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Slot canyons within Grand Canyon National Park.
- Cathedral Wash - short, curving, multi-layered side canyon
- Hindu Canyon - beautiful and very remote narrows on the Hualapai Reservation
- Jackass Creek - colorful, rugged tributary near Lees Ferry
- Milkweed Canyon - limestone narrows and a pink granite gorge
- Tanner Wash - long canyon with unusual passages through thin-layered sandstone
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Most of the hundreds of tributaries that form the side branches of the Grand Canyon are not particularly narrow, rather they are stepped in cross section because of the many strata of differing hardness which cause the upper walls to erode sideways as the canyon deepens. The larger side canyons are very impressive, offering many multi-day hiking routes through remote scenic areas well away from the South Rim crowds, and often there are narrowish sections with typical slot-like features of pools, chokestones, waterfalls and deep water-carved channels, as is the case with Milkweed Canyon. But the best slots are close to the Colorado River in the depths of the main gorge and so not easily accessible by overland hiking; places such as Elves Chasm, Olo Canyon, Travertine Canyon and Matkatamiba Canyon need either access by boat, or overnight hikes and most likely some rappelling.
In the far north of the park, downstream of Lees Ferry, the Colorado flows through Marble Gorge, deepening steadily but still on a rather smaller scale than the main area further south. Here the side canyons too are narrower and more intimate and there are several that offer a route to the river. Cathedral Wash is one of the easiest hikes - others may require swimming of pools or climbing down dryfalls. Possibilities include North Canyon, Rider Canyon, Soap Creek, Badger Canyon, Salt Water Wash, Tanner Wash and Hot Na Na Wash. The eastern tributaries on Navajo land are easily reached from US 89 or short side tracks while some of the western canyons are further from the road and involve longer trips on rough tracks.
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