Slot Canyons In Zion National Park

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Zion SAR Veteran, Bo Beck in Kolob Canyon


Slot Canyons
of Zion National Park

Many of Utah's incredible winding, wind blown tunnels of sandstone are hidden in colorful East Zion. In the Mount Carmel area alone there are three majestic slot canyons to explore: Red Cave, Red Hollow and Peek-a-Boo. Spring Hollow is found in Glendale, not far from one of the entrances into the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Nature's spectacular creations do not get any better than those found in Zion National Park and just east of the park. Experience Southern Utah; visit the National Parks and National Monuments, but take the time to explore the hidden slot canyons of the Southwest. While in Zion National Park be sure to see the Zion Narrows and Orderville Canyon. Both magnificent slot canyons that begin in East Zion.

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The Zion Narrows is a topic of wonder for so many of us. This trail takes you literarily wading through the Virgin River for much of the hike. This trail can be taken three ways:

(1) Hike up the canyon for a couple of miles. Here, where the walls come closer together, you will see the junction into Orderville Canyon. Hike into the narrow slot canyon and explore this gorgeous area. You will see a waterfall and a deep pool. This is as far as you are allowed to go in this direction without a permit for Orderville Canyon. When done exploring, return to the Riverside Walk Trail.

(2) Hike from Chamberlains Ranch in East Zion to the Riverside Walk. This is a 2 day hike and you will need to obtain a a backcountry permit.

(3) Hike through Orderville Canyon into the Zion Narrows. A backcountry permit is required for Orderville Canyon.


Without a doubt the slot canyons are a Southwest treasure. Millions of people will visit Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks each year, but few will venture into the narrow towering walls of the slot canyons. Many will stand at post card racks and wonder where they can see these amazing creations. Zion National Park is home to the most famous of all the slot canyons, the Zion Narrows. Inside Zion National Park there is also the Subway, Echo Canyon, Orderville Canyon and Pine Creek. The Riverside Walk is the easiest hike in Zion National Park and it leads to the trailhead for the Zion Narrows.

Zion National Park Vacation: Canyon Country


Private vehicles can travel SR-9, from Zion's south entrance, out the east entrance (or visa versa) to the junction of SR-9 & US-89 year-round, 24 hours a day. See tunnel restrictions for Oversized Vehicles. In summer, the only access to the Scenic Zion Canyon Drive is via Zion's shuttle, but during the winter private vehicles can travel in the canyon. Exact dates the shuttle runs may vary

Nature Notes

Beautiful Echo Canyon is part of what is often considered to be one of the best backpacking adventures in Utah, the East Rim Trail. This spectacular hike is a 10-mile strenuous, day trip or an overnight backpack. The East Rim Trail runs alongside Echo Canyon for much of the way. During the East Rim hike you will get a look at a section of the slot. A spur, if dry, allows a bit of exploring, but you cannot hike in there without a permit. Always check weather conditions before going into a slot canyon, and remember that a storm far off can cause a flash flood in the canyon you are in.

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Slot canyon zion national park narrows

Come join East Zion Experience for an unforgettable slot canyon experience. We will spend the majority of our tour on our UTV's. Our guides will drive you in the UTV (Can Am Defenders) to Upper and Lower Red Caves Slot Canyons. Don't forget your camera you will have the ability to take amazing pictures to remember this. The Narrows is the most popular hike in Zion National Park, and one of the world's best slot canyon hikes. It is pure fun and can be tailored to suite any ability level. The trail is basically the Virgin River. The canyon is so narrow, the river covers the bottom in many spots, which means you have to wade or swim to proceed. Plan on being wet. Zion National Park boasts perhaps the most famous of the slot canyons in Utah – the Zion Narrows. Though this slot canyon ranks as the easiest to traverse within Zion National Park, it is 16 miles long and requires 13 hours to traverse. It includes slippery rocks, river hiking, and some swimming. Zion National Park is home to the most famous of all the slot canyons, the Zion Narrows. Inside Zion National Park there is also the Subway, Echo Canyon, Orderville Canyon and Pine Creek. The Riverside Walk is the easiest hike in Zion National Park and it leads to the trailhead for the Zion Narrows.

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Spectacular deep and dark slot canyon with extravagantly scultured walls, tinged with green moss in many places. The lower half is accessible by walking in from below; the full canyon needs ropes to explore, starting from the top
Length: 1.6 miles, to the last rappel point when descending from above
Difficulty: Moderate; dryfalls and pools
Management: NPS - within Zion National Park
Rocks: Navajo sandstone
Season: Summer, fall; the canyon contains snow during winter and spring
Trailhead:Weeping Rock - Zion Canyon shuttle stop 6
Rating (1-5):★★★★★
Echo Canyon is one of the best and most easily accessible slot canyons of Zion National Park, joining the Virgin River a few miles south of the end of the park road at the Temple of Sinawava, just before the start of the Zion Narrows. The lower part of the canyon drops very sharply towards the main valley in a series of steep steps, narrow channels and circular potholes carved in the rock, but the drainage becomes temporarily wider and more level upstream.
After half a mile further up the canyon, the cliffs close in to form a dark and very deep slot just a few feet wide, with smooth red and grey rock walls rising high above a rocky, boulder-strewn floor usually containing many pools of murky water. The Observation Point Trail follows the main canyon far above the slot, but about half of the narrows can be explored fairly easily from below; to see the whole length requires rappelling, starting from the top.


Topographic Map of Echo Canyon


Location


Echo Canyon is reached from a junction off the well-used trail to Hidden Canyon and Observation Point, which starts from the Weeping Rock parking area 2 miles before the end of the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. For most of the year this is now only reachable by the free park shuttle.

Zion National Park Pictures


Permit


No permit is required to explore the lower part of the canyon, just a standard $30 Zion National Park entry fee (in 2020), but one is required if descending the whole length as this involves rappelling.

Photographs


18 views of Echo Canyon.

Route Description


Zion National Park Weather

From the parking area, the trail ascends steeply up the side of Zion Canyon for about one mile then divides; the left (north) branch to Observation Point joins Echo Canyon above the steep lower end, and follows it at water level for a short distance, before eventually climbing to the top of the cliffs and meeting other cross-country trails, while the other branch heads towards Hidden Canyon. The path runs alongside the canyon floor for about half a mile, through a section that is flattish and still relatively wide, but then the rocky walls around the watercourse close in abruptly. The route begins to ascend steadily, towards the higher section of the canyon which is wide and open, with trees and bushes although the narrow crack is still visible to one side, and looks rather dark and dangerous when viewed from directly above.


The slot can be entered close to where the trail parallels the streambed but just upstream are some deep potholes that contain murky water all year, several feet deep, so an easier start point is a bit further along, as the path starts to ascend, just before a bridge over a short, overgrown ravine. The main gorge is reached by scrambling down the side and wading across a shallow pool, from where the canyon turns south and enters a longish straight section between high, vertical cliffs, usually with a small stream flowing, across a floor of pebbles and boulders. The passage narrows a little, bends to the east and ends in a pool beneath a chokestone, followed by another pool with higher chokestone and a possible log jam, up to 10 feet high. Above here, the canyon enters the main narrows - about half a mile of deep, mostly dark passageways containing many other pools of cold water, generally up to 3 feet deep, and pouroffs up to 6 feet.

For most of the canyon, the cliffs overhang above creating a damp, dark environment, made more oppressive by the dark red/grey walls, tinged with green moss in the few places where sunlight can penetrate, so the canyon is not pretty as such but very impressive, and just a little intimidating owing to the tallness of the cliffs, the sombre conditions and the frequent signs of the huge floods that occasionally pour through - logs wedged above, broken boulders, deep mud patches. The walls are smooth near stream level but jagged and angular higher up, where they look quite old and weathered.

The canyon has one short, open section with large boulders where the sun shines, followed by more darkness. The easy part ends with a circular pool around 4 feet deep beneath a quite narrow pour-off - the last of the places that may need rappelling if descending from the top end. A full exploration involves hiking up the trail for another mile and a half, to a point where the walls relent sufficiently to allow entry, then proceeding downstream by means of up to 10 rappels over dryfalls, and swimming through deep potholes. The trip is only possible starting quite late in the season owing to large amounts of snow that fall into the narrows from the sheer slopes of Cable Mountain; some patches persist until midsummer.
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Orderville Canyon
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Pine Creek
Poverty Wash
Red Canyon (Peek-a-Boo Canyon)
Red Hollow & Spring Hollow
Sand Wash (Red Cave)
Spring Creek
Taylor Creek, Middle Fork
Zion Canyon Narrows



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