4.7

Hiking through Utah’s slot canyons is a unique experience every Utahn should try. The sheer sandstone walls on both sides of you create a quiet sanctuary, and you’ll feel as though you’re immersed in nature. There’s one slot canyon in the Beehive State that has a unique feature – absolutely amazing acoustics.

  1. Very short slot canyon. Near Escalante, Utah. Best Trails & Photos. This is a very short slot canyon but it is well worth a 10-minute stop.
  2. Willis Creek Slot Canyon is the perfect complement to its fabulous canyon friends. With its trickling creek and gorgeous canyon walls, Willis Creek is the friend you almost forgot to invite but turns out to be the life of the party. The trail starts out through brush and trees, then takes a turn down toward Willis Creek.

Added by Sam Watson

Easy access. Awesome slot canyon experience. Easy to hike (no ropes required). Dog friendly. Out-and-back hike. 4 miles roundtrip.

Utah

Willis Creek Slot Canyon begins at the Willis Creek Trailhead, located in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. The trail is very easy to find and follow. It begins winding through junipers for several hundred feet before dropping gradually into a wash, at which point it meets up with Willis Creek. Be ready to get your feet wet, because the creek and the trail are interwoven for the rest of the hike. Almost immediately after joining up with the creek, walls of winding sandstone rise sharply up from either side of the trail, creating a great slot canyon experience. This is a fantastic hike for families, those with dogs, or anyone who wants to experience an excellent slot canyon without having to use ropes. The creek winds through alternating sections of slot canyon and washes for several miles. Most hikers enjoy Willis Creek as an out-and-back hike, walking until they feel ready to turn back (roughly two miles out, two miles back).

Getting there: Willis Creek is accessible from the Willis Creek Trailhead, located nine miles from the town of Cannonville, Utah. There is a BLM Visitor Center in Cannonville, which is a great place to stop in to get information about the current conditions of Willis Creek and surrounding areas. Drive south on Main Street until Cottonwood Road splits off to the right. This is a dirt road, and might be difficult to drive in wet conditions. Follow this for six miles until you reach a small parking lot that has a sign for Willis Creek. Park here, and have fun on the hike!

Hikes

Willis Creek is dog friendly, so bring your dog if you so choose. Just remember to clean up after them so as to preserve the experience for others. Like all slot canyons, be sure to check the weather prior to hiking. If there is any chance of rain, save Willis Creek for another day. Flash floods are a possibility if rain is in the forecast, and can be deadly. Stopping in at the BLM station before hiking will give you all the information you need in this regard.

Hiking
Family Friendly
River

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Reviews

Justin Schaefer

🥈 Contributor

over 2 years ago

Great hike

Easily accessible (we were able to drive to it with a Hyundai Elantra). The hike itself was very easy for all fitness levels, was not crowded, and had beautiful scenery!

5.0

Kelley Dodge

🥈 Contributor

almost 4 years ago

Easy Slot Canyon

Very easy to get to and nice that you can walk right into the slot canyons unlike others where you need ropes or rappelling gear. We were one of two groups on the trail all day. It's a nice, quiet escape from the crowds at Bryce Canyon.

5.0

Reid Gulley

about 4 years ago

Hikes

great family hike

Dirt road with a couple steep grades. Great hike hopping back and forth over the stream. Wonderful terrain and color. Slot sections are impressive easy walking, not the super narrow shimmy sideways between the sides slots. Bring some snacks and enjoy.

HikesUtah

Utah's Best Slot Canyon Hikes In Capitol Reef

4.0

Utah's Best Slot Canyon Hikes

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We want to acknowledge and thank the past, present, and future generations of all Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples whose ancestral lands we travel, explore, and play on.

One of the best slot canyon hikes in Utah and one that not too many people know about.

I usually start with saying I am addicted to the outdoors. Yes, you heard me right. Some days I wish I could go out and live in the wilderness and just explore it for the rest of my life, but then reality sets in and I realize that I also love being around people and going to work. So I will have to settle for just going out and hiking on the weekends and sharing with you my most recent adventure.

Behold the picture below and let your mind be blown away

This is by far one of my favorite hikes. The hike is even family friendly. You could easily hike it with your children. The Hike is either an up and down or a loop. For the more adventurous you can do the loop and it will take a good half day. The loop is around 8 miles. If you have little ones I would recommend going up and back down the same way. The best part of the hike is not too far up and it is pretty easy for all ages.
I highly recommend this hike to everyone. My wife has a lot of friends from all over the world and whenever they visit us in Utah and want to see the sites. We usually take them to Little Wild House.
The Slot is long and fun and the colors that you are going to see are going to be fantastic!

I would take some snacks and lots of water. (I would take a liter per adult) The best places to eat lunch is by sitting about 10 feet up in the narrow parts of the slot and wedging your bum and feet and shimmy your way up in the narrow part of the slot. That way if thee is a lot of people you can let them pass by below you.

Best Slot Canyon Hikes Moab Utah

TRAIL HEAD DIRECTIONS:

Utah's Best Slot Canyon Hikes In Utah

To get to the trail head it will take 4 hours from Salt Lake City so you will want to make a day or weekend out of this trip. From Salt Lake the best way is to put in your GPS or Google Goblin Valley State Park.

Utah's Best Slot Canyon Hikes Near Zion

Little Wild Horse is located off Highway 24 between I-70 and Hanksville. As you head south from I-70 on 24 you will go around 24 miles to a sign on your right (west) pointing to Goblin Valley State Park. The road is called Temple Mt Road. Stay on Temple Mt Road for 5.2 miles until you come to Goblin Valley Rd on the left. Turn left onto Goblin Valley Rd and stay on the road for 6.1 miles. You will come to a right hand turn (last time I was there they had a sign saying Little Wild Horse to the right) This road is dirt and is pretty easy to drive on. You can drive it in a car without any problems. You will stay on this road for 5.4 miles. The trial head is on the right and you can’t miss the parking lot.

Enjoy and hike onward!