Overview

Hype:

Dunham slot is a fun little canyon south of Cannonville in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The road to the trailhead is quite rough with some sand, so 4-wheel drive is recommended for sure. Although the canyon is short, it has some excellent swirls and photogenic sections as well as some easy obstacles. This makes a great half-day canyon!

Canyon Rating: 3A

Time: 3-4 hours

Length: 0.9 mile approach, 0.1 mile canyon, 1.0 mile exit

Longest Rappel: 85 ft

Gear: Standard canyoneering gear.

Fees: None

Recommended Ages:

	0-3
	4-11
	12-19
	20-49
	50-69
	70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Links: https://www.roadtripryan.com/go/t/utah/escalante/dunham-slot

Getting There

Navigate to 37.478486, -112.038061.

Park on the left side of the road.

Route

Approach

From the parking area, follow the dirt road northeast until it bends east. About half a mile in, you'll pass a dryfall. Stay on the north bank. Follow the drainage east and then southeast for a total of about 0.9 miles to the top of Dunham Slot. The hiking is easy with a slight downhill grade, and there are some fairly visible social trails to follow. 

Canyon

Drop 1: 15-foot rappel or downclimb. If you're rappelling, it requires a meat anchor or natural anchor. This is a great place to practice partner assists.

Drop 2: 85-foot rappel from a wedged tree anchor.

Drop 3: 65-foot rappel down a chute from extended webbing anchor. Has underhung lip part way down. Very photogenic.

Exit

From the bottom of the canyon, turn north and trudge up and over the steep gravel hillside. The climb is quite steep and loose. Once you get back down the other side, you'll be in the river bottom just above the top of Dunham Slot. Follow your approach trail back to the parking area. 

Maps

Closest City or Region: Cannonville, Utah

Coordinates: 37.476093, -112.027545

Interactive Guide Map

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September 26, 2020 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Savannah Dye, Madilyn Dye, Cooper Dye, Anthony Dye, Arianne Dye, Miller Dye, Ondylyn Wagner, Killian Wagner,

Logistics

Start: 9:45

End: 3:00

Story

More than a year before our trip, we were on another canyoneering trip and had the awesome idea to film a movie that made it seem like Cooper, Miller, and Killian were canyoneering by themselves. COVID hit and plans got shuffled, but we finally made it happen. We attached cameras to the boys' helmets and let them be themselves. With some major editing, we were able to cut out all the tears and whines and fits and other people in the canyon and make it seem like it was the boys' favorite adventure. The canyon was fun despite the stress of trying to stage a film. Cooper was especially impressive when he rappeled the 85-foot rappel by himself at 4 years old!

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Video of Trip

Pictures