Grand Staircase Escalante

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"Zebra Slot Canyon Upstream View"

September 2012, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah

Zebra is a tiny but very colorful slot canyon located in a remote area of the Grand Staircase. The canyon itself is only about 100 yards long, and it can be reached after a 2-1/2 mile hike from the trailhead. The hike is pretty easy, but once you reach Zebra you have to wade through waste-deep water for the first half of the slot. The last 50 yards make it all worthwhile.

Zebra is a very narrow slot, perhaps only 4" wide at the bottom. I couldn't risk putting my foot down and getting stuck all by myself, so I had to "chimney" my way through the canyon. This means that my feet are on one wall and my rear end on the other. This is not so easy with a tripod in one hand and a heavy camera pack in the other. I managed to move from one end of the slot to the other in this manner, suspended about 5 feet above the ground. My elbows ended up bloodied from the experience as they rubbed against the abrasive sandstone walls. My camera pack and tripod didn't fare much better.

Desert Escalante Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument Hole in the Rock Road Narrows Sandstone Slot Canyon Utah zebra