You dont need any special gear or technical skills to do Zebra, but good fitness and prior experience in slots will help a lot, and you cant be claustrophobic or afraid of wading through dirty water. 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 . Experience one of the most unique slot canyons in Utah with the Spooky and Peek a Boo Canyon loop. To help you choose a hike outside the parks, weve selected a few of the best. Experience more peace, quiet and solitude. This is a great one for beginners. Overview: This excellent out-and-back trail leads up a canyon lined with towering sandstone cliffs. Antelope Canyon is located in Arizona, right near the border with Utah. Utah offers all kinds of adventurous day trips for visitors start planning your getaway today. Our guide to the most breathtaking Utah panoramas is only a click away. The highlight of this canyon is the pink and yellow pastel stripes that decorate the canyon. The bad news is that the Narrows is getting extremely popular. Among the exceptionally beautiful slot canyon hikes in the southern San Rafael area, Little Wild Horse Canyon is a classic, as well as the perfect introduction both to non-technical canyoneering for just about anyone in decent shape. Flash flood hazards are a real threat and floods kill people in slot canyons every year. Dont bust the crust. The nearby Ding and Dang Canyons are a bit more difficult, and best suited for experienced hikers. Whenever you buy something through one of these links, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Climb slickrock ledges to explore the slot and a nearby alcove devoid of rock art. Moreover, make sure you bring enough water for the hike. Utah happens to have the largest concentration of these unique landmarks in the world making it an ideal place to explore these natural wonders. From there, it is a one-mile easy walk on a paved trail alongside the river to the start of the slot canyon and The Narrows hike. As we set up camp near Arches National Park, the sun lit up the bluffs and the light melted into the western horizon. Hike Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and More with Wildland Trekking - Expert Local Guides, #1 on Trip Advisor. 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. Trail contacts: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Moab Field Office, 82 E. Dogwood, Moab 84532; (435) 259-2100; website. The Buckskin Slot Canyon is great for photos, and its also notable for having some petroglyphs that are easy to reach. Clutching my hat with both hands, the wind roared and whipped by as I stood atop a rugged red rock formation, gazing out into the vastness of The Needles district of Canyonlands National Park. 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. Answer 1 of 14: We will be visiting Moab mid June. Mileage: 5.8 milesElevation gain: 1,227 ftDifficulty: EasyEstimated Time: 3 hoursEntry Fee: NonePermits required? Print/PDF map. . 14+ people - call for pricing and availability. 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. In terms of pure enjoyment, these are our favorites on this list. When visiting Utah, make sure not to miss out on visiting Kanarra Falls, which is located less than an hour away from Zion National Park and is considered one of the best slot canyon hikes in Utah. Too bad you cant (legally) take the Apache Tears home with you anymore. All within a few hours, the best hikes in Moab will take you around canyon rims, through slot canyons and across other-worldly terrain. The landscape is more grand - so think big towering cliffs, wide canyons, and arches galore! 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. We have not hiked Buckskin Gulch or Coyote Gulch yet, and dont know enough about them to offer any advice. Canyoneering Moab: Morning Glory Arch & Medieval Chamber. Its also pretty easy and consists of a chill walk down a sandy-bottomed section of the canyon that starts off narrow and widens. Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity. UTAHS MIGHTY 5: Utahs Mighty 5 is a collection of five national parks in Utah. Whatever you choose, it will be an adventure! Flash Floods. Surprise Canyon, located about one mile away, is also a short, fun canyon to explore. NATIONAL PARKS: In our Guide to the US National Parks, get the full list of national parks with important travel planning information, such as things to do in the parks and sample itineraries. Best for: Families can totally do this slot. When you venture out to these two slot canyons, you are really going off-the-beaten-path. Follow a winding canyon stream out to the Colorado River. In the Kolob Canyons section of Zion National Park, youll find a scenic wonderland with an adventure for everyone. The short hike is free. The solitude is one of the appealing features of this trek. Meg aka Fox is a 30-something who's born to explore. They are named for their narrow width, often squeezing down to a sliver. The desert can be very cold in the winter. Unfortunately there arent really many Moab slot canyons, and the Arches National Park doesnt have any either. Read More: Peekaboo And Spooky Slot Canyons. The colors were amazing. Willis Creek is fun to explore. Its not only ungodly hot, but the monsoon season in the desert brings torrential rains to canyon systems. Looking to venture beyond The Narrows and Angels Landing? 1. If youre looking for colorful sandstone walls that will blow your mind, then youve got to check out the Zebra Slot Canyon in Escalante. This excellent hike above the Colorado River Canyon leads to three arches, including Corona Arch, one of the largest arches in the Moab area. Peekaboo Canyon may be our favorite slot canyon Utah has to offer. Mileage: 1.9 milesElevation Gain: 492 feetDifficulty: EasyEstimated Time: 1 hour. Hiking within the narrow canyon, hopping and skipping over the creek, and watching as the canyon walls steadily grew higher and higher over us as we headed downstream was such a great experience. At Wall Street, the canyon is just a few yards wide and hundreds of feet high, so it is extremely dramatic. Thanks and happy travels! Its also super photogenic since this is one of the best slot canyons in Utah with stunning red rocks around every turn. 6. 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. The easiest way to hike is to cross the river back and forth, seeking out narrow beaches along the way to give yourself a little break from wading in the fast-flowing river the entire way. The result are winding, smooth canyon walls that are simply mesmerizing. You dont need any special gear or technical skills to do this slot, but you do need to be in good shape and not at all claustrophobic. Spooky lives up to its namesake. Allow 3-4 hours and you will get an amazing experience. Its one of the best slot canyons in Utah Ive ever seen, although the tight Zebra Canyon is a bit tricky to navigate compared to other slots. Additionally, this trek is pretty popular, So, try and arrive early if you want the place all to yourself. Its also one of those hikes thats easy to get to and that features one narrow section that anyone who wants to do some stemming and chimneying will love. Also aim to visit between March and November. But, its really stunning and well worth a visit. Need a place to stay in Moab? You can click the icons to get directions and more info on each point of interest, but keep in mind some of the locations on this map may be approximate. Its located by the Utah-Arizona state border, so you can reach it in 1 hour of driving from the town of Page, Arizona, or about 2 hours from Zion National Park. There are so many great places to visittrying to find the time is the trick. We thought the slot canyon section at Wire Pass was even more photogenic than Buckskin itself. Which slot canyon is your favorite? This hike is ideal for small children. To help you choose a hike outside the parks, we've selected a few of the best. 15. Easily one of the most famous and stunningly beautiful slot canyons in the USA, Antelope Canyon is technically not located in Utah. Its almost like far-reaching fingers of deep-cut canyons throughout the region. Never hike in a slot canyon with a rainy forecast. You simply hike up the river as far as you want to go and turn around when you start to get tired. Julie Last updated: January 26, 2023 United States 50 Comments. This excellent out-and-back trail leads up a canyon lined with towering sandstone cliffs. Fun to explore and extremely photogenic, slot canyons provide a unique hiking experience. 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. So, feel free to explore as much or as little of this canyon as you want. Slot canyons can be several meters wide or just one foot wide. Another great area in a nearby state of NM is the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument. Unless youre really intent on seeing the Narrows, I would recommend going to one of the other places in this slot canyon Utah guide. Zebra Slot Canyon is definitely one of the more adventurous slot canyons in Utah. Canyoneers get muddy, shuffle through . As one of the top hikes in Escalante, this slot canyon sees surprisingly little traffic. The Peekaboo Slot Canyon is like an adult playground, with lots of fun obstacles to cross and wonderful red rock walls to admire. Price: All tours are private. 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 is part of the Peek-a-Boo Slot Canyon and Spooky Gulch trek. Hire a tour guide, drive your own 4WD vehicle, or hike to a high-lookout point to take in the grandeur of the superb stratigraphic mesas in the distance. Canyoneering is an adventure sport using climbing equipment for rappels and other technical descents through canyons. The Narrows is the most famous Zion slot canyon, but there are also a bunch of other nice ones near the national park. The out-and-back hike ends with a three-story waterfall hidden in a slot canyon. Ding & Dang Canyon requires some technical ability since theres climbing and occasionally deep water. Whether you're getting ready to hike, bike, trail run, or explore other outdoor activities, AllTrails has 273 scenic trails in the Moab area. There are several obstacles along the way that require some rock scrambling or the use of ladders. NoHighlights: Conquering one of the most iconic trails in Utah, wading through the river that runs through a narrow slot canyon, and getting to see some of the most dramatic sceneries of Zion National Park. Republishing this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, etc. Its a very photogenic hike, with nice red rock colors and steep canyon walls. Departure Times: Morning and Afternoon. Learn More: How to Hike the Little Wild Horse Bell Canyon Loop. A perfect day of Rocks-and-River: combine a half day of canyoneering with a late day Colorado River rafting tour! 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