Crack canyon

Stephen Fischer Photography

Rating: 2A/B-II

Crack canyon is one of the more interesting class 2 canyons I have explored. It is a bit of a drive to reach compared to the much more popular Little Horse canyon.  More technical details of Crack Canyon can be found here.

The amount of scrambling and down climbing is on the tricky side, also helping to keep out the more touristy crowd.  On this visit the canyon was dry, but I could see many areas where water had accumulated, but since evaporated.  Some of the tricky narrow areas deeper in looked like swimming would be necessary in order to pass. As a result, I would expect this canyon to be designated a 'B' rating within a few weeks after any rain storms in the area.

Photography-wise, I found the canyon to be more photogenic than many due to the unusual number of moqui holes that pock-mark the canyon walls in multiple places along the route.  There is also a small subway-like section with a tubular shaped slot and crack following along the top (see images 5, 6, and 12).  In some areas the sandstone looks strangely warped, as if it was superheated and started to melt (see images 4, 7, and 11).