Northern Arizona and Southern Utah are known for their sandstone slot canyons. There are probably hundreds, perhaps thousands, of these narrow, winding canyons scattered across the Colorado Plateau. They are the obvious results of flash flood erosion and can be very dangerous during stormy weather. Every few years, people get killed in slot canyons from sudden floods. It may be hard to imagine this dry looking canyon filled with brown rushing water many feet deep, but some of these canyons have a huge drainage area and even a small or moderate storm can fill them with water rather suddenly. The storm could be many miles away and the water can travel great distances before filling up the slot. Over the years, I have seen a number of such flash floods out in the desert and I have a healthy respect for the danger involved. The attraction, of course, is the colorful beauty and form of the canyon walls.
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