Slickrock and Shadow

  Orderville Canyoneering:  a memorable day in a good life! Orderville Canyon trail report and advice for anyone looking for adventure.  This is a sweet hike with some fun canyoneering daring requiring swimming, rappelling, jumping into cold pools and more.  The hike does require a PERMIT from the Zion backcountry office.  You can take as many as 12 people in a group.  Our group had 11 at the beginning . . . and 11 at the end!  Success! Start you hike first by leaving a car at the Zion visitor center early in the day.  Then travel to the trailhead in the high eastern plateau above Zion Ponderosa ranch resort.  It's an easy dirt road when it is dry.   The fun begins with a descent down a rough dirt road for 1-2 miles.  Then the trail becomes obvious and drops deeper into the canyon after 1 mile.  Here is where the beauty of a slot canyon begins:  the sandstone walls draw closer and big pine trees hang to the cracks in...

  Poverty Wash glowing slot canyon walls My blog seems to be turning into a homage to Parunuweap Canyon and its' tributaries.  Poverty Wash is another lucky place.  If you make it here, you are lucky.  If you see the walls, wade through shallow but totally clear waters, you are lucky.  If you reach the last section ending in a circular room, you are lucky.   Getting into Parunuweap can be done in several ways.  I've come through Rock and French Canyons.  That's the hard part.  Once you're in, Poverty wash is a walk in the park without any obstacles.   French Canyon short cut into Parunuweap Traditional Route with good photos As you may guess, visiting Poverty Wash is a highlight for anybody's life.  Now that I've explored several sections of Parunuweap (Rock Canyon, French Canyon, Mineral Gulch, Fat Man's Misery and Poverty Wash) I'm thinking Poverty is my favorite of them all.   Poverty Wash curves around smooth...