Orderville Canyon

Orderville Canyon Preview

Before you begin this hike you must know that flash flood potential is always eminent in a slot canyon in the summer at Zion National Park. Watch the weather carefully before you hike.

Orderville Top-Down

Orderville Canyon hike is an 11 mile day hike from the top-down. The first 2.5 miles are through rocks and dirt until you descend a dry-fall that puts you into Orderville Canyon. As you progress down Orderville canyon, you get some pretty views of seemingly endless side canyons that flow into Orderville Canyon for about 6 miles until you hit the fork with the Zion Narrows canyon. Along the way various areas of scrambling are required and there are two small obstacles that could require a rappel or hand line but can be down climbed by the somewhat savvy hiker. Once you reach the fork of Zion Narrows canyon then the walls are perhaps even more breathtaking. You continue ~1.5 miles down The Narrows (in the river) to the paved trail called the Riverside Walk and 1 mile on the trail back to the Temple of Sinewava in Zion canyon where you can pick up the shuttle. No permit is needed to do this hike bottom-up and back, however a back country permit is required for top-down hiking.

The entrance to the Orderville Canyon hike trailhead is as follows: Drive your car about 4 miles east on Route 9 from the east border of Zion National Park and turn north on North Fork Road. Roughly 11 miles along that road you will see a short dirt road to the west, designated by the BLM as Orderville Wilderness Study Area. This is where you park your car and begin hiking toward Orderville Canyon.

Orderville Bottom-Up and Back

Orderville Canyon in Zion bottom-up is pretty much the reverse version of top-down with a few mentionable details. When you go bottom-up you typically will not go all the way up Orderville Canyon or at least not out of the canyon up the dry-fall previously mentioned (read the top-down version).

This version of the hike starts at the Riverside Walk (Temple of Sinewava in Zion canyon) and continues 1 mile on the trail till you hit the Zion Narrows Canyon. You continue ~1.5 miles up The Narrows (in the river) to the fork of Orderville Canyon. The next 6 miles are in Orderville Canyon and are front-loaded with scrambling. You will typically turn around no more than 4 miles in as the hike gets less canton-like. Then it is time to turn around and do the same hike top-down. However familiar you were with going up the canyon it always seems to be much different as you head down. The scarmbling is different and requires different skills. This and other details make the bottom-up and back route a popular favorite. No permit is needed to do this hike bottom-up and back, however a back country permit is required for top-down hiking.