Rachel Grindlay is an active canyoner, bushwalker and adventurer. In her official website’s logbook the visitor can see almost 800 entries full of information, photographs & more according to the date and location of her travels. Rachel and her soulmate Tom Brennan have walked, climbed, crossed numerous amazing places over the last years.
As she points out in her About page, the actual reason for her website is to keep a record of her outdoor activities and photos. She likes canyoning in the summer and bushwalking in the winter. Tom likes more outdoor stuff apart from canyoning and bushwalking which include cycling, mountain biking, climbing and kayaking.
I found her (and his) website as I was searching information about canyoning in Utah – I have to say it was a very pleasant surprise. Going through the pages I found myself surrounded by beautiful nature and pure, delightful adventures in the wild. Amazing images of sceneries coming out of fairytales, made me kind of jealous – I wish that I could have been with them among their friends.
On the main menu, right at the end one can read about Zion National Park and canyoning in Utah generaly. During the period 2013 – 2017, they visited various canyons in the district and suggest the following easiest:
Keyhole, Pine Creek, Birch Hollow, Russell Gulch and The Subway, Russell Gulch, Das Boot, Middle Echo, Orderville (from the top), Spry, Behunin (including side trip to Angel’s Landing), Fat Man’s Misery, Deadeye Dick & Mighty Mouse, Diana’s Throne and Mystery (difficult to get a permit so plan well in advance).
For our canyoning friends who wish to visit Utah for their holidays it is highly recommended to go through Rachel’s tips in terms of canyoning gear, ropes, drinkable water and shoes. Both she and Tom find La Sportiva their favorite brand for canyoning in the canyons of Zion. Also, getting an Annual Parks Pass is the best option if you want to stay for more days than a week. Don’t forget that you must have a permit for each canyon that you want to visit. Booking in advance is something you need to plan ahead. Campground sites must be booked even six months prior your trip. So many tips!
You can read all very useful information here: https://grindlay.org/tips-on-utah-canyoning/ and set a goal to descend the rappels of this amazing side of the wolrd.
