1. Best Slot Canyons In Utah
2. Utah Slot Canyons Map

There are at least four possible start points for exploring the Blue John Canyon system (see map). Easiest-reached is a half a mile before Burr Pass, where a sandy track joins from the east; near the junction are several places to park/camp, beside a few trees that provide some shade. A second place, for 4WD vehicles, is half a mile down this track, where it crosses the upper west fork of the canyon. Third is a half mile south of Burr Pass, just after a west-side junction, at a parking area by the side of the road - start of a cross-country route to the top of the narrows of the main fork. The final option, 1.5 miles further south, is at the end of a short side track to Granary Spring, also a good camping spot. From here, the beginning of the narrows of the east fork lies 3 miles away to the east.

Navigating the upper slots of Blue John Canyon. Guided Canyoneering Moab, Utah. Rappelling from the lower slots of Blue John Canyon. Guided Canyoneering Moab, Utah. The otherworldy formations of Mindbender Canyon. Incredible slot canyon is one of. The Canyon Name Database collects the origin of the names given to the unnamed canyons of the Colorado Plateau. Canyon Name Database. Blue John Canyon: Joe Biddlecome. “A slot canyon located in the White Cliffs north and east of Kanab and just east of Johnson Canyon. It’s located on Timber Mountain and we found huge Mt Lion tracks in.

Summary

The three main branches of Blue John Canyon all have a similar layout, of a shallow wash that drops steeply down into a narrow slot, widening gradually and offering easy entry/exit routes once the enclosing cliffs recede. The two principal forks are main and east; both can be explored from the top with some difficult downclimbing and/or rappelling, or from the lower end via a longer hike that involves retracing steps when the steep part is reached.
West Fork - this is quite shallow, forming just one enclosed section about 1/4 mile in length, at the start of which is a steep place needing moderate downclimbing. The drainage is often used as an exit route after descending the main or east forks.

Best Slot Canyons In Utah

Main Fork - one mile of the main fork forms a deep, narrow canyon, and a quarter of this is a dark slot. The upper end descends steeply, by 100 feet over a distance of about 200 feet, so is easiest to explore in the downstream direction though even here a rope may be needed.
East Fork - the eastern branch is the longest, and its upper end has a lengthy narrow section, in the middle of which are a number of deep potholes and several dryfalls. The best part of the slot is below these obstacles.
Lower Canyon - north of the junction of all the upper forks, Blue John is a wide, sandy drainage but narrows once more to a good, dark, steeply-descending slot just before a big drop off (70 feet). It was here that Aron Ralston became entrapped by a large boulder and after 5 days resorted to severing his arm with a pocket knife. After the dryfall the drainage becomes a wide, sandy-floored box canyon, and remains similar in appearance all the way to the confluence with Horseshoe Canyon and then the Green River.

Utah Slot Canyons Map