Slot Canyon: (Arches National Park)

The slot canyon is a narrow canyon that is formed by the wear of water that rushes through sandstone and most often, the only light that enters the canyon is through very narrow openings towards the top of the canyon. The slot canyon could measure one or two feet across towards the top but may fall one hundred feet to the floor of the canyon from the top. Many of the slot canyons have an incandescent look due to the effects of water and wind of a hundred to two hundred million years of windstorms as well as floods having cut the sandstone to give such effect.

Largest Concentration Of Natural Stone Arches In The World

Arches National Park holds the largest concentration of natural stone arches in the world and consists of a red and arid desert that is punctuated with some odd sandstone eroded forms like fins, pinnacles, spires, balanced rocks as well as arches that are spread over 73,000 acres and it has more than 2,000 miracles of natures, such as those mentioned above.

Visitors to this slot canyon would travel the 40 mile round trip on a paved road in Arches National Park to see all the major sights that also includes Balanced Rock, Skyline Arch, Double Arch, and Fiery Furnace as also it’s most famous geological feature – Delicate Arch. There are also hiking activities which take visitors through the rolling sandstone arches of this slot canyon and it means following in the footsteps of the prehistoric Native Americans. Besides hiking, one may also go backpacking, technical rock climbing, horseback riding as well as biking.

Getting into this slot canyon is through the entrance that is located five miles north of the town of Moab and is accessed via US 191 and the paved scenic drive through Arches National Park offers some very amazing as well as sweeping views from the top of a plateau and one can either view these geological wonders from up close or from a distance. This slot canyon has a Visitor Center that is open throughout the year and visitors are taught how to visit the park with least impact to the fragile desert environment, here at the Visitor Center at Arches National Park. To enter the Arches National Park, the visitor has to pay US$10 per vehicle or US$5 per person and for frequent visitors there is the US$25 annual area pass or the US$50 annual national parks pass.

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