Slot Canyon Hikes In Zion National Park

You do not want to miss the tour, so please arrive early!

×Many of Zion's canyons are deep, long and have a permanent stream flowing through, but the national park also contains plenty of short, narrow slots, and the easiest reached is undoubtedly Keyhole Canyon, the lower end of which is just 300 feet from UT 9, on the east side of the park half way between the entrance station and the Zion-Mt Carmel Tunnel. Keyhole has three sections of narrows; a shallow, open, upper section, a short enclosed middle with several moderate obstacles then a deeper, 500 foot long lower slot where ropes are required in at least three places to overcome sheer drops of up to 20 feet.
The compact nature of the narrows and the proximity to the highway mean that Keyhole is considered to be the best place in the national park to learn or practise rappelling techniques, though despite this the majority of the canyon can still be seen by regular hikers. The rocks in the narrows are eroded into the familiar wavy formations and contain numerous thin strata so the canyon is quite pretty, just not as photogenic as some since the majority of the passageways are rather gloomy.
The Navajo sandstone rock in this location is naturally dull red in color and most surfaces have been weathered to shades of grey and black; together with the predominantly east-west orientation, the overhanging rocks in the narrows and the higher cliffs above on the south side, much of the canyon is only rarely illuminated by the sun so the deepest parts are dark and cold. Pools and patches of mud persist in some sections all year.

You do not want to miss the tour, so please arrive early!

×Many of Zion's canyons are deep, long and have a permanent stream flowing through, but the national park also contains plenty of short, narrow slots, and the easiest reached is undoubtedly Keyhole Canyon, the lower end of which is just 300 feet from UT 9, on the east side of the park half way between the entrance station and the Zion-Mt Carmel Tunnel. Keyhole has three sections of narrows; a shallow, open, upper section, a short enclosed middle with several moderate obstacles then a deeper, 500 foot long lower slot where ropes are required in at least three places to overcome sheer drops of up to 20 feet.
The compact nature of the narrows and the proximity to the highway mean that Keyhole is considered to be the best place in the national park to learn or practise rappelling techniques, though despite this the majority of the canyon can still be seen by regular hikers. The rocks in the narrows are eroded into the familiar wavy formations and contain numerous thin strata so the canyon is quite pretty, just not as photogenic as some since the majority of the passageways are rather gloomy.
The Navajo sandstone rock in this location is naturally dull red in color and most surfaces have been weathered to shades of grey and black; together with the predominantly east-west orientation, the overhanging rocks in the narrows and the higher cliffs above on the south side, much of the canyon is only rarely illuminated by the sun so the deepest parts are dark and cold. Pools and patches of mud persist in some sections all year.

Topographic Map of Keyhole Canyon

Photographs

17 views of Keyhole Canyon.

Location

Parking for the hike is 2 miles from the eastern national park entrance at two small pull-outs along UT 9 - one immediately south of the end of the canyon and another round a corner to the east (see map below).

Route Description

Slot Canyon Hikes In Zion National Park Colorado

The lower end of the narrows can be seen by hiking up from the road, past a tunnel that takes flood waters under the highway, and reaching the slot after a 5 minute walk up the sandy wash. Red and white cliffs rise steeply overhead, and the canyon is soon dark and enclosed. A chokestone above a pool provides the first major obstacle; webbing is attached to a rappel point though the rock is easy enough to climb. Beyond are darker passages containing cold, muddy pools, enclosed by stratified rock walls that in some places are angled away from vertical.

Similar Canyons

Slot Canyon Hikes In Zion National Park South Rim

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