Joe Braun, a canyoneering guide who lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, visited Keyhole Canyon last week when the weather was calm. "It is not possible to contact everyone." "Ninety percent of Zion is wilderness," park ranger Therese Picard said. By that time, park officials say, there was no way to alert them to the violent floodwaters coming their way. This group was already in the canyon when a flash flood warning led park officials to announce they were closing their canyons.
But dozens of adventure-seekers go anyway. Park rangers regularly warn hikers that flash flooding during monsoon season can turn southern Utah's beautiful canyons into deadly channels of fast-moving water and debris. Zion spokeswoman Aly Baltrus said some members of the group were new to canyoneering, but they took a class to prepare. It's considered an entry-level canyon for people who have some experience but are still new to the sport.
7 HIKERS DIED IN ZION NATIONAL PARK FLASH FLOOD FULL
The Keyhole Canyon at Zion in southern Utah where the hikers were killed is what canyoneers call a "rap and swim" canyon, full of a series of drops where hikers rappel down into pools of water, Allen said. Water flows through cracks in the earth and gradually erodes the sandstone underneath, leaving caverns narrow enough for hikers to touch the sides when they stretch out their arms.Īdventure-seekers also get a rush from the combination of rock climbing, swimming, hiking and cave exploration, all in a setting totally different from the surrounding desert, Allen said.
Outdoor enthusiasts are attracted to slot canyons by what Allen calls "eye candy" created by nature.
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