Willis Creek Slot Canyon Utah Hike Guide
Willis Creek Slot Canyon is a short out and back slot canyon located just south of Bryce Canyon National Park in Southern Utah. This hike is a perfect intro into slot canyons as it is not very wide and has no technical hiking involved. Willis Creek is family friendly and dog friendly but expect to get your feet wet on this one as the hike intersects and crosses the creek several times on this short hike. After about 1.2 miles of hiking you will reach a large boulder in the middle of the trail and the main slot canyon portion of this trail ends, but hikers can keep going for another mile or so if they want a longer day.
Willis Creek Slot Canyon Quick Facts
Virtual Trail Guide: Willis Creek Slot Canyon
Willis Creek Slot Canyon Rating: ★★★★ (⅘ Stars)
Distance: 2.4 + Miles RT – Can extend past if you want
Elevation Start: 5,823ft
Highest Elevation: 6,035ft
Total Elevation Gain: 233ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 1-2 Hours
Difficulty: Easy What does this mean?
Class: Class 1 – What does this mean?
Season: Year Round – Best in Winter, Spring and Fall
Directions to Willis Creek Slot Canyon
Trailhead: Willis Creek
Getting Here: From the small town of Cannonville, Utah head south on Kodachrome Road for about 2.8 miles. At this point, take a right onto BLM500 road which is dirt. Usually, this road is okay for most vehicles, but a higher clearance car might be necessary during wetter months. After this point, you will essentially follow this road for another 6 miles until you reach the trailhead on your right. The parking lot is across from the official trail start which is on the left hand side of the road.
Parking: Willis Creek Slot Canyon has a medium sized parking lot that can fit about 20 cars. This hike is somewhat popular so expect it to fill up on busy weekends and holidays. There are no restrooms at the TH.
Fee: There is no fee for this hike as of 2021.
Summary
Dogs: This is a dog friendly hike, but expect your dog to get wet and muddy as the hike crosses the stream/river several times during your progress through the slot canyon.
Camping: If you are looking to camp in the area, there are a ton of dispersed options along the road to the TH. The closest established campground is at Kodachrome State Park (LINK), just about 15-20 minutes away.
Make it a Loop: This is an out and back hike where most hikers turn around at about 1.2 – 1.5 miles into the hike. However, if you wanted to extend your trip, you could easily keep hiking to the end of the canyon which would make this one about 5-6 miles long.
Trail X Factors: Water Level
As with many slot canyons, the water level on your trip to Willis Creek Slot Canyon is going to have a large effect on your experience hiking. Unlike some creeks that dry up, Willis Creek remains fairly active even into the winter months. During our trip in late November, we experienced 3-5 inches of water in spots and other spots that were completely frozen over. It feels weird to recommend microspikes on a slot canyon hike, but they might be a good idea during this time of year. If you visit during the more active months of Spring, Summer and early Fall – be sure to know the forecast in the area. A rain storm in the area or upstream can make this hike extremely dangerous with high water levels.
Hike Tip(s): Unless you really like suffering, I would highly recommend a pair of waterproof boots for this hike, regardless of the time you visit. Jackie and I wore ours and even with them on, there were areas where the water level was so high that it went over the lip of our boots.
Best Views: My favorite views on the Willis Creek Slot Canyon hike were during the portions of the hike that worked through the narrower areas of the canyon. One spot in particular, just about near the end of the hike, gave me mini Zion Narrows vibes.
Willis Creek Slot Canyon Hike Route
Gear Needed
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Women’s)
- Backpack
- Food & Water
- Map of Area
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Hiking Poles
- Optional: Microspikes – only during winter months
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: Camera and Lens
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod
- *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
Our Trip to Willis Creek Slot Canyon: November 2021
After a previous trip to Southern Utah by myself in 2020, I was excited to make another trip down to this part of the state with Jackie and Juno. Obviously with a dog we couldn’t hike popular slot canyons in the area like Zebra or Spooky – but Willis Creek Slot Canyon sounded like a perfect compromise.
After a long day of driving and visiting Capitol Reef National Park to hike Hickman Bridge, we arrived at Willis Creek Slot Canyon in the afternoon, the day of Thanksgiving. There were a few cars in the parking lot but it was quiet at the TH and the weather was beautiful, cool and in the 40s. We quickly found the trail and began hiking. After just a little while on the road, it became fairly evident that this slot canyon was going to be different from most of the ones I had done in the later season. We were going to get wet. I don’t usually mind this, but when your two hiking partners – Juno and Jackie do not like getting wet, my mood shifts.
We worked through the wide canyon, crossing Willis Creek several times. The hiking was fairly easy and the canyon never did get super narrow. Eventually, the water in the stream dried up and we were getting close to the end of the “slot canyon” portion of the hike. Right before we did though, we hiked through one last bit of canyon with massive walls and a hiking area that was only 5-10 feet wide. After leaving this area, we kept hiking for a little longer, exploring more of the area and eventually turned around and headed back to the car. It was Thanksgiving after all and we needed to make dinner.
Overall, I enjoyed Willis Creek Slot Canyon, but was a bit disappointed but the lack of narrow canyon hiking. This wasn’t super surprising since its dog and family friendly and overall this is a great first slot canyon if you have never hiked one.
