Easy Slot Canyons Near Moab
admin 4/7/2022
Route Description
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.
What Makes it Great. This three-miler will give you stellar views and a new perspective of slot canyons in Southern Utah. Unlike many of the Escalante-area slot canyons, Peek-a-Boo and Spooky Gulch require zero technical gear or know-how—although it requires some navigational and rock-scrambling skill. Main locations are Happy Canyon, Larry Canyon, Sams Mesa Canyon and various forks of Robbers Roost Canyon. North of here is another group including Blue John Canyon, also with several branches, and Moonshine Wash, while to the west, Moab has some narrow canyons though the rocks hereabouts are not generally conducive to slot formation.