1. Willis Creek Slot Canyon Trail Utah
2. Willis Creek Slot Canyon Utah
3. Willis Creek Slot Canyons Utah Snow Report

×

1. Willis Creek Slot Canyon is located off Skutumpah Road in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The hike is a 4.8-mile round trip, but you can turn around after you finish the narrows section, making it a 2.6-mile round trip. The trail gains a scant 300 feet as it follows the perennial Willis Creek.
2. Utah is the state that has the largest concentration of slot canyons in the world. Willis Creek is a very accessible slot canyon that people of all ages can enjoy – there is no serious climbing or technical skill needed to hike through it. Willis creek is also easy to drive.
3. Yet there are slot canyons that involve no more than a pleasant walk down their shadowed stone hallways. Willis Creek is such a canyon. Born on the flanks of the Pink Cliffs in Bryce Canyon National Park, the broad wash of Willis Creek carves a swath through densely wooded terraces until it reaches the Navajo Sandstone of the White Cliffs.
4. Willis Creek Slot Canyon is located in Kane County in Kanab! It's a super sweet slod canyon that's more of a walk-as-far-as-you-want hike. We’d been told by the Activity Spot in Ruby’s Inn that Willis Creek Slot Canyon was THE coolest family-friendly hike. So, of COURSE, we had to go.

And Willis Creek is a great first slot canyon if you've never been in one. This canyon is a perfect side-trip if you are passing through and need a break from Bryce Canyon, or any of the other.

In the hilly, wooded country around the upper Paria River valley, Bull Valley Gorge is a relatively well known canyon, yet quite far from a paved road. It can be quite testing to explore as there are several dryfalls to negotiate - the highest is 12 feet - plus depending on recent weather, pools up to 4 feet deep and long patches of sticky, clayish mud may be encountered. The reward for the effort needed is over a mile of a deep, narrow Navajo sandstone canyon, quite similar to Buckskin Gulch but with more variety of rock formations and colors. A unique extra feature was the wreck of a 1950s pick-up truck, wedged high above a section of narrows, which formed the base of the one road bridge across the canyon, though the truck was washed away in 2019, along with half of the bridge.

Map

Topographic map of Bull Valley Gorge.

Location

The easiest approach to Bull Valley Gorge is from the north end of the Cottonwood Canyon road, the paved route to Kodachrome Basin State Park - to get there, turn off along a track signposted to Johnson Canyon (Skutumpah Road), across a stony creekbed, then drive about 9 miles on the mostly good quality road that does still have some steep sections, especially the ascent up a plateau near the start. The road fords several streamways, including Willis Creek (which has a year round flow) and Sheep Creek beneath a dam, both of which may be impassable after heavy rain. The gorge is not signposted but the bridge over the canyon is quite an obvious feature. The canyon can also be reached from the south, starting along Johnson Canyon Road that joins US 89, and driving for 40 miles across Skutumpah Terrace.

Photographs

7 views of Bull Valley Gorge.

Route Description

Bull Valley Gorge is very impressive when viewed from above, either side of the road bridge; it is about 100 feet deep, dark and narrow - in some places the edges are almost close enough to jump over. Mud, pools and boulders are clearly visible below, and the car wreck beneath the bridge can be seen by walking upstream a way and looking back. The surrounding land is hilly, but gently so; above the gorge is a low valley with a nearly flat floor, into which the sheer ravine cuts abruptly.

Willis Creek Slot Canyon Trail Utah

To explore the canyon, start by walking through a gate by the bridge and follow a faint path along the north side for about 15 minutes, until the gorge becomes shallow enough to jump down into. Turning back downstream, the channel deepens quickly, firstly by a 10 foot dryfall below a chokestone; a log may be in place to aid the descent. The gorge is narrow from the beginning and remains so until shortly past the road bridge. Rocks in the upper section are grey-white in color, solid, old and weathered with many narrow layers of different angles - similar to the nearby canyon of Round Valley Draw but slightly less pretty. If visiting after recent rainfall, this early part is likely to contain many pools and patches of sticky mud. The deepest wading required is generally around 3 feet - through either water or mud.

Willis Creek Slot Canyon Utah

Similar Canyons

Willis Creek Slot Canyons Utah Snow Report

All Contents © Copyright The American Southwest | Comments and Questions | Contribute | Affiliate Marketing Disclosure | Site Map