Leprechaun Canyon

[Hatchcanyon]

Leprechaun Canyon is a short fun hike into an interesting canyon.

Leprechaun Canyon is a short fun hike into an interesting canyon.

- between Hanksville and Hite
- Trailhead at 12S 0540625, 4207665 adjacent to the pavement
- Lenght of hike: a little bit more than one and a quarter mile one way
- easy also with children

The canyon has 4 distinctive sections:

- at the beginning a canyon with moderate steep walls
- something like a mini slot canyon
- the Channel
- the Tunnel - you may call it slot too

Pictures from our hike:

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1551_12.jpg
At the Trailhead

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1553_12.jpg
Partially its a sandy hike

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1555_12.jpg
The canyon rocks are not that steep

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/PICT2908_12.jpg
A bit deeper into the canyon

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1562_12.jpg
We are no climbers!

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/PICT2910_12.jpg
The only branch we saw

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1566_12.jpg
More moisture in the shadow?

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1567_12.jpg
Entrance to a very short slot - maybe 80 feet or so

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1568_12.jpg
But it has a Choke stone

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1569_12.jpg
The end

One has to find a bypass to proceed. We used the southern side.

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1570_12.jpg
Bypassing the slot

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1571_12.jpg
My wife is better with pathfindig on slopes

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1572_12.jpg
The slot again from above

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1573_12.jpg
Farther up the slot is simply a crevice

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1575_12.jpg
Are these shadows of Leprechauns?

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/PICT2916_12.jpg
Begin of the Channel

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1579_12.jpg
"S"-shaped bend

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/PICT2921_12.jpg
"S" second half

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1584_12.jpg
The bottom is mostly hard rock

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1585_12.jpg
Tunnel entrance

Notice the different Color of the rocks. Both walls are from the same material but one gets direct light fron the sky, the other one more reflected light from its counterpart.

Some people say they needed a flashligt in the tunnel, we did not. Ther was alway a dim light coming through the cleft above.

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1589_12.jpg
My wife entering it

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1592_12.jpg
Lucky to be there at the right moment - a light beam

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/PICT2925_12.jpg
End of the tunnel

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1598_12.jpg
No way!

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1600_12.jpg
We were told one can climb up this way - with technical gear?

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1611_12.jpg
Return to UT 95 - end af the channel

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/PICT2932_12.jpg
Removing of vandalism?

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1614_12.jpg
Shadows become longer

http://hatchcanyon.eu/Navigation/USA/Utah/Hanksville/Leprechaun/_DSC1620_12.jpg
Back near the trailhead.

[Iceaxe]

You don't climb up with tech gear, we hike around to the top of the canyon and come DOWN with tech gear. You reached the junction of east and middle fork. We descend both forks from the top, which includes the picture labeled "no way" [emoji2]

Thanks for the trip report, looks like you had fun.

[Hatchcanyon]

Thank you for this information.

We did't try to get out there we only heard about difficulties and we are definitely no canyoneers.

[Iceaxe]

Hiking in from the bottom you get to see the best part of the slot. Did you have to wade through any water?

[Hatchcanyon]

Hiking in from the bottom you get to see the best part of the slot. Did you have to wade through any water?

No, I did not step into the last 5 or 6 feet of the mini slot. This was the only wet place.

[pigburner]

I love hiking into Leprechaun! For more non-technical fun and pretty slots in the same area, try checking out some of the other nearby slots (Blarney, Lucky Charms, etc.) which can also be hiked from the bottom up. Leprechaun is still my favorite, with the dramatic subway (tunnel) section and the really narrow slot beyond it. Thanks for the pictures and report.

[Slot Machine]

Nice trip report, thanks for sharing!

Did you hike up the slot that you labeled "No Way"?

The first time my wife saw that slot, she also said "No Way!", and refused to hike up. Too claustrophobic for her back then.

[pigburner]

I just realized the picture in my avatar is in the slot he labelled "No Way". I didn't go in too far as my daughter also said "No Way!". I seem to remember it was so narrow that I could barely turn my head around for the picture.

On a subsequent visit, my daughter and I were just starting into the "No Way" part of the slot when there was a clap of thunder and it started hailing and raining. We grabbed our packs and started running. By the time we got to where the canyon widened, the brief shower was over, but the rivers cascading down the surrounding slickrock were evidence of how fast you could get a lot of water if the rain had lasted longer. We vowed to always be more careful with the weather after that.

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