Maybe that was enough adventure for me.

Or maybe Heaps next year......Guess we'll see.

Music by Epidemic Sound:

It's a Drag, It's a Blast - Coma Svensson
(Stay) True - Lars Ericksson
Minitaur - Tigerblood Jewel
Behind the Line - Tigerblood Jewel
Ringing in My Head - Coma Svensson

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