In Deep

Discover one of many secrets hidden in new Bears Ears National Monument. Just be prepared for a lot of swimming on this trip through the Black Hole of White Canyon.

- Doug Schnitzspahn

WE LAUGHED AT THE SIGN, even though it predicted danger ahead. WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT THE BLACK HOLE DESCENT. The fine print explained that due to flash flood debris, “safe retreat or rescue may not be possible.”

The sign is here because, while there are many hazardous places in the wild, this particular spot in southern Utah is proven deadly. You can get in over your head in a hurry and more than a few have. In 1996, a flash flood careened through the narrows, killing a teenage girl. In 2003, another left a logjam in the middle of the slot, making the canyon nearly impassable. The Bureau of Land Management erected the sign shortly after—and left it there even after another flood washed away the debris in 2006.

Indeed, mishaps in this slot canyon—part of the larger White Canyon, which splinters southwest toward Lake Powell—generate more search-and rescue calls than anywhere else in the area.