Dog Friendly Zebra Slot Canyon

While the Zebra Slot Canyon is listed as “dog friendly”, this is a tough hike! There is no way the corgis could have walked TO the slot canyon as it’s very hot with no shade and deep sand in some areas. Once inside, they could not have walked through on their own but through some strategizing we found a way to complete it thanks to our K9 Sport Sack carriers.

Could your dog do it?

If your dog can tackle some rough terrain and several hot miles of hiking, that will at least get you to the slot canyon. From there, some small dogs could walk through but for large dogs (without a carrier/backpack) I’m not sure how they’d get through. We heard people claim they’d carry their dogs through but with sections so narrow you can’t walk on the bottom you need the use of your arms/legs/back to “wall-walk” higher thus making it almost impossible to carry a larger dog.

Not to mention that at any point the canyon may be up to hip deep in water. So keep that in mind. We we were able to utilize recent images on All Trails to see what the slot canyon looked like close to our hike and whether water was present.

Hiking tips to reach Zebra Slot Canyon

1. Stop at the visitor’s center to check the forecast, don’t just rely on a weather app. We stopped at the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center. We had a perfectly sunny day had but noticed some dark clouds & the hiking guides at the center were very knowledgeable on whether it was of concern. Flash floods can happen and could trap you inside so plan ahead. Don’t ever forget how dangerous slot canyons can be.
2. It is a rough bumpy road to the trailhead down Hole in the Rock Road. While it’s not completely unbearable, expect about 7 miles over gravel riveted terrain.
3. Total distance of the hike itself (not including the slot canyon) is around 5.5 miles with no shade. That’s also assuming you don’t take a wrong path as we accidentally added on about 0.3 miles.
4. The trail can be hard to follow and there is no cell service. We downloaded the Google Map ahead of time and this ended up being the most accurate. Download this before you head out!
   1. We used this blog as one of our main resources as we prepared for the hike and would recommend it.
   2. The hike is pretty easy to follow until you get closer to the slot canyon. In the blog referenced above, it talks about staying left of the wash and close to the rock walls. We hung to the left too hard and started down the path shown in red (see photo below). You need to follow the path shown in green (there are two wash paths which can be confusing).  
5. When they say bring 4 liters of water per person, that’s not an over exaggeration. During our hike mid-May we had 1.5 per person and 1 liter for the corgis (who were not walking, just riding in their K9 Sport Sacks) and we could have used 1-2 liters more.
6. Go early morning or late afternoon. It’s not as hot and there are less people. We went in mid-May around 4:00pm and it was still pretty hot.
7. Prepare for stagnant water in the canyon especially in early Spring or if there have been recent rain storms. Luckily, it was completely dry for us but you can encounter water from a few inches to waist deep.
8. Plan to get some snags in your clothes and a few scrapes. Had we not had the corgis we could have more gracefully scooted through but my shorts were left fuzzy from scraping along the rocks and I had a few knee bruises & elbow scratches.
9. Don’t panic… easier said that done. Once we realized it was a heck of a lot easier to just go up and not try to walk in the bottom where your stomach/hips can get stuck, this was less of an issue.

Slot canyon tips & a strategy to squeeze through

There are 3 narrow sections to get through (each roughly 10-20 feet) to reach the zebra stripes. The corgis relaxed in their Sport Sacks the entire way!

Wall walking tip: the canyon is generally wider 3+ feet off the ground. If you put your back to the wall and feet across to the other side, use the pressure from pushing both directions to shimmy sideways. It took a few tries to figure it out as we kept trying to use our arms to hold ourselves up which doesn’t really work.

Navigating the 3 narrow sections

1. First Section:
   1. Human Strategy: This area is wider and the least difficult section. We were able to turn sideways and scoot through with minimal issues.
   2. Dog Strategy: We took the corgis off our backs and held them in front of us as we walked through. Once through we were able to regroup in a roughly 8×8 foot section.
2. Second Section:
   1. Human Strategy: This gets narrow. I’m 5’7’ 130 pounds and I could barely get through walking on the bottom if I turned sideways and shuffled like walking a tightrope. Drew tried to walk through on the bottom and it was very very tight that he did begin to panic as he had moments of thinking he was stuck. On the way back out we side ways “wall-walked” through.
   2. Dog Strategy: I held Windsor over head and scooted through to the next “landing area” and put him down. When in their carriers they just chill like a little sack of potatoes. I shuffled back, grabbed Churchill & did the same thing.
3. Third Section:
   1. Human Strategy: The most narrow… especially hips down so you can’t walk sideways then entire way. We both had to “wall-walk” though it does get a tiny bit wider towards the end. Drew had to “wall-walk” the full way through as he couldn’t even stand on the bottom with the narrowness.
   2. Dog Strategy: I went first without a corgi. Once I reached the end, I was able to tightrope walk in backwards as it’s less narrow on the other end to make it almost midway back to the beginning. Drew was able to walk a few feet in and pass me a bag-o-corgi where I shuffle out to the next landing.
4. Fourth Section:
   1. Human Strategy: This spot is much more open! Here it ends and I guess you can climb the end wall but we heard it’s not worth it. Now you turn around and do it in reverse!
   2. Dog Strategy: If you were able to get a dog in this far they could walk around in the bottom.

Some Photo Evidence

Scroll through these photos to see how we wall walked as well as a view of how narrow each section can be. You can see how the canyon is always wider higher up.

Meeting Other Hikers In The Slot Canyon

We only had 1 other group inside with us (and 2 couples that were leaving when we arrived) and that was enough. The slots are 1 person at a time in 1 direction and a couple of the landings really only have room for about 4 people max. It takes people a while to shimmy through as it’s a lot of strategy and backing out to change position so you could be stuck waiting in a tight space with a handful of strangers.

Would We Recommend You Bring Your Dog?

The corgis are so good and relaxed in their K9 Sport Sacks that we knew if we ourselves could physically get through without too much trouble, they’d be fine. Also, when we had to set them down they don’t wiggle and try to get out of their sack that we’d have to worry about them escaping. So, they just hung out in between they very narrow sections.

So, would we recommend this with your dog? Not really.
The fact that there were spots you can’t just walk and had to go up and over an area I’m not sure how you’d do this carrying a dog. I was luckily able to walk most of it and had I not been able to, I don’t think we could have done it as we couldn’t have supported them strapped in front as we wall-walked/booty scooted through.

Do we recommend this hike with your dog? Not really

And of course, don’t forget there is the 5 mile+ hike in the heat with no shade. The corgis rode in their backpacks most of the way (walked maybe 1/2 mile total just to get some backpack free time).

Would we do it again?

For us personally, yes. Only because our strategy + my ability to walk through more spots + the K9 Sport Sacks allowed for it. And the fact that the corgis are crazy calm and really enjoyed the ride.

If you have a very savvy hiking dog or are a really strong rock climber maybe you could do it with a dog (and I’m sure many have). Just be sure to know what your dog can handle, especially with a long hot hike and have plenty of water and a good map of where you are going.

For more dog friendly travel options, make sure to check out our posts here!