Painted Arch Canyon Slot
ACA Canyon
Rating – 3A II
Experienced Canyoneers
Only
requires a full range of technical rock climbing
equipment and rope…!!!
NEVER ENTER ANY
SLOT CANYON WHEN HEAVY RAIN IS IN THE FORECAST…!!!
Painted Arch Slot Canyon is short, steep
and AWESOME.....! ! ! above Chris stands
at the top of a sheer drop-off, within the scenic narrow hallway
Below is two shots of the first rappel
(80’) ....notice the small peek-a-boo arch by the mouth of the enormous cave
entrance
A lone canyoneer
stands at the back of the huge cave that we feel could host a crowd of about
300 people
A skinny old man maneuvers both the upper
and the lower “rabbit-hole” down-climbs without the aid of ropes
......and continues down rappel #3.....
A rope-less friction butt-slide down the
sloping crack to my left, moved us easily past this 20’ drop where the slot
opens up
Chris dangles mid-air on a lower 40’ rappel
See more
photos below the map
beta facts:
name- Painted Canyon Slot
length of slot canyon- maybe a quarter mile
elevation- 7300’at the top down to about 7000’at the
bottom
GPS coordinates- ±34°52.133’N 107°52.709’W
flow- intermittent
season to visit- most anytime except winter may have
ice, but March/April & Sept/Oct are the most suitable
NEVER ENTER ANY SLOT CANYON WHEN
HEAVY RAIN IS IN THE FORECAST…!!!
accommodations- nearby campground & restrooms
ownership- El Malpais
National Monument
access- is from Hwy 117… see the map below
nearest town- Grants is about 20 miles north of
here
fun fact- This area is WAY AWESOME…! ! !
text by Chris
Erwin after a “first descent” of Painted Arch Slot Canyon with Doug Scott on
April 14, 2018
There were four mandatory rappels upwards
to 80 feet and two rabbit-hole down-climbs, for those who are thin enough to
fit. Lots of natural anchors, so no
bolts please.
Start at La Ventana
Arch Parking Area within the El Malpais National
Monument, and hike up to the mesa at the top of this drainage. (see map below) Stop at the rim above La Ventana
Arch for an excellent
view of this second largest natural arch span in New Mexico – 135
feet. Also stop along the rim to view
Painted Arch. Continue rim-walking until
you reach the top of Painted Arch Canyon and proceed downstream. This canyon soon reaches an 80 foot high,
free-hanging rappel with a massive cave behind it. We found foot prints here, so it appears that
people have non-technical access at the base of this rappel, therefore escape
is likely possible here. Proceed down-canyon through a scenic narrow hallway section
in which you will complete two short rappels and possibly more, if you are
unable to fit through the rabbit-holes.
The canyon jogs left and opens up.
The final obstacle is a rappel over a broad cliff band. Parallel the highway back to your car. Total time is three to five hours.
note- We climbed up to the flat mesa above La Ventana Arch via the route labeled on the map below as
difficult. A photo of the 5-foot natural
arch we found there, appears at the very bottom of
this page.
Enhanced USGS topo map
Please
right-click-save-as on our map below to have a hand held hard copy with you in
the field
The Red Lines depict
sections of “slot canyons”
La Ventana Arch is
the second largest natural arch in New Mexico... but few people climb up and
around to see it’s amazing back side... ! ! !
...between La Ventana
Arch and the slot canyon is: Painted Arch, having a span of about 25 feet. It was documented in 1973
A wide angle shot of Painted Arch. Notice the vast El Malpais
- lava flows in the background
We found this 5’ arch, high along the
difficult route, while climbing up to La Ventana Mesa
Back to New Mexico
Slot Canyons
Send questions and comments to dscott@themarblesculptor.com