When it comes to outdoor adventure in Southern Utah, there is nothing quite like canyoneering through a sandstone slot. Canyoneering gets you down into the earth, where you are forced to touch and interact with the rock, sand and water. Canyoneering is dirty, wet, sometimes dangerous, and not for the claustrophobic. But when a canyoneering trip is good, it’s about the most fun you’ll ever have.
There are several areas in Utah where hundreds of slot canyons can be explored, such as Zion National Park, the San Rafael Swell, and Robber’s Roost. But the Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument is my personal favorite. As you drive down the Hole in the Rock road from the town of Escalante, the slot canyons just line up before you. Although you can’t see the slots from the road, every dirt turn-off leads to one. The camping is good, single and multi-day treks are everywhere, and the canyons offer everything from easy strolls to technical suffer-fests.
A good example of a typical slot canyon is Egypt 3. This canyon has everything, including tight squeezes through red-rock walls, swimming through huge potholes, and rappelling over smooth sandstone drops. Getting there is an easy hike down a slickrock incline to the canyon’s entrance. The slot begins after a short walk at the top of the canyon, though the walls soon close in, choking the sky until it is just a sliver of blue overhead. Occasionally, the canyon opens back up, allowing a respite from the constant squeezing and stemming, only to tighten up again. After a short rappel, there are several potholes to swim through, including one long swim through a tunnel-like constriction where all you can do is try and keep your face in a small air-pocket between the water and the rock above. Once on the other side, the canyon widens at its end where the long hike back to the car begins.
As with all adventures in Southern Utah, spring and fall are the best times to go canyoneering, but many canyons can be done in summer as there is little sunlight in the slots. Never go canyoneering if rain is in the forecast as flash floods are always a deadly concern and usually happen from August through October. Being in shape and knowing how to rappel, climb, scramble, squeeze, stem and contort your body through curving rock walls is a good idea. Some technical canyons require certain types of gear such as ropes, webbing, harnesses, dry bags and even wetsuits. But a lot of water is the most important item to bring when exploring the Utah desert.
There are hundreds of slot canyons waiting to be explored in Southern Utah. Just pick one and start canyoneering.
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