Slot Canyons in Southern Utah???

[roadtripper]

I'm planning a 3-week trip to Utah for next spring and I'm finding it terribly difficult to find some easy-access, non-technical hikes (no ropes) to one or several of those awesome slot canyons that are in southern Utah/Northern Arizona.

Has anybody been to any of these? I've heard awesome things about Buckskin Gulch...but that's about it. Anybody have any personal recommendations or heard rumors about the best ones in that area?

Thanks!

 

[halfmoon]

Resources

My friend and I did a technical loop hike through Robber's Roost this past May. In reading up on that, I found several good resources for both technical and non-technical hikes. I guy named Michael Kelsey has the best guide to the slot canyons of Utah and Arizona. Have a quick look on Amazon for his titles, I can highly recommend his "Red" and "Blue" book, although I cannot remember the exact titles and I am not home at the moment. The Blue book should be all non-technical slot canyon hikes. Also, I couple websites that I thought proved useful were:

http://climb-utah.com/index.htm

http://www.canyoneeringusa.com/utah/

 

[MattS]

Earlier this month I was in Southern Utah (I visited Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, Arches). I don't know the difference between slot canyons and other canyons, but I strongly suggest hiking the narrows (the full length) in Zion National Park. It is a 16 miles hike in a canyon and most of the time the water is up to your knees and sometimes even over your head. Springtime there may be more danger of flooding so check with the park rangers before heading out. You can check out my web page, which has my complete trip report and pictures. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.
http://home.comcast.net/~matthew.smith2/southwest/southwest.html



Matt

 

[Tomahawk]

This morning I just finished reading Aron Ralston's book, "Between a Rock and a Hard Place". If you don't recognize the name, he is the extreme hiker who got stuck in a slot canyon in Utah when a chockstone fell on his right hand. He was stuck for 6 days with little water and ended up amputating his hand to free himself. So be careful and have fun!

 

[Paul_Bear]

There's lots of good info available on the web. Try google.

Buckskin requires permits and has a daily quotas, the BLM has a web site with the details.

If it's your first visit to the area, I highly recommend the book:

Hiking the Southwest's Canyon Country
by Sandra Hinchman

There are enough good hikes in the book to last a couple of months.

A few non-technical slots that come to mind:

Peekabo & Spooky Gulches - near Escalante
Crack, Chute, Little Wild Horse - near Goblin Valley

 

[sli74]

I absolutely LOVED Paria River Canyon, I didn't go the Buckskin Gulch Route because I had a newbie with me but it was by far the most gorgeous canyon I have seen. Here is a link to my trip report and pictures from that trip, if you are interested.

http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=2185

I also backpacked the Zion Narrows and those are amazing as well.

You can also try for hikes in Escalante. If you need specific info about any of these places, let me know and I can consult the 2-3 Guidebooks I own. Have fun !!!!

sli74

 

[thuja]

Hard to find info?

Like everyplace else, it seems, there are burgeoning guidebooks. I have, for example "canyoneering 3: loop hikes in utah's escalante". The "3" implies there are at least a couple more. Probably on Amazon, undoubtedly available in Salt Lake.

One source of difficulty may perhaps be your requirement for easy-access non-technical. Slot canyons tend to be hard. Even if they do not require ropes, there are hazards and psychological burdens to squeezing yourself through some slot which is barely wide enough for you, moving sideways.

 

[askus3]

I just got back from a terrific trip to Utah and one hike I did and highly recommend for a moderate day hike and totally non-technical was the Bell Canyon/Little Wild Horse slot canyon combination. The hike was 8.7 miles in length and was truly spectacular narrow and predominantly dry. This hike is now well marked and the only warning is that the approach road is a little rough but not nearly as bad as Caribou Valley Road in to the AT crossing of the Crockers. You have two rough washes you have to cross, but if dry present no problem.

You approach it by following the signs to Goblin Valley State Park off of UT 24 and go west. When the entry booth is in view for the state park, you will see the sign for Little Wild Horse to go to the right. From the pavement it is 5.3 miles to the trailhead parking lot. I will eventually link you to my pictures but probably not until Xmas. For now, I link you to: http://climb-utah.com/SRS/lwh.htm

This is a great hike on a dry day. Accessible and non-technical and two canyons for the price of one. Circular hike. To complete the day, visit Goblin Valley a 1-2 hour stop there is worth it. Also, in the evening, spend the night at Joy's B&B in Hanksville (make a reservation in advance as she is 83 years old running this house and B&B for $55 for the night (can't beat that price!!!) - only has 2 rooms and serves a terrific breakfast - mention my name (the father/daughter combo that stayed at her place) as 2006 might be her last year in the business and it is in a perfect location in Hanksville), before heading onward to Capitol Reef. Or in reverse direction after visiting Capitol Reef. If you have any further questions about this hike or any of the others in the region that I recommend, e-mail me.

 

[Glen L]

UT/AZ slots

Spent a month canyon hiking inc lotsa slots in both 94 & 96 so can't address current regs. Did Paria-Buckskin on both trips (it was that good) To avoid shuttle issues consider hiking out way you came.
Kelsey's "Canyon Hiking Guide to CO Plateau" was bible then. Doubt that newer publications could surpass it. He details 114 hikes inc many slots.
Also highly recommend Black Hole of Lower White Canyon (if you don't mind a short swim or two) His best hikes list has these as #'s 1 & 2. Others I enjoyed were Zion Narrows (#4) Muley twist C, Fish & Owl creek, Wolverine & Little Death Hollow (#13), Escalante tribs inc Coyote Gulch(#6)Death Hollow (#16)
Get Kelsey's book & expect a permanently affixed smile while hiking !

 

[WalksWithBlackflies]

Excellent post... I'm "planning" to do some slot canyons in early December, but haven't come across much info. I want to do Buckskin, but problem is, the BLM website is down so I can't make reservations. Instead, the BLM is having a lottery each morning at 9am. That's convenient for an out-of-stater. Here is a detailed webpage about Buckskin and Coyote Gulch:

http://www.summitpost.org/show/mountain_link.pl/mountain_id/2092