Jolly Gulch

[Bret Boyce]

The infamous Jolly Gulch, a sweet little canyon near the East entrance of Zion National Park. My buddy was in town about a month ago and we were already tired from 3 previous days of long canyons, so we decided to spend a short leisurely day in Jolly. The trail to access the canyon is very easy to follow and will dump you right at the head of the canyon. The elevation gain is just less than 400 feet, once you get to the canyon the first drop is 160’ down a slender flute. The next rap is can be broken up, but it is easier to combine the two drops. Halfway down the last rap LDC there are the remains of a bird in a window kind cool. The pull on the last rap turns a corner, but surprisingly pulls smoothly. There are a few small down climbs, but you mostly follow a flat steam bed that puts you right back on the trail you started on. It is took us about 3 hours and is probably one of the easiest canyons to get into. Pics soon to follow!

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[Bret Boyce]

 

[Nick]

Very cool! Thanks for posting, Bret! Good to see the place I'd heard about from that accident last year. This is the one where the girl fell while trying to climb out the side or something right? Had broken ankles and some internal injuries if I recall correctly?

 

[Bret Boyce]

Jolly Gulch Zion National Park (UT)
Woman Seriously Injured In Canyoneering Accident

On November 15th 2011, a 26-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman completed the Jolly Gulch canyoneering route, a seldom visited route on the east side of the park. The route involves two rappels, one of 160 feet and the other of 100 feet. After completing the rappels, most canyoneers then hike a mile and a half through the canyon to a road. Instead, the pair attempted to free climb up the side of the canyon with the goal of reaching the canyon rim. The woman fell 60 feet from a small ledge to the ground and suffered shoulder and ankle fractures as well as lacerations to her spleen and liver. The man and woman worked at a local resort and made contact with the resort front desk by family radio. The National Park Service response was delayed due to confusion amongst the resort staff, who initially believed resort employees could resolve the incident without assistance. When a Kane County deputy arrived on scene, he requested an immediate response from the Zion SAR team due to the patient's deteriorating condition. Ranger/medics Ryan McDonald-O'Lear and Brandon Torres responded and stabilized the hypotensive patient. Ranger Therese Picard was the incident operations chief and led the rope raising operation, which was conducted entirely in the dark. Members of the Kane County Search and Rescue Team assisted with the operation and coordinated the medical helicopter evacuation. The woman survived and is currently in stable condition. The man was cited for failing to obtain a required canyoneering wilderness permit.

Submitted by Ray O'Neil, Plateau District Ranger

 

[moose droppings]

never heard of this one. Thanks for sharing canyon stoke. positive vibes to the gal for a speedy recovery.