Zebra Slot Canyon

Finding the Entrance to Zebra Slot

The trailhead for Zebra Slot Canyon in located just outside of Escalante, Utah about 8 miles down Hole-in-the-Rock Road. Just across from the parking lot you will find the start of the well-defined trail. We visited towards the end of April and were delighted to find desert flowers blooming along the winding sandy path as we made our way toward the slot canyon entrance.

After a mile or so, we came to a prominent wooden gate suspended between two large rock formations emerged from the landscape. Here we noticed a flurry of activity and birdsong above us. To our left about half way up the rock face there were a series of holes that countless birds were playfully swooping in and out of. After watching the birds for several minutes, we continued down Harris Wash. Shortly past the gate the trail became obscured and difficult to follow. Luckily prior to the trip, we had read detailed trail accounts advising hikers to continue along the left side of the wash.

Following a variety of trails we picked our way along the left side of the bank ignoring what looked like more prominent trails on the right side of the wash. Eventually we stumbled across a well-worn trail that lead off to the left and up a small incline to the mouth of the slot canyon. Having read several trail report we were aware of the strong possibility of water being present in the canyon. However, up to this point we had only envisioned small pools or short stretches of standing water. As we approached the slot we quickly realized that the entire passage was filled with water.

Navigating Zebra Slot in Chest Deep Water

Once we resigned ourselves to continuing on despite less than optimal conditions, we donned water shoes, stowed our valuables in dry bags, and left our hiking boots along with our larger packs near the entrance. Pretty quickly we realized that getting to the renown part of the slot would involve wadding through murky chest deep water and squeezing through areas that only afforded 8 to 10 inches between the canyon walls. At this point, my fears of dark water and confined spaces were battling with my desperate desire to see the hike thru to the end.

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Squeezing ourselves through the canyon we were grateful we had left behind the bulk of our belongings. There were several areas that were impossibly tight and impassable without scaling the walls and shimmying ourselves though.

Entering photography heaven

Right when we thought the walls could not possibly get tighter, the slot opened up slightly and we hoisted ourselves up out of the water and into the short section of slot that gives the canyon its well deserved name. We stood in awe as the walls rolled out in waves before us. The light penetrating into the canyon showed off the slot’s strips to great effect. The colors ranged from white to crimson and seemed to change as we passed our time reveling in photography heaven. We felt lucky that we were able to visit the slot in solitude. It was refreshing to experience such a unique place away from throngs of people.

In the future, we look forward to revisiting Zebra slot (hopefully in drier conditions). Next time we will likely time our visit for late afternoon (instead of morning) to have the opportunity to capture the blue and purple hues on the canyon walls come evening.