Sipes Canyon Slot
ACA Canyon
Rating – 2A III
NEVER ENTER ANY
SLOT CANYON WHEN HEAVY RAIN IS IN THE FORECAST…!!!
Sipes Canyon Slot is short but AWESOME.....! ! !
above Bethany & Ian enjoy a steep scramble within the scenic narrow
hallway
Mid-way the slot briefly opens up some
The hike both directions along the San Francisco River is AWESOME...! ! ! But after dark...Arizona Bark Scorpions rule-the-night...! ! !
beta facts:
name- Sipes Canyon Slot
length of slot canyon- maybe three-quarters
of a mile
elevation- 4800’at the top down to about
4500’at the bottom
GPS coordinates- ±33°13.183’N 108°55.745’W
flow- intermittent
season to visit- most anytime except summer
may be scorching HOT
NEVER ENTER ANY SLOT CANYON WHEN HEAVY RAIN IS IN
THE FORECAST…!!!
accommodations- NONE
ownership- Gila National Forest
access- is from Hwy 180… see the map below
nearest town- Pleasanton is about 5 miles
northeast of here
fun fact- yer not afraid of little
scorpions are you... ! ! !
text by Neil Grady after a visit to Sipes Slot Canyon in May
2018
Sipes Canyon did indeed “slot up” into two really fun, non-technical sections, including some challenging scrambles, and even a subway section. The canyon gets tight pretty much right away upon leaving the Rio San Francisco. A huge, overhead chockstone marked the beginning of the fun stuff. The first scramble was the hardest with a twisting move between two boulders. A helping hand from a friend was nice here. After that it is just a walk, through a super pretty area with many different color rocks. In late May the greens were really popping. The canyon widened for a bit, pink bedrock made for easy walking through this part, and we saw a couple of owls. After that was a really great but short subway section, and a few more scrambles, including one pretty tall climb that almost scared us off, as we had no technical gear. However, once I started up the wall, the hand-and foot-holds appeared where they were needed. Above there were some really narrow, damp and slippery areas, a leaning/twisting section, and even some stemming. I accidentally put my hand right on a frog, and we both had a moment. He went in the drink but I managed to stay dry. Above that we did a sort of exposed loose scramble, maybe 40’ up canyon right, only to find that we were at the end of the tight slot sections. We negotiated the descent easily enough so I don’t feel that a rope is needed. The next day we made a hike attempt at nearby Mule Creek Slot Canyon (see: http://www.dougscottart.com/hobbies/SlotCanyons/Mule.htm ) and made it up to the bottom of the slot section.But turned back as we were hoping to beat the sun back to camp. Mule Creek Slot will be saved for a future trip. Upon our return we found a giant, super fresh bear print. Later that night Iused a UV flashlight to find more Arizona Bark Scorpions..... more than I’d ever want to see again. We packed in from the Frisco Hot Springs Trailhead, but later found that one can 4WD down Big Dry Creek Canyon. Parking at the confluence of Big Dry Creek and the San Francisco River will shave 3¼ miles of hiking off of each direction. Allowing this to be a “day-hike” out and back in 7 wet miles, plus about .8 miles each way in Sipes Slot Canyon itself.
Editor’s note:
We have not confirmed these facts as yet and we have not visited Sipes Canyon ourselves. We trust Neil Grady, however we cannot guarantee everything he has so kindly provided, to be absolute or complete. As for the above mentioned “4WD road” accessing the Frisco River, Big Dry Creek confluence... we notice that this road appears to no longer exist on Google Satellite Image. This area has experienced extreme flooding since the 2010 Whitewater Baldy Fire. Many such roads have been totally washed away by these flood waters. Please use caution concerning this access.
Right-click-save-as on our map below, to print
your own “hand-held” copy for your hike
Enhanced
USGS topo map
The Red Lines depict sections of “slot canyons”
Back to New Mexico
Slot Canyons
Send questions and comments to dscott@themarblesculptor.com