A Challenging and Fun Way for climbers to access the beautiful lower section of Death Hollow, with an interesting little slot canyon on the side, just for fun.

Getting There: Turn North off Highway 12 on a small ranch road 2 miles north of the Hole in the Rock Road turn or 2.5 miles south of the Radio Tower that marks the top of the climb out of Phipps Wash. Follow the road north across Big Flat, under a set of power lines, straight as tracks split off both sides, past a section of fence and to a juniper pinon forest at the rim of a canyon. The road ends at 1.7 miles, at a BLM end of road sign. Good camping is available here. The road is not rough, but has a high center stripe, and could be difficult if wet. Suitable for 2WD with good clearance.

Where To?: below you is a beautiful slickrock bowl leading to a Navajo sandstone canyon that heads north. The area of the Escalante River can be seen, but the river cannot. This canyon is the canyon of Micro Death Hollow Slot. We could descend to the canyon floor and rap into Micro Death Hollow, but this would be unwise. The slot is so narrow that many people will not be able to make it through, and getting packs or any gear through at all may prove impossible.

Let's Go!: We are going to get there by traversing the rim of the canyon, then descending a steep buttress of Navajo sandstone to get to either Micro Death Hollow, or the Escalante River about 1/2 mile down river from the lovely Death Hollow.

Traverse the Rim: follow the rim left around the west side of the canyon. Below the rim is a 10 foot cliff down to the next level. Stay at the upper level and traverse around the rim. You will find remnants of an old road, that decreases to a cattle and walking trail after heading the first subcanyon. Follow the rim to where the rim meets the river canyon. The rim then turns left. The buttress formed by the north face (facing the river) and the east face (which we just traversed) is the buttress we will descend. This viewpoint is the first place we can see the Escalante River both up and down river (30 minutes to here).

From the Viewpoint walk 200 feet west along the top of the North Face, to where a lower angled and slightly broken area allows 4th class descent 20 feet to the next level. Traverse back right to the prow of the buttress. Descend the crest of the prow, moving left to bypass the first tower and down to an easier area. Go straigt ahead and cut through a few rocks. You are now looking out above the North Face.

Make your Way down the North Face (4th class) weaving back and forth to find the easiest route. There are a few cairns that might help. Descend a couple of hundred feet to an easier area. From this point, further progress directly downward looks unlikely. This is also where we choose Left for the real Death Hollow, or Right for exploring the little slot of Micro-Death-Hollow.

Micro-Death-Hollow: from the easier area, traverse right and down until you can see a sandstone pass with a slickrock bowl below it. Work your way down through the Navajo Pillows down to and into the bowl (4th class). Cross through the pass and into the bowl on the other side, then forward and right to the edge of Micro-Death-Hollow. A crack on the left allows easy access to the bottom of Micro-Death-Hollow (about 1 hour to descend from the viewpoint to MDH).

Explore Micro Death Hollow: this is a great little canyon. It starts as a 40 foot wide Navajo-walled sand-floored canyon, then becomes narrower and narrower, until you can barely squeeze through. Or not. Above here it opens out again in a beautiful slickrock glen. Allow one to one and a half hours to explore MDH. Return the way you came.

Sneak Route to Death Hollow from the easier area, traverse left, crossing the top of a steep gully and drop down to the top of the yellow buttress formed by the left side of the gully. Descend the crest of the yellow buttress to the dirt below, 4th class. The steepest moves are at the bottom, but are not difficult. Follow the trail north across the dirt and down through the woods to a dirt saddle. An easy route down to the Escalante River can be seen on both sides of the dirt saddle - let's take the path on the right that looks less brushy, to the river (about 1 hour to descend from the viewpoint to the river).

Up To Death Hollow: veterans of the Escalante know the easiest path is to grab a stick and wade the river. Traipse upriver 1/2 mile to where the clear waters of Death Hollow come in on the right. Explore Death Hollow - this is a very deep canyon with a nice flow of clean water, and beautiful vegetation and walls - well worth a few hours of exploration. An hour upcanyon is the first mandatory swim - bring a dry bag if you want to take your camera past here. Death Hollow is known for its poison ivy - beware.

Finding the Route from Death Hollow: for those foolish enough to try to ascend this route without prior scouting, here is how to exit from the River:

From Death Hollow, proceed downcanyon 1/2 mile to the first possible exit from the canyon on the right - a wide brushy gulley up to a pass. Don't go up here. Wade downcanyon to the other side of the pass, and take the easier path up to the pass. Turn away from the river and follow a dirt trail straight ahead up through the woods to the base of the yellow buttress. Avoid the trails tending right toward a sandstone bowl. Ascend the Yellow Buttress, with the hardest moves at the bottom. Traverse up and left across the top of the gully to an easier area. ( To visit Micro Death Hollow, traverse down and left until you can see the slickrock pass ). Work your way up the face to the top. Follow the crest of the buttress to a shelf about 20' down from the top. Traverse right along the shelf to an easy way through the final cliff band. Then follow the rim left back to camp.