Hidden Slot Canyons Utah
The trailhead is Best Friends Animal Sanctuary (Angel Canyon Rd.) located between the Kanab and Mt. To get started, head out on a sandy track on the north side of US 89 (37.154,-112.573). 4WD vehicles can drive all (2.8 miles) or part of this track, which leads to the drainage below the. Slot canyons are narrow gorges in soft rocks like Utah’s layered sedimentary deposits. They are named for their narrow width, often squeezing down to a sliver. It is said that Utah has the largest concentration of slot canyons in the world, and many of them are easily accessible. The canyon starts near the historic Hidden Splendor Mine at the southern end of the San Rafael Swell. To get there, stop at the small town of Green River, Utah and make sure your gas tank is full. From there drive west on I-70 about 29 miles and take exit number 131.
Added by Spencer Rudy
Red Hollow is a short, easy, and scenic slot canyon just outside of Zion National Park, Utah. This is a good slot canyon for beginners with easy scrambling in some places.
The trailhead is about 18 miles from the eastern entrance of Zion National Park, located in the small town of Orderville. In Orderville, the streets aren't marked too well, so follow the road that goes past the cemetery and the school, 100 East. When the road Ts, turn left. The road ends in a sandy dirt road, and you can either park near the paved road or you can drive down and park by the fence if you have a 4x4. Once you reach to fenced in water tower, head down into the wash and follow it toward the red and white cliffs. The trail is exposed to the sun in the wash, but once you get into the slot canyon it is cool and shady.
The slot canyon goes about a mile in before you have to turn around. The red walls rise up above you and the trail is fairly narrow. There are some sections in this slot canyon where you will need to climb over some boulders, but it is nothing too hard. The canyon twists and turns until it reaches a dead end and you have to head back out. Be aware that if there has been rain recently, the canyon might be filled with water. If there is water in the canyon, only enter if the level is low and you know advanced canyoneering skills such as stemming.
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Join the communityReviews
Stavros Mitchelides
about 3 years ago
Super fun hike!
Did it today as I'm staying in a hotel nearby and heard about it. There are 3 difficult rope climbs that will be impassible for some people...huge boulders blocked the way up and ropes were put in to get over them. THe first is about 20' high and the second is about 3/4 that. The last rope ascends what looks like a 50' climb, I only made it half way up that last rope because I was worried about damaging my camera. Amazing hike, I'll post about it on my blog this week at www.welovetoexplore.com!
5.0
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Hiking Mary Jane Slot Canyon, Moab
Mary Jane Slot Canyon is one of Moab’s hidden gems – the “trail” is a creek the entire way, which leads to a 30 ft waterfall. This is a great trail to do when Moab is too hot, and you, the dogs, or kids need to cool off. The canyon walls get higher as you hike further into the canyon, and eventually will reach upwards of 100 ft! There are several side canyons that allow for exploring tighter slot canyons. I first hiked this trail in March 2015, and really loved it. I just had to get back to show my friends what it was like! You can check out my original article on KSL here.
One warning for Mary Jane Slot Canyon is that, like with any other slot canyon, you do NOT want to hike here during or right after a rainstorm due to the possibility of a flash flood.
You’ll want to wear water shoes for this hike – 90% of the “trail” is hiking through the creek.
Use this map if you are driving from Moab.
Use this map if you are driving from Fruita, CO.
Distance: 9 miles RT
Elevation gain: 540 ft
Time: 4-6 hours
Dog friendly? Yes, off leash
Kid friendly? Yes, but it may be too long for younger kids
Fees/Permits? None
The drive in. As soon as you turn onto the dirt road you should see a sign “Ranch Road – Dead End” but keep driving and follow the directions. You can see the LaSals peaking out from behind the mesas, and you should be able to see the famous “Priest & Nuns” rock formation to the SW.
We had a Tacoma, but small cars can make it. Our friend was in a Camry and made it just fine, but slowly.
The trail starts in the SE corner of the parking lot – do NOT follow the trail head sign for Professor/Sylvester Creek. That is another nice trail, but has no shade nor water. It leads to a pass along a mesa. I hiked that one about 3 years ago, so I don’t have a blog post for that trail.
Make sure you drop down the little gully (by the no camping sign), then up and over to the other side, following the dirt path. You should see the creek within 5 minutes, and be hiking in a generally SE direction.
The entire time the trail will go in and out of the creek. 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. Both ways work and meet up.
We followed the dry trail for about 10 minutes.
Hidden Slot Canyons Utah Ski
Here is where you are forced to start hiking in the creek, but hey I’m not complaining, that’s what we were here for!
It was only 70F in Moab, but the dogs were already hot. This is a great trail to do year-round since the creek always flows and cools you off.
The first mile of the trail is very open, and you can see all of the surrounding mesas and buttes. About 1/2 mile in, make sure you turn left, following the creek.
You’ll definitely want to wear water/hiking shoes. A few people wore Chacos, Keens, and I wore my Merrell’s. There are a lot of pebbles and rocks in the creek, so it’s better if you have fully closed water shoes, like the Merrell’s, so you don’t have to stop to get the rocks out of your shoes.
As you continue further up the canyon the walls will get higher and higher.
Super happy to be in the creek on a warm day!
Boulders in the creek.
The creek was never more than calf deep.
Puppy kisses!
We decided to explore a little side canyon, and it was so cool! The colors were amazing.
Finally, we reached the Mary Jane slot canyon waterfall! It takes most hikers about 2.5 hours to reach the waterfall. This waterfall is a double-tongued waterfall halted by a chockstone, about 30 feet high.
This photo was from the first time I hiked here, back in March 2015. The water level was much lower since we had a dry winter.
Jax was afraid of the waterfall – he didn’t even want to get close to his mom!
Girls Gone Hiking!
King of the canyon!
Hidden Slot Canyons Utah Restaurants
Hidden Slot Canyons Utah Lodging
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