Canyon Name: Mystery Canyon
Class: 4 B IV
Gear: WCCM layers, 2 – 120′ & 2 60′ rope, 70′ webbing, 8 rappel rings, dry bags, headlamp, self-rescue gear. Permits from the Zion N.P. Visitors Center. Please note the longest rappel in bold below and the rope lengths mentioned above serve as the WCCM rule of thumb of bringing 3 times the longest rappel of rope into any canyon route.
Expected Time Commitment: For a solid team, car to car 7-9 hours
Technical Obstacles: Rappels and swims up to 120′, awkward starts, some swimming disconnects, possible stuck ropes in at least one spot.
Non Technical Obstacles: Route finding for the drive in, Heat on the approach cold in the canyon with frigid water temps, Long loose earth slope down climb, 2009 spring Bee hive in the tree anchor near last rappel, Crowded popular route, long car shuttle on”impassable when wet” dirt roads. Difficult route finding. USE A MAP! Several times a year parties drop into the wrong drainage and require a rescue. If you are not sure… go back!
Recommended Time of Year: Spring, Summer or Fall. Never during Flash Flood threats.
Finding the Trailhead: Option 1: Hike in. From the Weeping Rock shuttle stop hike the Observation Trail and connect with the East Mesa Trail 1/3 of a mile before Observation Point proper. Aprox 2.7 miles and 2 hours to this junction. Follow the East Mesa Trail for about 20 minutes until a high point of this trail is reached. You will see Mystery canyon gorge through the brush on the left. Follow any of the faint user trails to the main drop in point of Mystery. Total hiking time, 2.5 hours. Elevation gained, 2200′. Option 2: Drive in. High clearance cars and or trucks only. 4×4 recommended during the wet season. Parties have gotten their vehicle stranded for days on end due to rain events that occurred in the high country during the parties canyon descent. (Stay out of the canyons when there is a threat of rain period to avoid this problem entirely). Drive through the tunnel and out of the park at the East Entrance/ Exit. drive 2.4 miles then turn left (N) on the paved North Fork road. Drive 5.1 miles to the Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort then turn left into the Resort. There are “some” signs that direct to Observation Point. Start your Odometer at 0.0 now. 0.0 go straight past a residence to the end of the pavement. (avoid going down to the main resort building on the left.) 0.4 “Y” go Right, 0.7 “T” go Right for Observation Point (Twin Knolls Road), 1.5 “T” go Right, 2.3 Fir road crosses, go straight, road will get worse, stop here is it looks wet or snowy. 2.6 Road gets worse, if in doubt park here and walk the rest. 2.65 pine tree in the center of the road, go Right down the hill, 2.9 “Y” go Left, 3.0 End of Road and Park Boundary. Park here. GPS UTM Nad83: 331502 mE 412942 mN
The Approach: Hike West along a reasonably flat trail for 2.1 miles. Mystery Canyon can be seen on the Right for some time. The trail will start to run uphill and then bend around a knoll. You will start to see faint user trails which lead off and Right to the head of the canyon.
The Canyon Descent: Double check that this is Mystery Canyon. You will see a vast North bound drainage with a long smooth canyon wall canyon Right and a series of peaks on canyon left. This first mile of drainage is more like an earthquake fault line that a water sculpted canyon route. There will be a well worn trail which drops straight down to the middle of the canyon which begins 50′ canyon right (East). Hike down this trail taking care not to dislodge rocks down onto the people in the front of you (including other parties). There will be a short “clean drop” which is bypassed by a trail canyon Right. There will be a few down climbs/rappels to navigate. Continue on until you reach a large pile of logs. Down climb the log jam to a slot. Rappel from a bolt anchor at the end of this slot.
Rappel 1-4: 45′, 30′, 12′, 50′.
Canyon jogs Left into the sun.
Rappel 5 – 9: 30, 40′ 50′ 110′ 120′
Egress: Pack up the ropes and walk the Virgin River (lower narrows) back to the paved trail, continuing back to the Temple of Sinawava shuttle stop. (Plan your departure time to at least catch the last tram back. If you miss the tram hike the road back to the Zion Lodge and try to get a ride back to your lower car park. (Tech Tip: DONT MISS THE TRAM!)
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