Brimstone Gulch (lower)
Possibly the narrowest slot in the Escalante: under three feet wide for most of a mile, in places only inches across at floor level and still dozens of feet deep, with almost no daylight reaching the bottom.
Two very different trips share the name. Most people walk up from Dry Fork Coyote Gulch to the bottom of the technical section and turn around; the descent itself is high stemming to 30 feet above the deck with several awkward silo crossings. The final section can hold serious water after rain and turn into long swims, so hike up from the bottom and look before you drop in from the top. The approach down Dry Fork passes a chockstone and 15 foot dryfall that gets rearranged by floods and can be free climbed. Brimstone is a longer walk than Peekaboo and Spooky, which is the only reason it is quieter than they are. The upper end is the dangerous half: a hiker was trapped here for eight days in 1996 after downclimbing a dryfall he could not reverse. Nothing about the narrowness makes this canyon safe in unsettled weather.
Logistics
| Manager | BLM Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument |
|---|---|
| Permit | Monument wide rule, not a canyon specific finding. BLM requires a free permit for all overnight stays anywhere in Grand Staircase-Escalante, self issued at developed trailheads or at the Escalante, Cannonville, Kanab and Big Water visitor centers. Day use by a private party requires no permit: BLM issues Special Recreation Permits for commercial use, competitive events, organized groups and recreation events, none of which covers a private party descending a canyon. The lottery permits BLM lists alongside the monument, Coyote Buttes North and Paria Canyon, are Vermilion Cliffs units administered from Kanab and do not apply here. |
| Distance | 4.5 mi |
| Season | BEST in Apr;May;Jun;Oct |
| Coordinates | 37.487, -111.1937 |
Sources
- permit: https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/utah/grand-staircase-escalante-national-monument/plan
- manager: https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/utah/grand-staircase-escalante-national-monument/plan
- desc: http://americansouthwest.net/slot_canyons/brimstone_gulch/canyon.html
- notes: http://americansouthwest.net/slot_canyons/brimstone_gulch/canyon.html
- closure note: https://ropewiki.com/Brimstone_Gulch_(lower)
- heroPhoto: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mouth_of_Brimstone_Gulch_DyeClan.com_-_panoramio.jpg