Sleepy Hollow

not verifiedpermit verified 2026-08-15 ACA 4B X Unknown flood risk Escalante, UT

Rated 4B X, and in Climb-Utah's judgment one of the hardest canyons on the Colorado Plateau: seven miles of sustained high stemming and chimneying with two rappels, the longest 70 feet.

Big Tony and Frosted Flakes are the same canyon under other names, so the beta turns up in three places. The X rating is not decoration and this is not where anyone should learn to stem. There is one documented way to soften it: scramble out on the left down canyon side, rim walk about 300 feet, and re-enter, which may take a partner capture and drops the canyon to R. Figure eight to eleven hours. Poison ivy grows along the wetter parts of the route, avoidable if you know the three leaf shape, red in fall and green in summer. Climb-Utah rates the trailhead as reachable by passenger car in normal conditions, which sits oddly against the rough sandy approach roads described for the neighboring King Mesa canyons, so confirm before you commit a low car. The mouth of this canyon in Coyote Gulch is the landmark parties use on the way to PINTAC and DDI.

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	7 mi
Technical	2 rappels, longest 70 ft
Coordinates	37.4505, -111.0793

Sleepy Hollow

Logistics

Sources