Bull Valley Gorge

Bull Valley Gorge is a slot canyon cut into Navajo sandstone within Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, about 200 feet deep at its narrowest and pinching to under five feet across in spots. Over a mile of tight, winding canyon rewards hikers willing to scramble through mud and wade pools that can run several feet deep depending on recent weather — similar in character to Buckskin Gulch, with more variation in rock color along the way.

Good to know

• Access is via Skutumpah Road, a graded dirt road that turns impassable when wet — a high-clearance vehicle is recommended
• The trailhead sits at the north end of a small bridge; walk upstream from there to enter the canyon
• The wrecked remains of a 1950s pickup truck are wedged in the canyon walls near the bridge, a remnant of a fatal 1954 accident — visible from both inside the canyon and looking down from above
• Flash flooding is a real hazard here, tied to summer thunderstorms — check the forecast before committing to the canyon