Kanarra Creek

Nick

-
.
Joined
Aug 9, 2007
Messages
12,949
August 2011

This is the first of two trip reports from a 3 day weekend to the Zion area that I took with Audra over the weekend. We left Salt Lake Friday afternoon with just enough time to make it to Cedar Breaks National Monument for sunset. The clouds were looking awesome for a great sunset on the drive down but there were less and less the further we drove. By the time we made it Cedar Breaks there were just a few left around with a ton of haze in the air, there must've been a good fire somewhere nearby.

We made a quick stop at several of the overlooks hoping for some great light. This was at the Sunset Overlook near the center of Cedar Breaks.
6071152004_50348f4db3_z.jpg


And another from the south view point.
6071151332_1fe3b40d6a_z.jpg


6070607303_761e3685ab_z.jpg


The sun setting through all the haze. Not a lot of light was getting through this.
6070606561_8cc2886f79_z.jpg


Audra and I as the sun fades.
6070709563_8c696345da_z.jpg


After the sunset we drove down the other side of Cedar Breaks into Cedar City where we had a hotel booked for the night. I love camping but for this trip we decided to go with hotels. Audra was on a short break between semesters and I wanted her to have the most comfortable trip possible.

The next morning we woke up early and made out way to Kanarraville to hike Kanarra Creek. It was a Saturday so I wanted to get there before the crowds. We arrived just before 9am to 3 other cars in the parking lot. Not too shabby.

Here's a rough map of the location and route.

[parsehtml]
<iframe width="640" height="480" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?q=mymap,214533597045798101523.0004ab3207d5084c73710&t=t2"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?q=mymap,214533597045798101523.0004ab3207d5084c73710&t=t2" style="text-align:left">Kanarra Creek Map</a> in a larger window</small>
</br></br>
[/parsehtml]An important thing to remember if you're going to hike Kanarra Creek; the city is now charging $10 per car to park at the trailhead and they will boot you if you try to park in town nearby. Seems like a fair price to pay for them to put up with a bunch of people sloshing around in their water supply every weekend.

Much of the canyon was still in the shade as we made our way up. It made for some chilly river crossings early on.
6070708321_6b51b25ef0_z.jpg


6071249012_2a2d4348e4_z.jpg


Eventually the canyon constricts into a nice slot.
6071290082_86aa2d8c5b_z.jpg


Just around the corner from the first big waterfall.
6070732081_9ceb29c963_z.jpg


6078731316_52c48b780e_z.jpg


6070609615_aa6dca0765_z.jpg


6070610765_8cc1a93ed1_z.jpg


That log was kind of scary to climb up, in my opinion. Slippery wet and a nice fall if you mess up. Crazy how many people go up and down it with no problems. We even saw a guy carry his infant (maybe 6 months old) to the top of it. Yikes. Here's Audra on top.
6071288466_dac1bafdbd_z.jpg


Looking down from the top of the waterfall.
6078127105_2bf2a21a5b_z.jpg


A nice waterfall just above the first big one.
6071274326_076d8f6e3c_z.jpg


Followed by one after another it seemed.
6071275288_a49f921d15_z.jpg


And then the canyon gets narrow again.
6070743363_58f658f577_z.jpg


Shortly followed by the next big waterfall. We watched one group climb up this, it looked a bit tricky and they got really wet. I didn't want to bag up all my camera gear so we decided this would be our turning point.
6070729283_2a949bb83b_z.jpg


On the way up we only came across a few people in the canyon but on the way back down it was mayhem. Tons of people, one group after another. Crazy how busy that place gets on a Saturday. And also pretty crazy how disrespectful some folks are. I witnessed someones kid scraping their name onto the canyon wall and another group bringing a dog. I love dogs of course but it's the water supply for Kanarraville you're hiking in so it seems like obeying the big sign that says NO DOGS would be appropriate. Oh and let's not discuss the tampons and toilet paper we found along the trail. Nasty. Please be respectful of this place, people! If it keeps getting abuse like that, it's only a matter of time before they close it off. And another odd thing, I've never had so many people ask about why I was using trekking poles. Everything from "ya spear fishing or something'?" to "getting ready for winter?". What the hell?

There were upwards of 30 cars in the lot by the time we made it back to the trailhead a little after noon. So glad we got an early start. From there we headed over to the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center to pickup our Subway permit for the next day and then we were off to The Desert Rat in St. George to purchase some rope and supplies! The rest of our trip including our hike down The Zion Subway will be in my next trip report to be posted later this week.
 
wow, amazing waterfall shots. :twothumbs:
Kanarra Creek is still on my bucket list and hopefully one day I will finally made it to this place.
The last climb really looks like a very wet one
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
jdgibney Kanarra Creek Currently? Trip Planning 0
andyjaggy Invite Kanarra Creek Meet Up (Members Only) 20
Nick Accident in Kanarra Creek General Discussion 3
Tyler Kanarra Creek (short hike) 05.10.11 Hiking & Camping 0
rinats Canyonlands/Needles: Salt Creek to Chesler Park Trip Planning 6
shredhiker Slough Creek mid June? Trip Planning 11
Spud Salt Creek Canyon question Trip Planning 11
BobFink Mirror Plateau via Pelican Valley and Pelican Creek, July / August 2023 Backpacking 12
Janice Such a GRAND Canyon - Deer Creek / Tapeats / Thunder River Backpacking 21
Jackson Little Rock Creek Backpacking 5
scatman Yellowstone's Thorofare, Headwaters of Thorofare Creek, Majo Pass, Younts Peak, Bob's Canyon, and Cub Creek - August 9, 2023 - Days 7 through 10 Backpacking 34
scatman Yellowstone's Thorofare, Headwaters of Thorofare Creek, Majo Pass, Younts Peak, Bob's Canyon, and Cub Creek - August 9, 2023 - Days 1 through 6 Backpacking 56
J South Crandall Creek and the Hoodoos Wyoming and Yellowstone? Trip Planning 3
CodyL Maple Creek or Duck Creek Drainages-YNP Trip Planning 0
J Pacific Creek or North Buffalo Fork? Teton Wilderness, Thorofare ,etc. Trip Planning 10
I Rescue Creek - Yellowstone National Park - June 3, 2023 Backpacking 15
Dreamer Slough Creek - YNP - 6/5-7/23 Backpacking 3
shredhiker Blacktail Creek June 2023 Backpacking 4
Dreamer Rescue Creek -YNP - 6/3-5/23 Backpacking 3
shredhiker Slough Creek May 2023 Backpacking 11
scatman Rescue Creek - Yellowstone National Park - June 3, 2023 Backpacking 56
Gretchen Millward Trachyte Creek via Woodruff Canyon, April 2023 Backpacking 9
I Slough Creek - Yellowstone June 5 & 6 Meet Up (Members Only) 19
scatman City Creek Loop - April 23, 2023 Hiking & Camping 8
F Thorofare/South Boundary/Wolverine Creek Trip Planning 2
scatman Rescue Creek - Yellowstone National Park Meet Up (Members Only) 19
Janice When might road to Salt Creek TH be ok? Trip Planning 23
BobFink Yellowstone South Entrance to Fox Creek via Basin Creek Cutoff - Labor Day 2022 Trip Reports 4
Janice Professor Creek / Mary Jane Canyon - mid April? Trip Planning 0
scatman North Ridge of City Creek Canyon - February 4, 2023 Hiking & Camping 17
MikeP Exploring/Calf Creek Trip Planning 28
scatman South Ridge of City Creek Canyon - January 28, 2023 Hiking & Camping 4
travel2walk Gros Ventre Wilderness: Granite Creek, West Fork Crystal Creek, Crystal Creek, & Swift Creek - June 2021 Backpacking 8
slieb Lower Muddy Creek in Winter? Trip Planning 7
scatman A Yellowstone Love Story (Bog Creek Euphoria) - September 12, 2022 Backpacking 28
NorthwestWanderer Backpacking Grand Teton National Park : Fossil Pass,Fox Creek Pass,Indian Lake,Alaska Basin,Hurricane Pass,Ice Floe Lake,& Snowdrift Lake Backpacking 19
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Wrangler Lake, Bog Creek, Joseph's Coat Springs, Broad Creek, Wapiti Lake, Hot Springs Basin, and Pelican Valley. The Second Half. Backpacking 15
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Wrangler Lake, Bog Creek, Joseph's Coat Springs, Broad Creek, Wapiti Lake, Hot Springs Basin, and Pelican Valley. Part One of Two. Backpacking 61
scatman Pacific Creek, Moss Lake and Gravel Lake - Teton Wilderness - October 7, 2022 Backpacking 32
TractorDoc Yellowstone's Hayden Valley, Trout Creek, Beach Lake, and Arnica Creek Meadows. September 11, 2022. Hiking & Camping 7
scatman Trout Creek and the Headwaters of Alum Creek - September 11, 2022 Hiking & Camping 17
R Wind River Range: Green River Lakes/Clarks Trail/Porcupine Creek Trail Trip Planning 3
Janice Salt Creek plus... Trip Planning 17
Gretchen Millward Trachyte Creek, April – May 2022 Backpacking 3
XID_AZ Kanab Creek Wilderness - Sowats Canyon - Mountain Sheep Spring Trip Planning 6
balzaccom McGee Creek--Fire (smoke) Rain, Winded and rockslides... Trip Reports 0
John Goering Tobacco Root Mountains South Meadow Creek Off Road 1
SteveR Bull Creek Hills, Alberta Hiking & Camping 5
T Salt Creek this weekend Trip Planning 1
TeamJenkins17 Red Tops/Needle Creek Drainage Info Trip Planning 0

Similar threads

Back
Top