Slot Canyons Near Kodachrome

Dry Fork Narrows, Peekaboo and Spooky Slot Canyons is a 6.1 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Kanab, Utah that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for hiking and is best used from May until November. Kodachrome Basin State Park has a campground with cabins, and tent and RV campsites. Available amenities include modern restrooms, showers, a picnic pavilion, and a convenience store. There is a visitor center near the park entrance. Kodachrome Basin State Park is open year-round and requires an entrance fee for day-use. Heavy rains flooded a slot canyon near Goblin Valley State Park in an area called Little Wildhorse Canyon on Monday, May 11, 2020. A 7-year-old and her 3-year old sister, who were hiking with their family, were killed. 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! Red Hollow is located in Orderville near Zion National Park. This slot canyon begins at the end of a dirt road. The hike is only 1.0 mile round trip and is a great place to start slot canyon adventures. Little Wild Horse. This hike is probably the most famous slot canyon for families in Utah. It can be very busy in the Spring and Fall, so.

an easy, family friendly hike with a pretty set of narrows in the vicinity of Bryce Canyon National Park and Kodachrome Basin State Park, Utah

Willis Creek Slot Canyon Trail Guide

MAP:Trails Illustrated
DESIGNATION: Paria Hackberry Wilderness Study Area, Bureau of Land Management, Garfield County
BEST SEASONS: year-round, though summer is hot. Be especially aware of flash flood risk in July and August.
DISTANCE: 2.2 miles round trip
WATER: hike follows a shallow perennial stream
ELEVATION: 6,000ft at the parking area – 5,820ft at the turnaround
ACCESS: sandy, steep road to trailhead – high clearance necessary, 4wd preferred
ROUTE: Route follows the often muddy canyon floor.
GUIDEBOOK: Best Easy Day Hikes: Grand Staircase-Escalante
TIME: The hike as described takes most people roughly 2 hours to complete, but your time can certainly vary.

This is a popular hike in-season (spring, summer, fall), despite its remote location. Expect to see at least a few other hikers.

Willis Creek is a dog-friendly hike! The confined canyon walls even lend to the common practice of letting your dog off-leash, though the technical legality of doing so is unclear.

Willis Creek Narrows Driving Directions

There are several ways to get to Willis Creek. The signed trailhead has a parking area (and registers just fine in Google Maps) but it’s best to proceed with caution. You’ll be traveling on remote dirt roads, where conditions can vary.

Most hikers will be driving in from the north, along Route 12. From Cannonville, Utah (15 miles southeast of Bryce Canyon National Park on Route 12), head south on Kodachrome Road, which becomes the Cottonwood Canyon Road. At the 2.5 mile mark you’ll pass a sign for Kodachrome Basin State Park, and the road surface turns to dirt. You’ll pass the signed Sheep Creek road before reaching your right turn for the Skutumpah Road (BLM500) at 2.8 miles.

The Skutumpah Road is generally good packed dirt, but you’ll initially be greeted by a steep hill that has a tendency to accumulate windblown sand. Conditions can vary greatly, of course, depending on recent weather and rain events.

Follow the main Skutumpah Road southwest for 3.3 miles. The marked trailhead for Willis Creek will be on your right, and the hike begins across the road to the left.

Other Approaches

In dry weather conditions, it’s possible to travel via lengthier dirt road approaches from the south (Kanab / Page) or from the west (Orderville), but note the current road closure mentioned below!

You can drive the length of the Cottonwood Canyon Road from Highway 89A, a distance of about 40 miles on dirt to reach to the turn for Skutumpah. Along the way you’ll pass near the Grosvenor Arch, as well as some other nice hikes like Hackberry Canyon, Cottonwood Canyon, and Round Valley Draw.

In years past it was possible to access this area via the Johnson Canyon Road near Kanab, or from the west end of the Skutumpah Road in Glendale, but…

THE SKUTUMPAH ROAD IS CLOSED AT BULL VALLEY GORGE (THE BRIDGE IS WASHED OUT).

A great source for southern Utah’s current (dirt) road conditions is here.

Map of Willis Creek Slot Canyon

Here’s a trail map that shows you the narrows through Willis Creek.

The 3 mile round trip hike is marked with a purple line. The Skutumpah Road is highlighted with a red line. Both the turnaround point and the parking area are clearly marked.

You’ll also get an overall impression of nearby canyons like Sheep Creek and Averett Canyon. You can right-click on this map to view a larger version, or to download it.

BLM Camping

Dispersed, primitive camping is allowed in most areas along the Cottonwood Canyon Road and Skutumpah Road.

Backcountry camping is also allowed for backpackers along the canyons in the area, such as here in Willis Creek.

Unless otherwise posted, you’re generally okay to camp within the boundaries of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Just be sure to stop by the BLM Visitor Center in Cannonville to get a free permit. The staff at the visitor center may also have good suggestions on where to find the best sites.

Slot Canyon Near Kodachrome Basin

Check the weather!

Like all slot canyons, Willis Creek is susceptible to flash flood activity. A flash flood can occur at any time of year, but heavy rains are seen most often in July and August.

Be sure to check the weather forecast before hiking in any slot canyon, and consider cancelling your plans if rain is in the forecast.

With that said, Willis Creek’s sections of narrows are generally quite short. If a flash flood did happen to come through, I think a prudent hiker would have a good fighting chance at locating an escape route (as opposed to a more confined area like Buckskin Gulch).

Still, wet weather will create problematic road conditions, so it’s best to stay away on rainy days.

Trail Description

With the exception of the first few feet from the parking area, there isn’t much of hiking trail here. You’ll be following the stony (and occasionally wet and muddy) bottom of the narrow canyon.

There is perennial water in the bottom of the canyon. It’s only a couple of inches deep, so it’s easy to keep your feet dry on most days.

The first steps of the hike are dry, open, and unimpressive, but the creek soon presents itself, and the narrows begin to unfold.

A small waterfall marks the first stage of the hike. It unassuming presence is nonetheless tranquil and beautiful.

You can bypass the waterfall on either side of the canyon, and then walk back upstream to get the nice perspective shown in the photo below.

The canyon gets more deep and narrow as you proceed. The stretch near the end of the hike may be the most dramatic, immediately before the turnaround point at Averett Canyon. The walls will open and then close again a couple times throughout the hike.

The narrows of Willis Creek come to an end at the junction with Averett Canyon. This canyon enters Willis Creek on the left, and the intersection is sometimes marked with a large cairn. This is where most folks will choose to turn around.

Intrepid day hikers and backpackers may continue to Sheep Creek, Bull Valley Gorge, and points beyond. Progress up Averett Canyon is soon blocked by a pourover, impassable to all but skilled climbers.

My Trip Notes & Images

I hiked Willis Creek with Haley and friend Rachel on June 14, 2020. Road conditions were great and we made it up the hills on Skutumpah Road with no trouble – I’d remembered a lot more sand on a previous visit.

The hike was fun and relaxed, as Willis Creek is meant to be. We were there on a Sunday – we saw about a half-dozen other vehicles in the lot, and maybe 20 or 30 other people in the canyon at midday. Weekends seem to make a big difference regarding crowding in this part of Utah, especially during the “Covid times” of 2020.

One thing we discovered is the way past hikers made a habit of creating “mud graffiti” on the canyon walls. This was something new to all of us, and quite disappointing. It seems that people have been scooping globs of mud from the creek and sticking it on the walls to dry, thus able to leave their initials, handprints, and “Everett was here” sort of messages.

Since Haley and Rachel are National Park rangers, they felt compelled to get to work on cleaning the graffiti with water from the creek. After cleaning up the first couple sites, however, we realized the magnitude of the job was much larger than expected. Granted, someday a flash flood may wash it all away, but nobody likes to see this junk on a nature hike.

Slot Canyons Near Kodachrome Basin

Here’s some better-looking images from the canyon:

Slot Canyon Near Kodachrome State Park

NEAR SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO – I’m hiking through the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, less than an hour from Santa Fe. Above me are swooping, surging, curving walls that bend and bulge in wild patterns of pale sand and dusty orange. There’s a tiny sliver of robin’s-egg-blue sky slipping through an overhead crack in the canyon walls.
I step through a narrow gap in the rock and stroll into a wider opening with sweet-smelling evergreens and tiny plants clinging to life in the harsh desert climate. Suddenly a small monarch butterfly slides past my ear. I look up as it dances on the wind and spot a pair of hawks riding invisible thermals high overhead.
I stop and take stock of my surroundings for a minute. I listen to the quiet tune the wind is playing as it slices through the pale canyon walls and jot down some thoughts in my notepad.

The beginning of the trail into the Kasha-Kutuwe slot canyon reveals amazing rock formations. JIM BYERS PHOTO

I’d come to New Mexico at the behest of Brand USA, which helps promote USA tourism in Canada and other countries around the world. They’d asked me to help them promote one of the 50 states that doesn’t get as much easy PR as, say, Hawaii or New York.
I’ve visited upwards of 40 states in my life, yet somehow had never set foot in New Mexico. But I love the desert and the way the light changes from hour to hour and how animals learn to burrow into the ground to survive the heat and how plants learn to absorb what little moisture they can find. So I choose New Mexico and the folks at Brand USA and New Mexico Tourism put together an itinerary for me.
I had an image of Santa Fe, which I quite enjoyed for both the wonderful art and the terrific food (more on green chile cheeseburgers and the city’s Margarita Trail in another, later posting). And I had fun roaming around Albuquerque, where I stayed at a lovely Sheraton Hotel with nice mountain views, spacious rooms and a great top-floor lounge, had a wonderful meal and checked out the charms of the Old Town, including a cool rattlesnake museum. (More on Albuquerque in a later post, as well).

A hiker at Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rock National Monument. JIM BYERS PHOTO

But I’d never heard of Kasha-Katuwe. Nor had I heard of the Puye Cliffs area, with its native American cliff dwellings carved into the side of beautiful hills north of Santa Fe.
Both turned out to be highlights of my trip to a wonderful state.
Kasha-Katuwe was particularly inspiring. After paying a modest, $5 parking fee and driving to a small lot, you start off with a relatively easy hike up a path that follows a slight incline past desert shrubs and cactus. After just a few minutes you’re at the edge of the slot canyon, which practically calls your name and sends an official, embossed invitation, so strong is the lure to explore once you reach the opening.
You’ll pass gorgeous canyon walls and peer up at large “tent rocks” that look like the ones you see in photos of Capadoccia, Turkey. To me, some of them look like the chimney vents in the buildings designed by artist Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona.
Most of the path is reasonably wide but on a couple of occasions you have to step in a ribbon of sand that’s perhaps a few inches wide and have only a little bit of elbow room. It’s no trouble for me, but a Chicago Bears’ defensive lineman might find it a tight fit here and there.

A slot canyon at Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument. JIM BYERS PHOTO

After maybe a half hour you have to scramble up a bit of a slope and then some steps in the rock face someone has kindly created. They say there’s a magical view from a lookout high on the bluffs, but I wasn’t wearing the proper shoes and couldn’t make the last five or ten minutes of the hike. Still, I was inordinately happy sitting in the warm April sun. checking out the canyon walls and tent rocks that have been bleached by endless eons of merciless sun and unceasing winds.
If you go, I strongly suggest bringing LOTS of water (especially if it’s warm), sunscreen, layers of clothing and a walking stick. Also, don’t be a goof like me and show up in sandals. Even the sturdy ones I had were no match for the scrabbly, loose rock on the hills at the end of the hike. Bring good, unworn hiking shoes if you plan to take this hike. And you should.

The Puye Cliffs area offers fine views of the surrounding plains and hills of northwest New Mexico. JIM BYERS PHOTO

The Puye Cliff Dwellings are another wonderful spot near Santa Fe. I grabbed a tour with a local native American woman who explained the history of the area and talked about the lifestyle of the inhabitants.
Puye, she explains, means “where the rabbits gather” in her native tongue. The area used to be covered with jackrabbits and cottontails. It’s also close to a good stream, which is an important reason that natives settled in the region.
It’s believe that folks began living here around 900 AD. Most inhabitants left around 1500 or 1600 due to drought, and probably the presence of the Spanish.
We learn that there are 19 native nations within the state of New Mexico, including hers. Her people speak a language called Tewa and live in what is called the Santa Clara Pueblo.
We examine the ruins of clifftop dwellings and also clamber into a hollowed-out chamber below the surface, where folks could stay warm in winter and cool in summer and where male elders would gather to discuss important issues.

Puye Cliffs offers up marvellous views of cliff dwellings near Santa Fe. JIM BYERS PHOTO

Our guide shows us broken pieces of pottery that litter the clifftop.
“When my people left here they broke the potter into shards to return the clay to mother earth. My mother does the same thing when a piece of pottery she’s making doesn’t come out right. Then she uses the pieces in her next pots to continue the cycle.”
If you clamber down some stairs carved into the rock you can find the cliff dwellings, small rooms carved out of the living rock. I spot telltale signs of smoke and fire on the walls and petroglyphs etched into the stone. I admire the views of distant mountains and rolling plains and try to imagine what life was like here 500 years ago.
I climb back in my car for the drive back to Albuquerque, stopping often to admire towering formations of stone and exposed slashes of bright orange rock. I can feel the history all around me; the sun and the wind and the pockmarked, ageless stone.
This is a place I won’t forget.

IF YOU GO: The Sheraton Uptown Albuquerque makes a fine place to stay, with great rooms and a good location near restaurants and shopping.

MORE INFORMATION: https://www.visittheusa.ca/, https://www.newmexico.org/

NOTE: THIS TRIP WAS SPONSORED BY BRAND USA, ALONG WITH MARRIOTT HOTELS AND AMERICAN AIRLINES. Canadians can fly direct to Albuquerque on American from Phoenix and many other U.S. airports.