PINE CREEK

Pine Creek Slot is a great little technical slot that offers the excitement of ropework and swimming, along with some spectacular geology, gorgeous colors, and an obnoxious exit.  The upside is that the entrance is just at the east exit of the Carmel Tunnel, and you won't find a technical slot that is easier to start than this!  Of course this means it can be real busy with both large beginner groups and slow old-fart photography types like me.  The lighting seems best in May-June around mid-day.  I've also been through in October when the cathedral (or swiss cheese cavern as I like to call it) is not well illuminated.  

Photographically you are advised to take a tripod.  The shot at the left was made at 1/10 at f11 using a 28mm lens.  You could hand hold this (maybe, if you went to f8 or f5.6), but it's best to play it safe and setup with a rigid support.   Some hard-core macho-type canyoneers have said that it is possible to "get through" this canyon in 30 minutes.  Well maybe, and you might be motivated to do it if you ill-planned your start and found yourself inside with thunder booming, rain falling, and worse still with flowing water rising.  But I can't imagine not spending a lot of time in here.  There are a couple glowing wall sections that remind of Antelope or Round Valley, a very dark swimming pool about 20 meters long, and a gigantic free rap down through an incredible sculpted column at the end.  Take your time and enjoy.  

The water is quite cold in here.  I take a drysuit because I often like to stand around in the pools and do photography.  You have to be careful not to scrape too much on a drysuit or you will start feeling little trickles inside.  A wetsuit doesn't have this problem, but is nasty to get on and off, and never seems quite warm enough if you are not moving around.  The water can be in the 40's.  Drysuits can be rented at Zion Adventure Company in Springdale.

The only downsides of Pine Creek are that a) it is popular and b) the exit back to the highway is not nearly as neat as the canyon itself.  One can stay left high up against the cliff wall and it's a little shorter walk out to the last east-end curve in the road before the tunnel.  Alternatively, boulder hop the creek down to the second east-end curve in the road.  This latter route is a little longer but much prettier.

Along with the tripod take a wide angle lens if you have one.  My 28mm was used the most.  If you want to focus in on action by an individual, a normal or 85mm lens would be nice, but you will have trouble holding these steady.  Telephoto lenses defeat the goals of 3D (i.e. depth perception) because they compress distance, so I usually leave them at home for use with the hummingbirds.

Ref.  An extensive website on Zion canyoneering is in Tom's Guide:  http://www.canyoneeringusa.com/utah/zion/pine.htm

For second and third opinions try:  Shane Burrow's page http://climbutah1.homestead.com/Pinecreek.html  or Kelsey, " Canyon Hiking Guide to the Colorado Plateau", Kelsey Publishing, 1999.

Disclaimer:  The goal of these trip notes is to suggest good photographic locations and what I consider pretty neat hikes.  These paragraphs should not be used as a canyoneering guide.  Seek out good maps and detailed information, and get properly prepared before entering any slot canyon.