Sunday was the only day that I had something definitely planned, and I anticipated that it would pretty much consume the whole day. My plan was to hike Kanarra Creek Canyon. A permit is required to do the hike (only $12), but they sell out fast since they have a limit of 150 hikers per day. Last I checked they were essentially sold out through the end of October.
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To the falls!
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Anyway, the canyon is on BLM land, but hiking permits are managed by the town of Kanarraville, which is located northwest of Zion National Park. The entire hike can take 4-6 hours (or more) depending on how far you go and how often you stop to take photographs. I only planned to go as far as the lower falls, which is 1.6 miles one way (in fact, it ended up taking me about 4 hours total). I left open the option of going further, but I suspected I wouldn’t, which you’ll understand why later.
The hike starts out fairly easily on a dirt road but becomes increasingly difficult. The trail narrows, and in several places you must climb over some large rocks. It’s not considered a “technical” hike requiring special skills/equipment, but I’d rate it as moderately challenging (at least for an old geezer like me). In several places you have to cross through the creek to get to the trail on the opposite side (I lost track how many times — maybe 8-10?), which means your feet WILL get wet. I had water shoes designed for this kind of hike, but I saw people in all kinds of footwear, including flip-flops and sandals. Duh! The main issue here, besides the potential to slip on the rocks in the creek (I had my camera equipment in a dry bag in case that happened), is the that the water is extremely cold! Near as I could tell based on my research is that the water is generally around 40 degrees. The first couple times through the creek, I thought, “Hey, that’s not too bad!”. My feet actually felt colder when I exited the water. I can do this!
Or so I thought! The more I crossed the creek and the shorter the amount of time in between for my feet to warm up, the colder they got. Then the “real fun” began. The final leg of the hike (at least to the 1st falls) is where the creek runs through a slot canyon and you need to hike up directly in the creek for a hundred yards or so (there was no shoreline path). Now, it was only ankle deep, but that was hardly a consolation. The feeling in my toes, and in fact my whole feet, were quickly disappearing! This made it challenging since you couldn’t tell if you were stepping on a flat rock, a pointy rock, a stable rock, etc. But, I gritted my teeth and kept going…this is what landscape photography is all about, right? Right??
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Entrance to the slot canyon
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Shortly I came upon my goal: the falls! Wow, they were incredible! Fortunately there was no one there so I set up my tripod and took a bunch of shots. However, that didn’t last long. People and then more people arrived, all wanting to take pictures of their friends, spouse, partner or whatever in front of the falls and climbing the ladder. They were totally oblivious to me! I patiently waited for them to all leave, which was maybe a half hour or so. Meanwhile, my feet just kept getting colder and colder. Fortunately there were a couple rocks I was able to stand on, but that was of marginal benefit. Soon I started to shiver as there was a damp, cold breeze blowing through the canyon. C’mon people, take your flippin’ pictures and leave!! Eventually they did, and I managed to get some more shots before the next wave of people began to arrive. Under different circumstances I would’ve stayed longer to capture different compositions and exposures, but I felt I got what I came for — and I couldn’t stand it any longer! I was COLD!!
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The Falls - View #1
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The Falls - View #2 (which do you like?)
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I exited the slot canyon and stood in the sun for awhile in an attempt to warm up. It helped, but not a lot. I finally headed back, and it was probably 30 minutes or more before my feet were reasonably warm. Don’t forget, I had to cross through the creek several more times!
Following are some additional images from the hike In & out:
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This way to the falls!
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One of several “mini-falls”
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I mentioned that people climbed the make-shift ladder, or at least some did. I was curious what was beyond, but I decided I was definitely not going to do it. The ladder looked stable, but you get wet going up (and down), and my water shoes didn’t have very good support for that kind of thing. I actually saw a couple people go part way up and then come back down, which just reaffirmed my decision.
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People climbing & descending the make-shift ladder
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I did have another mishap that day: as I was getting ready to enter the canyon, I put my tripod and camera over my shoulder, after which I heard a crashing noise. I turned around to find my glass neutral density filter on the rocky path, shattered. S__t! I must’ve not had it on securely. Fortunately I didn’t need it for the shots, but it’s not an inexpensive accessory! Oh well.
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Rest In Peace!
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