Photo Essay: Slot Canyoneering in Zion National Park

Zion National Park, in Southern Utah, is one of the most incredible places in the U.S., and likely the world. Its awesomeness is also not a secret, so its super crowded in the summer. It’s relative proximity to the Las Vegas airport and the Grand Canyon means its packed with tourists, so much that you can’t even drive in the park – you must take the park’s shuttle. (Which, by the way, is actually kinda cool.)   

But, once you get out of the main 15-mile long Zion Canyon, there’s another 200 or so square miles to explore. And if you’ve got a bit of technical hiking or canyoneering experience, the slot canyons there are (as you can see in the photos) unbelievable. 

Gear Patrol contributor Chris Burkard and his buddies recently visited “The Subway” section of the park, and captured some amazing images. 

He says, “[we] packed up the car after work and drove through the night with a simple plan: head towards Zion. People have it in their heads that you need a lot of money to take trips. Our goal was a trip with a small budget. We ate crappy gas station food and took rotations driving to get there by morning; we had no permits or any idea of what we were going to do. This was a “microadventure” with no set plan except to have fun in some canyons.”

See the full photo essay at Gear Patrol: Slot Canyoneering in Zion