Pine Creek

Pine Creek is the standard first Zion technical canyon: quick to reach, rapid-fire rappels, and a dramatic finish beneath soaring walls into the deep green pools of the Great Cathedral. Its short approach and roadside exit make it popular, and that popularity is exactly why guidebooks call it Zion's most common site for misadventure — the rappels have awkward starts, the pools are cold enough to matter, and the drainage floods. Treat it as a real technical descent that demands competent rope skills, not an introduction.

Quick stats

ACA rating

3B II

Distance

1.3 mi

Time

2–6 hrs

Difficulty

Challenging

Rappels

9, to 100 ft

Rope

~200 ft

Wetsuit

Recommended

Permit

Required

Best months

May, June, July, August, September, October

The descent

Rappels. 9 rappels (Sources give 8–9 depending on how the final drop and short alternates are counted.), longest ~100 ft. Mostly webbing/bolted anchors. Several rappels have awkward starts; one goes into a deep pool where you may need to disconnect while swimming. The 100 ft finale drops toward the Great Cathedral / Grotto.

Water & swims. Deep, cold pools — several may require disconnecting from the rope mid-swim. Water level is highly seasonal.

Potholes. No notorious keeper potholes reported.

Downclimbs. Some log and boulder downclimbing between rappels.

Obstacles. Deep cold pools; awkward rappel starts.

Gear. Rope ~200 ft (Primary sources (Tom Jones, RopeWiki) don't publish an exact length; ~200 ft covers a rig-and-retrieve of the 100 ft finale. Verify against a current printed guide before you go.). Wetsuit: recommended. Tom Jones: a wetsuit is generally required even in hot weather; thickness scales with season (7 mm in Mar/Apr down to 2 mm or none by June).

Permits & access

Reserve your permit →

Permit required. National Park Service — Zion National Park. System: reservation / daily-lottery. Fee: $6 non-refundable application/reservation fee + $10 per person recreation fee. Advance calendar reservations (open up to ~3 months out) or the last-minute daily lottery. Pine Creek is NOT on the seasonal lottery (that's Mystery and the Subway). Permits must be picked up in person at the Wilderness Desk the day before or day of. Verify current rules and the flash-flood forecast before you go.

Shuttle. Short car spot (~10 minutes) or a quick hitch. Start at a pullout on the Zion–Mt. Carmel Highway above the switchbacks; exit a few switchbacks below.

Approach. The start is a roadside pullout east of the Zion–Mt. Carmel Tunnel. Minimal approach hiking.

Trailhead. Pine Creek pullout (Zion–Mt. Carmel Highway) — Roadside start above the highway switchbacks, east of the tunnel.

Reach the highway through the park; parking near the pullout is limited.

When to go

Late spring through fall. Do not enter with thunderstorms in the forecast — flash-flood risk is moderate to high.

Safety & hazards

Flash flooding (high). Short but real drainage that floods. Do not enter with storms in the forecast.

Cold water / hypothermia (high). Dark corridors hold cold water even in summer, with mandatory swims through deep pools.

Awkward rappel starts (moderate). Several rappels have committing or awkward starts, including one into a pool where you may need to unclip while swimming.

Crowding (moderate). Zion's most popular technical canyon — and, per Tom Jones, its most common site for misadventure.

Sources & beta

Canyon conditions, permit rules, and flows change — verify against the current source and forecast before you commit.

• Pine Creek Canyon — Road Trip Ryan: Rappel count, distance, flash-flood rating, time.
• Pine Creek — CanyoneeringUSA (Tom Jones): ACA rating, 'not a beginner canyon', wetsuit guidance, 100 ft finale.
• Pine Creek Canyon — RopeWiki: 3B II, elevation, rappel details.
• Zion canyoneering permits — NPS: Permit systems, fees, pickup.

Nearby routes

• Mystery Canyon — Zion National Park
• Behunin Canyon — Zion National Park