Easy Slot Canyons Near Moab
On most Southern Utah bucket lists, you’ll find the local favorite one-two punch of Peek-a-Boo and Spooky Slot Canyons. 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. Once you’re in, all you have to do is walk through a scenic paradise of red and purple rock.
From the trailhead, get into Dry Fork Wash via moderate scrambling down some short cliffs and following cairns as needed. Once you’re off the cliff and into the sand dunes, you’ll hike along the creek wash until you see the mouth of Peek-a-Boo. There are hand and foot cut-outs in the rock to help you get up and into the canyon.
Once you leave Peek-a-Boo, keep hiking (longer than you think you should, most likely) until you come to a juniper tree, then follow the trail and cairns leading to the right and the entrance of Spooky Gulch. Scramble down a mellow rock face to get into the canyon. It soon tightens up, and you’ll be having a good time navigating the confines of this fun canyon. The loop generally takes about 3-4 hours depending on pace and skill level.
- Easy Slot Canyons Near Moab
- Easy Slot Canyons Near Moab Canyon
- Easy Slot Canyons Near Moab Grand Canyon
Easy Slot Canyons Near Moab
Route Description
Pleiades is so named for the seven waterfalls/rappels in a very beautiful canyon. We did the entire trail, rappels and all, in about 3 hours with four people. If you are an experienced canyoneer you could easily do this canyon much quicker. The Pleiades Canyon trailhead begins right here after about a 40 minute drive from Moab. There are 4 rappels, with the longest being 90 feet. A 60m rope, accompanied with ample webbing is plenty for this canyon. Angel Cove Slot. These two canyons are my brother’s favorite in Utah. With the fantastic views of the area, and the huge walls by the Dirty Devil river, it’s a really fun canyon to explore.
The Holeman Slot starts beside the road, here running over a white slickrock plateau marked with many small potholes that hold water for some time after rainfall. The ravine deepens via a few drops of 2 to 3 feet, descending through crisp, light brown/orange rocks crossed with thin layers either lighter or darker in color, which add to the prettiness of the curving, water-carved canyon sides. Shallow pools form in a few places after rainfall, and some parts of the floor may be covered by soft mud, but there are no significant obstacles until a slanting, two-stage drop of about 15 feet into a pool, at the start of the deepest and narrowest section of the canyon. This doesn't extend very far, however, soon opening out into a wider passageway with an entrance/exit route on the north side, followed by more shallow, twisting narrows that gradually deepen again until blocked by a chokestone above an overhanging drop. This is climbable, but a much bigger dryfall soon after marks the end of the slot, as the ravine opens out abruptly to a sheer-sided, 80 foot deep box canyon that winds its way westwards towards the Green River.
Easy Slot Canyons Near Moab Canyon
And it was easy to feel and get stuck in that last very narrow slot canyon – I literally could not breath for a few moments as the rocks were pressing against my chest. A very unnerving experience. To anyone considering hiking it, I highly recommend elbow and knee pads and pants, otherwise you will get scraped up good. Slot canyons are one of the most unique and remarkable natural features you can explore in Utah. Burro Wash, Cottonwood Wash, and Sheets Gulch are Capitol Reef’s best slot canyon hikes, and are filled with challenges like scrambling over chockstones, or stones wedged into the slots, navigating around water, and squeezing through tight spaces.