Orderville Canyon, Zion National Park

LOGISTICS
Rating	3B III
Season	Summer or fall
Time Commitment	6 to 10 hours, 12.3 miles (19.6 km)
Longest Rappel	15 feet (3 m)
Access	Requires car spot or shuttle service to the Orderville Trailhead, located on dirt roads on the North Fork Road. High clearance vehicles suggested. Ends at Temple of Sinawava.
Permit	REQUIRED. Group size limit 12.
Emergency	Zion Wilderness Desk: 435-772-0170 Zion EMERGENCY: 435-772-3322
EQUIPMENT
Essentials	Helmets, short rope and rappelling gear. Good wading/hiking shoes.
Cold Water   Protection	Wetsuits or drysuits in all but the hottest weather. Drybags for your gear.
Drinking Water	The first half is dry; water available to filter in the second half.
DIFFICULTIES
Flash Flood Risk	Moderate - There are no continous narrows where you would get swept away. The drainage is large but vegetated and low-angle. Flooding of The Narrows or Orderville could require an overnight stay.
Anchors	Two chockstone obstacles have bolted anchor stations on the walls above. NO JUMPING! Use the anchors to rappel, the pools are often shallower than expected.

Times & Mileage Chart

SEASONAL ADJUSTMENTS

Summer - Start early to avoid the heat, the first half of the hike is usually dry and in full sun. Bring plenty of water.

Fall - Wetsuits recommended for cooler temps and shorter days. Beautiful fall foliage usually present in the upper half of the canyon.

Winter - Can be hard to access the top trailhead when the North Fork road is wet, snowy or icy.

Spring - Check for closures for spring snowmelt in the Narrows. Wetsuit recommended.

Getting to the Start

Orderville starts at the Orderville Corral, just off the North Fork Road, 11.4 miles from Utah Route 9. The dirt part of the North Fork road can be impassable when wet, even for fully-capable 4WD vehicles.

From Springdale, take Utah Route 9 through the Park and 2.3 miles past the East Entrance. Turn left (N) on the North Fork Road - mileage starts here. The road is paved for 5.4 miles, then turns to dirt. Six miles on the dirt leads to a left turn for the signed for Orderville Canyon ORV Area - the Orderville Corral. Follow the road .1 miles across the field to a corral, and park among some trees. Those with a true HC 4WD vehicle can continue down the steep, rutted jeep trail another 2.2 miles.

A shuttle to the Orderville Corral can be arranged from Springdale. Contact Zion Adventure Company at 435-772-0990.

Approach

Follow the rutted dirt road steeply downward. At the bottom, follow the dirt road beside the creek downcanyon. In about an hour, the burly-vehicle carpark appears, a big flat area where some can park. A half-hour walk beyond this, the canyon drops dramatically in a rocky dryfall. Follow trails left, then down steep dirt to the canyon floor. These Carmel-formation silts are the source of the super-slippery clays that make Orderville so slippery after a good rain.

Stroll downcanyon. At first, the canyon is open with large trees, punctuated by short sections of interesting narrows. The narrow sections become longer and more frequent, the terrain providing a wide variety of scenery. Numerous canyons come in from the north and south, including Esplin Gulch, named for Lynn Esplin, who made the first descent in 1947 while looking for missing sheep. Unfortunately, he did not survive his descent. Other drainages dropping into Orderville are named for pioneers that farmed in Orderville Canyon and ran livestock on the high ground to the north and south.

About an hour downcanyon from the mudslide, the hearty canyoneer arrives at the first obstacle. A large boulder blocks the canyon, with a bolt anchor on the right wall. This is the Park Boundary Boulder, as it is very close to the Boundary between Zion National Park and BLM land to the east. Youth groups and others not concerned with human frailty slide down the rock and jump to the ground below, but more mature individuals will wish to use a rope to rappel, or as a handline for downclimbing the chimney below the anchor. Slippery clays can make this treacherous – use caution.

Further downcanyon, the narrows become more continuous. A few small springs provide water and a small flow starts. A log dam often backs up a shallow pool, and another one requires a short downclimb next to a waterfall. Stay in the watercourse in these areas and avoid using trails to the side that contribute to erosion.

The second obstacle is reached about an hour and a quarter past the first obstacle. A large boulder blocks the canyon. Thirty feet above the canyon floor, an even larger block spans the width of the canyon as a chockstone, and has been there long enough to have a lush growth of vegetation on its top. This is The Guillotine. Bolts and slings on the left side overlook a steep v-slot with logs leaning against it. This downclimb is especially slippery because the trees are polished and practically frictionless. Use the rope to rappel, or as a hand-line to assist and protect the downclimb. If there is water at the bottom, it is likely shallow.

A half-hour past this, another boulder blocks the width of the canyon. A scary-looking V-slot downclimb on the left looks like the obvious path, but following the water down a short fall on the right is easier and safer. This is Corkscrew Falls. Soon after, a slippery downclimb into an overhead-depth pool appears, for which a rope and handlines are likely a good idea.

Numerous interesting obstacles make for fun splashing in the water. In another half-hour, Veiled Falls is passed on the left using some shallow moki-steps. This is a popular destination for folks hiking upriver, so don't be surprised to find a crowd. A couple of downclimbs past logs might require a short swim. About an hour past The Guillotine, the final narrows section soars spectacularly skyward. Just beyond, Orderville joins the Narrows. Turn left and hike downstream about an hour to the Veranda at the end of the paved path leading 1 mile to the Temple of Sinawava.

Turn left at the Junction with the North Fork Narrows and hike downstream about an hour to the stone veranda at the end of the paved path. Hike the paved Riverside Walk 1 mile to the Temple of Sinawava, where you can catch the free shuttle April-October.

Author's Experience

I first hiked Orderville from the top in 2001. Since then, I have rarely done Orderville as a separate hike - tending to do it as part of Englestead and Birch Hollow.

Stories

From Zion:Canyoneering, by Tom Jones:

2000-479 - Zion NP (UT) - Rescue - Orderville

Six members of the park's SAR team hiked into Orderville Canyon on the evening of July 25th in response to a report of a 43-year-old visitor with an ankle injury. Jack R. of Clovis, California, had been canyoneering with two friends when he rolled his ankle and suffered a severe fracture. His companions left him behind and hiked three-and-a-half miles to report the accident. While waiting for help to arrive, R. crawled about a quarter mile down the canyon. Four members of the SAR team spent the night with him and were joined in the morning by six more team members. R. was carried out on a litter through several deep pools in The Narrows on the North Fork of the Virgin River, then floated by raft about two miles to Riverside Walk. He was evacuated by ambulance to a hospital and treated for his injury.

2000-618 - Zion NP - Search and Rescue - Orderville

On the evening of September 24th, rangers were notified that 48-year-old Brian S. was overdue from a hike in the park. S's wife took them to the point where she'd dropped him off just after noon, a spot four miles south of the Orderville Canyon trailhead between Englestead and Birch Hollows. S. had been on foot for 10 hours at the time of the report and was not prepared for an extended trip. A search was begun the following morning; a dog team and later a helicopter were utilized. S. was found by helicopter at 11 a.m. He was uninjured but stuck several hundred feet below the rim of Englestead Hollow. S. had rappelled down several cliff bands, but did not have the requisite equipment to continue. The park's technical rescue team was flown in by helicopter. S. was raised to the rim and evacuated. The guidebook that S. was using did not provide him with adequate information to find the correct route.

2002-164 - Zion NP (UT) - Rescue – Orderville

Rangers evacuated an injured hiker from the Narrows on May 7th. At approximately 3:55 p.m., the park dispatch office received notification of an injured hiker in Orderville Canyon. The park SAR team found Chris E., from Spokane, Washington, with an injured ankle and unable to walk. They splinted his ankle, placed him on a litter, then put him in an inflatable rescue raft for evacuation from the Narrows. The rescue effort was completed at 9:45 p.m.

E. had been day hiking in the Narrows and was exploring the lower reaches of Orderville Canyon when he jumped down and injured his ankle. He was not wearing sturdy footwear with good ankle support, as is recommended for hikers in the Narrows. The inflatable rescue raft was designed and built especially for Zion National Park for rescues such as this one. This incident marked the first use for the new raft; members of the SAR team were very pleased with its performance.

Exterior Links

Trip Reports

Birch Hollow and Orderville Canyon, 9/30/08 - Bruce and friends had an eventful day in Birch Hollow and Orderville Canyon that included splinter removal, chopped hair and wrong car keys.

Stories

Memorable Episodes of My Past by Bo Beck - Bo has been a volunteer with the Zion National Park Search and Rescue Team since 1995. Bo shares an Orderville Canyon rescue story.

Alternative Descriptions

Todd Martin, Orderville Canyon
Joe Braun, Orderville Canyon 
Chris Brennen, Orderville Canyon

• Jeep road Jeep road
• Rugged walking Rugged walking
• Intermittant narrows Intermittant narrows
• Rap at the boundary Rap at the boundary
• First rap First rap
• Up and around Up and around
• Narrow on up! Narrow on up!
• Sculptured rock Sculptured rock
• In there? In there?
• Watery stuff Watery stuff
• Rap #2 Rap #2
• Second rap Second rap
• Little waterfall Little waterfall
• Waterpark! Waterpark!
• Downclimb, wade. Downclimb, wade.
• Fun on a hot day Fun on a hot day
• This ones a swim This ones a swim
• Yummy swim Yummy swim
• Close to The Narrows Close to The Narrows
• Soaring walls Soaring walls
• Warm Sun! Warm Sun!
• Veiled Falls Veiled Falls
• Shampoo? Shampoo?
• Rockettes! Rockettes!
• Junction Junction
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