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Page > Starting Water Wash
Starting Water Wash, another tributary of Upper Kaibito Creek, flows
unremarkably for many miles across the Kaibito Plateau before forming a very spectacular slot
canyon near the junction with the main creek. At first the canyon has short sections of narrows 20-40
feet deep, interspersed with more open stretches but eventually it becomes much deeper, often very dark,
although always exciting and photogenic. About half a mile before the junction with Kaibito Creek, the
wash descends steeply in a series of sheer drops with some pools, large boulders and log jams. Some
parts are pitch black, as the canyon becomes less winding and more cave-like. To travel through this
part of the canyon is rather difficult, but the earlier section is easy and very scenic; this is
probably the best long slot canyon in Arizona with easy access.
Location: Starting Water Wash is reached by driving 9 miles north along
a good quality dirt track that joins highway AZ 98 and also passes close to the
Kaibito Creek and East Fork slot
canyons. The wash is easily recognisable, as the track descends into a small steepish valley and
crosses the streambed on a wide bridge; the narrows begin about a third of a mile downstream.
Permit: As for
Upper Kaibito Creek.
Description: The streambed is dry for most of the year and at first
has soft sand with weathered, sloping rocks on each side. The canyon begins gradually; the narrows
are at first only 6 feet deep and with more open stretches at intervals. After 30 minutes walking
the slot is around 30-40 feet deep, very narrow in places yet still generally light and sunny.
The floor is sandy or stony, mostly quite flat but with occasional drops of
a few feet, often with car tyres and other debris wedged between the rocks. Around this point
there are several mineral veins extruded vertically into the otherwise flat layers of red
Navajo sandstone that form the canyon walls. Logs were jammed between the walls at intervals
- some high above the floor, others low, impeding progress slightly. There were also several
crows nests when I visited, their occupants filling the narrow passages with eerie, echoing
cries. Apart from these and other birds, wildlife was limited to many whiptail lizards in
the shallower part of the canyon and a solitary frog, although there were coyote tracks in some places.
After 40 minutes walking (1.5 miles) the canyon becomes so deep in places that
little sunlight can penetrate, and some passages are dark and creepy, but always the rocks are
delicately shaped and colorful. There are a few short side-canyons; one is especially curved
and twisting - a chain of circular potholes linked by narrow channels in the rock. For a few
hundred meters the cliffs open out and become less steep but then close in sharply (after 53
minutes); just before is the last of several places where it is possible to climb out of the
canyon to the sandy desert above. The slot becomes very narrow, dark and twisting with sharp
S-shaped bends, several downward steps of 1 metre or so and a few log jams. One is quite
extensive, and builds up to a height of 15 feet with a vertical drop beyond. A rope had been
left in place so I was able to climb down and continue. The rope may not be in place permanently,
but then neither is the log jam.
The canyon opens out a bit but deepens quickly, with several large boulders, one of which has
another drop of 15 feet; there was a belay point but no rope attached. I climbed down anyway,
then there were more boulders with other, less steep dryfalls. The ground became muddy, with
evidence of recently dried-up pools. The canyon was straighter but so deep that there was no
light - the passage ahead became pitch black even though it was quite wide. Here I turned back,
not having brought a flashlight, and knowing of further drop-offs and pools that lay ahead. It
is possible to continue all the way to Kaibito Creek and explore other side canyons, but only
with suitable equipment. Still, the hike to this point is very exciting - a real adventure -
and the slot canyon is as spectacular as any in the Southwest.
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