Whit Richardson

The official name of the slot canyon in the North Wash area near Hanksville is the Middle Fork of the West Fork of Butler Canyon. That moniker is a tad cumbersome for most of those who explore it – they know it simply as Shenanigans.

One of the narrowest slot canyons in Utah, Shenanigans is just 10 inches wide at its narrowest stretch. The rule of thumb is that no one heavier than 180 pounds should attempt to traverse it. At the spots where the canyon walls really close in, explorers close to the 180-pound weight limit must breathe out to slide sideways through the claustrophobic passage.

Southern Utah is home to the greatest concentration of slot canyons on Earth. There is no strict definition for what makes a canyon a slot canyon, but those who explore them often consider any canyon that is at least 10 times taller than it is wide to be a slot canyon. Some slot canyons can be a relatively spacious 40 feet wide; other slot canyons are so narrow that no human can pass through.

Outdoor adventure photographer Whit Richardson’s first experience with Utah’s slot canyons was the Black Hole of White Canyon near Bears Ears National Monument. It is a non-technical canyon, meaning that it doesn’t require rock-climbing-like use of ropes, anchors and rappelling to explore. That doesn’t mean it was easy – in one section, Richardson had to drop down into a section that was flooded, requiring many hours wading through cold water to make it through.

The cold and wet of slot canyons make them a novelty in the hot and dry desert, he said. “Some are really filled with water, and some are really tight,” Richardson said. “Exploring them is an excuse to go explore a part of the desert you never would have gone to otherwise.”

When venturing into slot canyons, there is a distinction between canyon hiking and canyoneering. People who go canyon hiking opt for non-technical canyons, which, though quite narrow, still have enough leeway to allow hikers to walk on the canyon floor. Canyoneering is a whole other endeavor, requiring canyoneers to use rock-climbing-like skills to get through technical canyons.

Canyoneers often have to use stemming and bridging techniques to get through the narrower canyons. Stemming is when canyoneers put their right foot and hand on one wall of the canyon and their left foot and hand on the other wall; bridging is when they put their feet on one wall and hands on the opposite wall.The physical challenge is just one component of what makes canyoneering so special, said Tom Jones, president of Utah-based Canyoneering USA. “Canyons are great because they’re always different,” Jones said. “Some of them have technical challenges; a lot of them don’t. But you never know what’s going to be around the next corner.”

Jones reckons he has 1,200 canyon days under his belt, spent in about 400 canyons, most of them in Utah. Our state’s reputation for canyons is well-earned, he said, thanks to its Navajo sandstone. This formation is unique because of its depth – up to 2,000 feet – and its softness, which allows canyons to form more easily than most sandstone.

He began rock climbing in 1974 but didn’t start canyoneering until 1999. He is glad he got so much climbing experience before venturing into the more challenging canyons, but he was wise enough not to attempt his first canyon until taking a canyon-specific training course.

One of the key differences between traditional rock climbing and canyoneering is that in canyons, especially the less heavily trafficked ones, it is imperative that climbers be able to make their own anchors for rappels, as it is never guaranteed that permanent anchors will be available.

Jones’ first canyon was Pine Creek in Zion National Park. He recently canyoneered down Pine Creek for perhaps his 40th time. “It’s deep and dark, and you’re 100 feet below the rim in this slot canyon,” he said. “There’s swimming, rappelling and magical light coming down in places.”

There are other canyons so dangerous he doesn’t publicly mention their names, as he doesn’t want to be responsible for sending others in his footsteps. The hardest canyon he ever navigated not only had climbing problems, it also had huge potholes as much as 30 feet deep, and just as wide. Potholes like that are called “keepers,” as they will keep unwary canyoneers in them indefinitely if they are unprepared for the challenge of traversing them.

Anyone heading out into a slot canyon should come prepared with adequate knowledge of the technical skills the given canyon requires and the proper equipment. If it is a technical canyon requiring canyoneering techniques, those entering it should always wear a helmet.

Though slot canyons are found in some of the driest parts of the desert, drowning in flash floods is the biggest danger adventurers face. In March, two men died in a flash flood in the 16-mile-long Kane County slot canyon known as Buckskin Gulch. When the forecast calls for rain, there is no reason in the world anyone should be in a slot canyon.

The risks are real, but so are the rewards. There is something about the intimacy and otherworldly light of Utah’s slot canyons that keeps canyon trekkers hooked, always seeking to discover the next.



Whit Richardson