Observation Point Canyon, Zion National Park, UT

Dear Ramoo - Finally got to that project we had glanced at, so long ago. Observation Point Canyon—dropping from near O Point into the Weeping Rock Cirque.

9:30 am to 6:00 pm. With Sarah Stratton, one of our ZAC guides. Shows some signs of traffic, including recent traffic. One RT bolt, 20 feet off the deck on the 260 foot rappel (Royce had a bad day). 230 foot rap to get in (in the notch on the OP side, picked the best spot). Nice, actually, without being particularly good. One quick swim, final rap was 295 feet. Anchors all in place, though we chose different ones on a few occasions. I messed up the second one, and it got stuck, under a flake as it turned out. Jugged 260 feet back up and reset the rappel with a 20' longer sling and a bit more care. Out just at dark. A fun day, but not a canyon for Ram. Pics coming, but the light was difficult.

Beautiful fall day at Observation Point.

The start of the canyon, from the approach trail.

Slot cutting down from near Observation Point.

Head of the canyon, complex geometry, from Observation Point.

Middle section - looks mostly low-angle slabs, but hard to tell, looking straight down.

Bottom section and slot. Could be some business down there.

Sarah coming down the first rappel.

The notch close to OP itself has a steeply slanted but easily downclimbed floor. Above our landing point, the canyon is choked with brush and would require numerous short raps. Below our landing point, it gets over 300 feet fairly quickly. A big tree on the rim, a very clean shot all the way down. Sweet. A sling and splitring on a small tree at the very edge, we cleaned. Someone else chose the same spot, and doesn't like leaving long pieces of webbing.

Landed in a pleasant grove of Box Elder and Broom Groundsel. Down the bottom of the slot (30-40 feet wide), recent footprints, sheep prints and poop, able to downclimb a long way, last bit quite steep and wandery to avoid rappelling. finally had to rap into the middle slot, couldn't see how far, really. Chose a substantial Mountain Mahogony bush, and rapped. Down 20 feet at the turnover, a sling and split ring around a substantial Mtn Mahogony. A clean shot to the canyon floor.

Sarah downclimbing the slot, to the middle part of the canyon.

Rapping over the edge, second rap...

Sarah about to go over the edge on the second rappel.

But I screwed up the 2nd rap anchor, and the pull side rope snagged the side of a flake, then burrowed under the flake. We pulled from the bottom, both our full weight, didn't budge. Thankfully, it went tight when the end of the rope was 2 feet above the ground. I ti-blocked all the way up, re-rigged the anchor and had Sarah test pull. No problemo. And of course, I KNEW the anchor was screwed up the first time, and we should have done a test pull!

Found only one Royce Trappier (RT) bolt. 20 feet off the ground, on the long, second rappel. Looks like Royce had a bad day. Sling elsewhere might have been his, but there were also new (Fixe) bolts in the canyon, and newish webbing. Someone has been doing the canyon. We saw foot prints that did not look real old.

Tom jugs back up to the top, 2nd rappel.

Then rapping back down. Nice location, eh?

Tom examines RT bolt, 20 feet off the deck.

After that, some pleasant walking with big trees, some annoying brush, but not much, then it slots up 100 feet from the end. A short rap at a chockstone, then a downclimb into a one-stroke-swim pothole, then what looks like a longer swim was only waist deep. Cold water this time of year. Then a 120 foot rappel, then climbing down through boulders and out to a bolt anchor, 30 foot rappel to the "edge of the world". Two pins and a bolt—300 feet pretty clean shot to the ground.

Applause when Sarah landed, the final rappel. Good view from over there, at the Weeping Rock balcony. We landed 50 feet away, no danger of knocking rocks on the tourists. A bit of a brushy bushwhack to get out, but thankfully short.

The pedestal ledge is exactly half way down. Top of the pinnacle is not reachable, but the chimney on the side had a ledge with a bolt anchor. Pulled up the rope and re-threw it to see if it made it. The half-way mark on the rope was in my face when on the ledge inside the chimney. OLD bolts in there, did not inspect it carefully.

Observation Point Canyon is not destined to be a classic, but a good day out. Looks like it might rain or snow tomorrow, so good to get it in before the winter closes in.

Overall - No scary sections really, all pretty clean. Had one downslideish to a hummock, shifted right and then rode the right half of the hummock down 8 feet to a fair ledge. Some downclimbing in there was the most dangerous thing we did all day. Weaving back and forth, sticky shoe test.

Southfacing - sunny. A bit of water, but not much. Shortish. Not classic, but... not too bad.

Tom

Thanks for dropping by. Keep it safe out there.