West Route Canal

Want a fun, quiet, non-technical canyon that still has a few tight slots and potholes you can play in? This is a great one. While getting far into the canyon requires some scrambling and may not be suited for young families, everyone can enjoy the first section. To get there starting from Springdale, take Highway 9 into the park. Follow it up and through the tunnel to the east side of the park. Drive through the next short tunnel. Shortly after that short tunnel you will come to a large pull out (usually with a porta-potty). Park at the Many-Pools Trailhead. It is the biggest pull off after the second tunnel. The trail is down at the curve in the road. There are many pools in the canyon. On a hot day if there is still some water in these from a recent storm, you could really cool off and have a good time. In just a quick walk you come to a small section of winding narrows. These can be completely bypassed, or you can climb around in them. After .4 miles you come to the first real obstacle: A sloping crack you climb up to the next section. This is not difficult, but there is some exposure and may not be ideal for very young kids. Once up the stairs you come to a nice larger slot section. The canyon is easy to walk in, then comes a boulder jam you must scramble over. This continues several times. I stopped at the third scramble. There is 0.5 miles more to explore above. Head out the way you entered. I got out with the sun low in the sky. It was beautiful. This was a very nice canyon to hike in and I will do it again. It gives a good taste of Zion without being too difficult.