moab slot canyon hikes
The initial hike to Zebra canyon is flat and easy, but the slot itself is difficult because its so tight and usually has standing water. Read these additionalresourcesto learn how to travel thoughtfully and experience Moab most fully. It is a 4.65 mile trail that starts at the banks of the Colorado River. It has a slot canyon you hike through to begin your hike to the top of the area. Great hike for those seeking solitude. This hike offers lots of solitude away from the national parks. Nowadays you have to pay for a permit to do the Kanarra Creek hike because of its popularity, and there are a limited number of permits available per day. But, its really stunning and well worth a visit. Whether youre a newbie or a seasoned canyoneer, here are six expert tips for your next canyoneering adventure. The premiere way to experience Canyonlands is from the ethers. An incredible canyoneering introduction, with two rappels: 100' into a hidden chasm, and 110' off a giant rock arch! See the beautiful layers of sandstone inside the slot canyon and then head to the Morning Glory Natural Bridge for even more amazing views. Willis Creek isnt as narrow as other canyons on the list, but its grand and has a bit more vegetation than other slot canyons in Utah. So you could start hiking right away in the creek, or just follow the dry trail for another few hundred feet, and eventually it will force you to hike in the creek. Of course I cant make a list of the best slot canyons in Utah without mentioning Antelope Canyon, which is famous for being one of the most beautiful places in America! This is the quintessential slot canyon hike. The drive in. Willis Creek is pure fun. This is another crazy slot canyon located near Peekaboo, and most people do these two slots as a loop hike since theyre located so close together. Mileage: 5.8 milesElevation gain: 1,227 ftDifficulty: EasyEstimated Time: 3 hoursEntry Fee: NonePermits required? Brimstone GulchEastern Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. As you visit, do your part to keep Utah Forever Mighty. One last look before we turn around! SEDONA: Get links to all of our articles in our Sedona Travel Guide. We decided to explore a little side canyon, and it was so cool! Planning a trip to Utah? These magnificent hikes, located in the Dry Fork area of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument area, can be done individually, but they make for a killer loop you can tackle in one afternoon of adventure. Follow a winding canyon stream out to the Colorado River. With pink and red striped walls, this slot canyon is uniquely beautiful. Scratching your name on the walls and destroying ancient rock art with your own markings are actually federal felonies, so dont do it. Peekaboo Canyon may be our favorite slot canyon Utah has to offer. Distance: 8.1 miles for the full Little Wild Horse Bell Canyon Loop Difficulty: Moderate Time: 4 to 6 hours Getting Here: This hike is located in the San Rafael Swell of Utah. Experiencing the peace of canyon country in the winter is an attraction of its own. Canyonlands is home to many different types of travel experiences, from sublime solitude in the more remote stretches of the park to moderate hikes through the Needles district to the opportunity to create your own version of one of the West's most photographed landforms, Mesa Arch. 6. One slot canyon near Moab is the Mary Jane Slot Canyon. More Information: Dead Horse Rim Loop Trail. Even on a slot canyon hike, there are still plenty of parts on the trail where you'll be exposed to direct sun, so you might want sunscreen. Truth is, just setting foot on the centers 26-acre ranch can feel transformative. Check it out and plan your trip! This one is technically located in Arizona, but its very close to the southern border of Utah and you can visit it on a day trip from there. Local Tip: Its a tight squeeze to get into the canyon, but it is doable if you hike sideways and think thin or stem (put both feet on the side of the canyon walls and walk up the walls) to get some more room. Its possible to hike the entire Narrows in one full day if you get a permit in advance, but most people just go partway and then turn back (no permit required for that). What starts off as a tiny crack steadily grows larger from repeat flash floods and erosion over millions of years. Use a tool like weather.gov to check the weather for the specific canyon you plan to visit. Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity. The next half mile is a scenic section of the canyon with soaring sandstone walls. Antelope Canyon is a favorite with photographers, and for good reason. Youll definitely want to wear water/hiking shoes. Will you be brave enough to stand under the falls?! Local Tip: This is an EXTREMELY popular canyon, arrive before 8 am if you want any chance at solitude. Fun to explore and extremely photogenic, slot canyons provide a unique hiking experience. Extra socks arent a bad idea either especially if there are reports of water in the canyons. Looking for advice on slot canyons to hike for a 1/2 to full day. A good one for beginners is Little Wild Horse Canyon near Goblin Valley. One slot canyon near Moab is the Mary Jane Slot Canyon. You can do this if you plan to Loop the Fold, a one day road trip around a remote region of this park. Ding & Dang Canyon requires some technical ability since theres climbing and occasionally deep water. Learn more about the parks and how to plan your visit in our Guide to Utahs Mighty 5. Are you ready to go exploring? Utah is home to several great dog-friendly national parks and other fun destinations. It would be hard to take a bad picture here. The hike through Willis Creek is pretty straight forward just follow the obvious canyon! The Ultimate Guide Dog Friendly Hikes in Escalante, Utah! Or, hike the entire length of the Narrows from the top-down, either as a very long and challenging one-day hike or as a two day backpacking trip. . The Peekaboo Slot Canyon is like an adult playground, with lots of fun obstacles to cross and wonderful red rock walls to admire. Experience one of the most unique slot canyons in Utah with the Spooky and Peek a Boo Canyon loop. However, you do need a permit for the lesser-visited top-down hike.Pet Friendly? A slot canyon is a narrow canyon passageway formed in rock (usually sandstone) that has been eroded by water over time, eventually creating a keyhole-like crack in the rock that is just wide enough for a person to fit through. Departure Times: Morning and Afternoon. The small park is absolutely worth a day-trip, and the loop hike around the main viewpoints is nice and family-friendly. You can turn around at any point, but most people hike/ wade as far as the Wall Street section, which is three miles in. Mary Jane Slot Canyon is one of Moabs hidden gems the trail is a creek the entire way, which leads to a 30 ft waterfall. . For the full list, read our Best Hikes in Zion guide. This excellent hike above the Colorado River Canyon leads to three arches, including Corona Arch, one of the largest arches in the Moab area. If youre looking for how to enjoy the best slot canyons in Utah like a pro, and not a tourist, then youre in the right place! Check out our post: Should you visit Upper or Lower Antelope Canyon? Thanks for your support. All Rights Reserved. All within a few hours, the best hikes in Moab will take you around canyon rims, through slot canyons and across other-worldly terrain. ADULT (13+) $129 . Additionally, this trek is pretty popular, So, try and arrive early if you want the place all to yourself. This is a great trail to do year-round since the creek always flows and cools you off. Lower Antelope Canyon: A Photographic Tour, Upper Antelope Canyon: A Journey in Photos, A Photojourney through Peek-A-Boo Gulch and Spooky Gulch, How to Hike the Little Wild Horse Bell Canyon Loop, Complete Guide to Hiking the Zion Narrows, How to Loop the Fold in Capitol Reef National Park, 10 Days in the American Southwest: The Ultimate Road Trip, Two Week American Southwest Road Trip: Grand Canyon & Utahs Mighty 5, Grand Canyon Road Trip: 5 Itineraries from Las Vegas. And because this slot canyon is so amazing and photogenic, its on this list of the best slots canyons in Utah. It takes forever to grow, so walk around any cryptobiotic soil you encounter. The trailhead is located six miles from Goblin Valley State Park. The Willis Creek Slot Canyon is another short and easy trail through some scenic narrows in southern Utah, with wavy vanilla-colored rocks and impressive passageways. When you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, we get paid a small commission at no extra cost to you. All in all, this was one of our favorite Utah slot canyons! It's a good idea to download an offline map of your hiking area on an app like Google Maps, that way you can keep using it to navigate or find your position even when you're out of reception. The result are winding, smooth canyon walls that are simply mesmerizing. Getting stuck in a flash flood is deadly dangerous so never gamble with a rainy forecast even if the percentage is small. The Mary Jane Slot Canyon is one of Moab's hidden gems. Water. This hike offers awesome scenery and lots of solitude away from the national parks. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Here are several tours and entrance tickets to popular slot canyons in the American Southwest. We are planning a trip at the end of February, from Las Vegas through the Mojave Desert to Joshua Tree NP, and this looks like another cool area to explore. The easiest (and prettiest) way to access the heart of this incredible canyon system is via the Wire Pass slot canyon. Republishing this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, etc. Often filled with water, wetsuits are recommended for this hike. Slot canyons can be extremely dangerous places if you dont know what youre doing. Youll need a 4WD high-clearance vehicle to reach the trailhead, which is really just a stop along a dry river bed. 10. Slot canyons are more common in the San Rafael, Robbers Roost area southwest of Green River, about 90 minutes from Moab. Morning Glory Arch Canyon. Bryce Canyon is also a short distance away and Dead Horse Point State Park stands proud over the Colorado River. More information at go.nps.gov/archesticket. If youre new to hiking slot canyons in Utah (or anywhere for that matter) there are a few important safety tips to keep in mind. Moab is home to the best slot canyons in Utah, making it the perfect place for slot canyon hikes ranging from easy to difficult. Take a winter break to refresh with a visit to a few of these places. This waterfall is a double-tongued waterfall halted by a chockstone, about 30 feet high. The Zebra Slot Canyon is a spectacular passageway in Escalante, Utah, with wild rock colors and wavy zebra striped walls. Our friend was in a Camry and made it just fine, but slowly. And because slot canyons are formed from rushing water, the danger of flash floods still exists today. From narrow slot canyons to grand sweeping vistas, sandstone plateaus to meandering rivers, San Rafael Country and the San Rafael Swell are home to some of the most spectacular scenery in Utah. Women entrepreneurs in Utah have been particularly successful at honing their expertise. Try to pack at least 3-4 liters per person. Of course I have to mention the mother of all slot canyons, the Zion Narrows! Location: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument on Hole-in-the-Rock Road Distance: 5 miles Difficulty: The trail to the slot canyon is easy; the slot canyon can be challenging Read more: How to hike Zebra Canyon. This is a great trail to do when Moab is too hot, and you, the dogs, or kids need to cool off. It is said that Utah has the largest concentration of slot canyons in the world, and many of them are easily accessible. Adventure, Responsible Travel, Climbing and Canyoneering. Hunters Canyon (4 miles roundtrip) This easy trail goes up Hunter Canyon, just south of the Colorado River west of Moab. 10 Amazing Slot Canyons to Explore. The canyon is beautiful, similar to the more famous Negro Bill Canyon east of Moab. Its also one of the quieter hikes on this list which is part of its appeal. Surprise Canyon, located about one mile away, is also a short, fun canyon to explore. You can turn around from here, or continue to the road. The most important thing to know about hiking a slot canyon is the weather. Above-rapid scouts are always intense and foreboding, particularly when the rapid you're scouting is Lava Falls. Kanarra Falls is a permit-only hike and is limited to 150 hikers a day, so make sure to snag yours up ahead of time. Families with dinosaur enthusiasts (of all ages) will enjoy this interesting short hike to a large boulder with dinosaur tracks above the Colorado River. Secondly, Coyote Gulch is mentioned as a potential hike you are planning to do in the future. Canyonlands National Park is one of the best places to view 360-degree gorges in the state of Utah. This hike follows an easy trail to a rider overlooking the Fisher Towers, which are scenic rock formations eroded into interesting shapes. There are more than 1,000 slot canyons in the deserts of Utah, which actually has the densest collection of slot canyons in the world. Therefore, the best time to hike a slot canyon is when there is no rain in the forecast. You're into the first slot within 15-20 minutes of hiking. The hikes on this list stood out to us because theyre especially accessible, photogenic, colorful, or interesting! Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity. The best way to visit this slot canyon is by entering from Wire Pass, that way you get to see two slot canyons for the price of one! Affiliate Disclosures Privacy Policy Terms Of Use Here are some of the best Zion slot canyons: These are some of the best slot canyons near Zion National Park. A slot canyon refers to a sandstone canyon that has a narrow width (usually a few feet wide or less). Our hiking trips are for very small groups (no larger than six), which is why they cost a bit more than outfits that group together as many as thirty people. I was deep in a slot canyon with walls like sheaves of shelf mushrooms, stretching my arms up toward geologic history. This is one of the best slot canyons in Utah that sits less than two hours away from Moab in Green River, Utah. rappelling, walking across fins, exploring slot canyons and enjoying the magnificent views from a whole new . The World Travel Guy 2023 The Spring Creek Canyon is another nice slot canyon by the little town of Kanarra, located less than 1 hour from Zion National Park. You should see the creek within 5 minutes, and be hiking in a generally SE direction. As we set up camp near Arches National Park, the sun lit up the bluffs and the light melted into the western horizon. Moderate climbing, a fixed rope line, and extremely deep and narrow slots prevent this from being dog-friendly.Highlights: Super-narrow canyon, small climb in the beginning, an arch within the slot canyon. After months of being at home, weve all been disconnected from each other but connected permanently to our screens. Duration: Approximately 5 hrs. There are a few set hand lines and ropes to assist with some of the climbing. Mileage: 5.2 milesElevation gain: 377 ftDifficulty: ModerateEstimated Time: 2.5 hoursEntry Fee: NonePermits required? When people refer to Antelope Canyon . Book Now: Lower Antelope Canyon / Antelope Canyon X Tour. From the Coyote Buttes/Wire Pass Trailhead, head down the wash until you reach an obvious slot. Trail contacts: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Moab Field Office, 82 E. Dogwood, Moab 84532; (435) 259-2100; website. There are parts where you have to shuffle sideways just to fit your body through the slot, and backpacks have to be carried awkwardly overhead. Be sure to check out. These water-cut canyons transport you to another world. Located just down Hole-in-the-Rock Road from Zebra Slot Canyon are two thrilling slot canyons to explore. Location: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, near Cannonville Distance: 3 miles Difficulty: Easy Read more: Hiking Willis Creek Canyon. You actually need to hike in the river that runs through the narrow slot canyon! Its definitely one of our favorite Utah canyons. A Grand Adventure: Part 4. If youre looking for colorful sandstone walls that will blow your mind, then youve got to check out the Zebra Slot Canyon in Escalante. Do not enter any slot canyon if rain is in the forecast, even if it's outside of your immediate area. The closest slot canyons to Salt Lake City are about 3.5 hours away in the San Rafael Swell (Little Wild Horse Canyon and Ding and Dang Canyon). When canyoneering through the Robbers Roost area, the power of nature is on full display in its slot canyons, landscapes and lingering traces of ancient inhabitants. From here, head either left or right until youre ready to turn around. You can find this canyon along BLM road 98 about 40 minutes east of Moab. Head to East Zion to glimpse wondrous slot canyons, soaring sandstone monoliths and crimson-colored cliffs without the crowds. There are a bunch of good slot canyons near Zion National Park, and its possible to combine one or two of these with a visit to the park. Oftentimes in canyoneering we find ourselves descending into unlikely places where most folks normally wouldn't desire to go. The Red Hollow Slot Canyon is a short and easy hike in Orderville, Utah, not too far from the popular Zion and Bryce national parks. Use this map if you are driving from Moab. We did Spring Creek on a weekday and the trail was almost completely empty, so thats another thing it has going for it! Mileage: 6 milesElevation gain: 1,017 ftDifficulty: ModerateEstimated Time: 4 hoursEntry Fee: $12Permits required? Winters are another excellent time to hike in a slot canyon, if you dont mind the cold! Leave it better than you found it. But so nice and compact. Its also one of the most popular hikes in the area so make reservations well in advance (like months) and do not expect to have this place all to yourself. The desert is a delicate place and waste does not break down, so packing out your poo (or using toilets at trailheads) is the best way to respect this fragile environment. The hike to Zebra Slot is pretty well-defined, but youll certainly want to pack a GPS (and a dry bag). The Moonshine Wash is another scenic slot canyon located less than 2 hours from Moab, Utah. Death Valley is an awesome spot to visit in the winter/early spring/late fall. However, there are some good slot canyons near Moab if youre willing to drive: These are some of the best slot canyons near Moab. Slot canyons are one of the top, hidden treasures found within Southern Utah's diverse redrock landscape. Visitors can explore the intricate and narrow gorges cut through beautifully layered sedimentary deposits over immense time in the Colorado Plateau, which provides the artistic foundation for the natural . Location: Page, Arizona Distance: Less than one mile Difficulty: Easy Read more: Lower Antelope Canyon: A Photographic Tour and Upper Antelope Canyon: A Journey in Photos. Never hike in a slot canyon with a rainy forecast. Two different slot canyons make up Antelope Canyon and both offer very different experiences. Pack out your poop. Want to avoid the Utah national park crowds? They are named for their narrow width, often squeezing down to a sliver. ( 4 miles roundtrip ) this easy trail goes up Hunter canyon located. The trailhead is located six miles from Goblin Valley federal felonies, so another... Republishing this article and/or any of its own scenic slot canyon is a 4.65 mile trail that starts the. 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