Dome Canyon
ACA Canyon
Rating – 3A II
Experienced Canyoneers
Only
requires a
full range of technical canyoneering equipment as well as multiple ropes…!!!
NEVER ENTER ANY SLOT
CANYON WHEN HEAVY RAIN IS IN THE FORECAST…!!!
A short narrow section of Dome Slot Canyon
is solid alabaster
Then the canyon opens up to a 100 foot high, multi step rappel
Photo below is the top of the 100’ rappel
*note the use of the small branch for our
anchor, which allows our ropes to easily pull away & take with us. All 3 above photos are by: Steven Anderson
Ghosting anchor allows those who follow to
see no trace of anyone having ever been here before.
beta facts:
name- Dome Canyon Slot
length of slot canyon- maybe a quarter mile
elevation- 7250’at the top down to about
7000’at the bottom
GPS coordinates- ±36°17.690’N 106°36.407’W
flow- intermittent
season to visit- most anytime except winter
may have ice & NEVER ENTER ANY SLOT CANYON WHEN HEAVY RAIN IS IN THE FORECAST…!!!
accommodations- nearby campground &
restrooms
ownership- Carson National Forest
access- is from Hwy 84 and Forest Road 151…
see the map below
nearest town- Abiquiu is about 20 miles east
of here
fun fact- a fine slot canyon
A scenic dome looking rock
formation on the south side of the Chama River, marks your destination. We canyoneers refer
to this prominence as “The Dome” ...and, thus Dome Canyon. We care NOTHING about naming anything...
these names serve us as a reference for avoiding confusion and understanding an
exact specific place.
We paddled our canoes across
the Rio Chama. Then hid them in the
brush and hiked up Dome Canyon. As we
neared the slot, we scrambled up the steep canyon slope to our right (west). See the yellow “route” marked on the map
below. Then followed the rim of Dome
Canyon Slot up to about 7300’ elevation, where we descended a steep slope down
into the start of the sheer-walled, alabaster, (gypsum) slot canyon. This upper slot portion of this slot gets
quite narrow, but does not require ropes until where the Todilto
Formation (gypsum) turns into. Entrada
Formation - Sandstone. Here- is the 100-foot-high
multi-stepped rappel. A very beautiful
and fun series of butt-sides and rope-less down
scrambles leads to a sweet 30’ rappel near the mouth of Dome Canyon Slot. Your anchor is a good ways
upstream from the rappel.
If you do not have watercraft
to cross the river in, and/or if the river is flowing too high to wade... The
hike into Dome Canyon from Scull Bridge, upstream a short
ways, is quite do-able and pleasant.
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