Deep in the landscape commonly known as the "Escalante" there is a sea of red and yellow sandstone, creating an otherwordly landscape of domes, frozen dunes, gullies, hills, and slot canyons. Some of the easiest to enter for the non-technical hiker are found in the upper reaches of the Dry Fork of Coyote Wash. Much further downstream, the main stem of Coyote becomes a lush paradise and a beautiful riparian corridor through the area just like the Escalante itself, but it's upper tributaries are small, narrow cracks in the earth. Some of the narrowest slots and "hardest" slots on the Colorado Plateau are found just a handful of miles downstream, and these small canyons could be called the "little brothers" of the big bad daddies down there.
The complex we visited is a small area where up to five slots can be visited in one easy loop. The Dry Fork itself has some short and beautiful narrow (but not slotted) sections, and it is joined from the north side by four tributary canyons, in order Peek-A-Boo, Spooky, Brimstone, and Michael Kelsey's "Little Slot". Because we had a shorter timetable to work with, we were able to tick off three, the Dry Fork, Peek A Boo, and Spooky, and got just to the bottom of the fourth (Brimstone) before we had to turn around and head out. These canyons are ultra popular with large families, so don't be surprised if you come around a corner and run into twelve kids.
The complex we visited is a small area where up to five slots can be visited in one easy loop. The Dry Fork itself has some short and beautiful narrow (but not slotted) sections, and it is joined from the north side by four tributary canyons, in order Peek-A-Boo, Spooky, Brimstone, and Michael Kelsey's "Little Slot". Because we had a shorter timetable to work with, we were able to tick off three, the Dry Fork, Peek A Boo, and Spooky, and got just to the bottom of the fourth (Brimstone) before we had to turn around and head out. These canyons are ultra popular with large families, so don't be surprised if you come around a corner and run into twelve kids.
Dry Fork of Coyote Wash
There are a few good sections of the Dry Fork, although they are nothing but easy and (mostly) flat narrows. It never gets truly slotted, but it does get deep and beautiful. There is one section where a bunch of chokestones have fallen in at the top of the gorge, perched like haunting widowmakers. Another large boulder that has ended up in the middle of another section creates the only technical obstacle that must be passed. It's easier than it looks.
Peek A Boo Canyon
Named because of several small arches located in the slot just before the Dry Fork. This is a short canyon that is mostly easy to descend. It quickly narrows up at the top and starts cutting and dropping, and before you know it there are some small arches, and then you are at the exit. It's that easy. The most difficult part of this whole canyon is the small series of drops just below the last arch. Several small potholes drop close together. If it's dry then it shouldn't be a problem, but if there is water in them you will be getting wet. Jess Wegert and I blitzed this whole section in about 10 minutes when we were there and it was totally worth it.
Spooky Canyon
The next tributary downstream is a hoot. It gets it's moniker from the fact that some of it's twists and turns and squeezes are dark and exceedingly narrow- so much so that the beta for the canyon clearly says "large chested and well endowed women beware!". This point was proved to us when my father and mother could go no further beyond one especially tight squeeze. I was able to drop to a lower level and wiggle through in a squat position but my folks just weren't limber enough so that pretty much ended their exploration of the slot. However, Jess and I kept going up and were rewarded with a remarkable canyon experience- many really tight squeezes, lots of twisting and sculpted upclimbs, beautiful lighting- and the end was capped off with a super fun cave-to-chokestone-to-larger-chokestone at the upper end.
There is another section (or two) or narrows above where it opens up. We didn't go up there but the word is much more of the same, skinny and tight but still manageable. Jess and I did the whole section in about 30 minutes, and that was pausing to take photos and enjoy the place.
There is another section (or two) or narrows above where it opens up. We didn't go up there but the word is much more of the same, skinny and tight but still manageable. Jess and I did the whole section in about 30 minutes, and that was pausing to take photos and enjoy the place.
All photos copyright Kit Davidson unless otherwise noted.