Ever since doing the West Fork of White Roost Canyon, Georgia had been trying to get Chris and me to descend another technical slot canyon with her, and we finally got back together about a year and a half later. We planned to meet up at a camp spot near Beaver Canyon, on the way to the trailhead for Angel Slot, on Friday evening. On the dirt road to camp I caught up with Georgia in her Subaru, and we pulled into camp at the same time. She brought her friend Regan who none of the rest of us had yet met, and he turned out to be a pretty cool dude. Chris and Dollie arrived a while later and we spent the evening around a camp fire drinking beer. A small storm rolled over the Henry Mountains around sunset and dropped a little bit of snow, but it spared us and we ended up with perfect weather all weekend.
Camp near Beaver Canyon
Snow on the Henrys
In the morning we were in no hurry. We drove to the trailhead and started hiking at around 10:40 AM, and reached the first rappel in Angel Slot five minutes later. Chris rappelled first and I went last, as we did with all the remaining drops. The group is mostly beginners, with probably only Chris and Regan being more intermediate canyoneers, so it was kinda slow going for the entire group to rappel each drop.
Angel Point West TH
Above the canyon
First rappel
Chris setting up the rope
Chris on rappel
Georgia
Dollie belaying
Regan
Less than ten minutes after finishing the first rap we reached the second, which had a short drop to a ledge, then a rappel into a shallow pothole, and finally a larger drop to the bottom.
Proceeding deeper into the canyon
Second rappel, "Rope!"
Dollie dropping in
Below the second rap
After a short section of narrows and some downclimbing we arrived at a taller downclimb where we used a hand line. After some more walking and another downclimb was the third rappel into a dark narrow slot.
Regan downclimbing
Above a short downclimb
Chris using a hand line
Third rap
Below that the canyon got pretty skinny. The fourth and fifth rappels came in quick succession and we found ourselves in a dark, slanted slot.
Fourth rap
Fifth rap
After that final rappel it was an easy 10-minute hike through a narrow and pretty section of canyon to the end, where it opened up into a sandy wash. We stopped there for about 20 minutes for lunch and then began the hike out.
Dollie chimneying over a narrow spot
Light at the end of the tunnel
End of the slot canyon
It took about 50 minutes to get from the end of the slot back to our vehicles. It was about five hours car to car, which for such a short and easy canyon seems like a long time. I was pretty beat, mostly from the climb out.
Starting the climb out
View over Beaver Canyon
The Henrys in the distance
Looking across the Dirty-D
Dirty Devil River
Trail back to the TH
We drove back to camp and just chilled for the rest of the evening. We had planned on moving to the North Wash area to do the left fork of Blarney the next day but some of us weren’t feeling up to it so we just packed up and headed home on Sunday morning while Georgia and Regan stayed to do the canyon. On my way home I stopped at the Notch just north of Hanksville to check out some cliffs that have always caught my eye whenever I drive past. I was surprised to only find a couple of recent inscriptions because I thought the original travel route between Green River and Hanksville passed by here. It wasn’t until doing some research at home that I learned the route was actually more than a mile to the east.
Parked along UT-24
Entrada Sandstone formations at the Notch
Entrada Sandstone formation at the Notch
Photo Gallery: Angel Slot