Deep in the wilds of Cedar Mesa is an incredible canyon with a ridiculous name. The strangely named Cheesebox Canyon is about an hour south of Hanksville, UT. One theory about the name of the canyon is that it is overlooked by an interesting box-shaped mesa. Perhaps someone had a similarly shaped box where they stored cheese. Perhaps we will never know.

Cheesebox is a fairly beginner-friendly canyon with five short rappels and quite a bit of water. I would almost classify it as a hikeaneering route going through spectacular scenery. Getting to the trailhead requires four-wheel drive with good clearance for the 11 mile drive down a rough road off highway and setting a shuttle for the exit is a good idea. Beta is available here: Cheesebox Canyon – ropewiki

It was the very end of May when we found ourselves at the trailhead getting ready to plunge into some cold water on a hot day. Our entrance into the canyon was slightly delayed by one member having to return to camp for water, so we spent our time doing a botany walk and identifying edible and medicinal plants in the area. Eventually, all the cats were herded, and we began our approach hike.

Immediately, grand views of the canyon opened up. We descended a number of ledges to reach the bottom of the canyon and encountered the first set of narrows. This is where we suited up and began our journey. There was quite a bit of water throughout the canyon, up until the last third of the canyon. The water can be waist to chest deep, so a wetsuit is definitely advised.

The first set of narrows plunges you into watery corridors with striking white sandstone walls. The canyon widens and narrows again, an interplay of sun and shade. After some downclimbs, we entered an incredible chamber capped with giant chockstones for a ceiling but letting in filtered rays of sunlight. The chamber felt like a cathedral celebrating the beauty of rocks with its amazing lighting. We downclimbed giant boulders and entered another set of gorgeous wet narrows.

Deep in this set of narrows we encountered yet another chamber with a most incredible light show playing on the walls. The light was coming in and bouncing off the water at just the perfect angle to  project crazy lines moving and making all kinds of shapes on the walls. I took a short video that is available below.

Narrows make up the majority of this canyon, many in multilayered glory combined with chockstones perched above and with towering sandstone walls above the narrows. The lighting is fantastic throughout. We walked, waded, downclimbed and rappelled our way through the canyon until the water disappeared and the canyon opened up, lush with vegetation. We were fairly warm in our wetsuits at this point and decided that this was a good spot to change back into regular hiking clothes. We were just a few turns of the canyon from the exit.

As luck would have it, as soon as we stripped our wetsuits off we entered a final set of narrows that had a large pool of unavoidable water. We backed off and spread out looking for a bypass. Fortunately, there was a path on the left side that did the trick. We descended back into the canyon just in time to see the cairned exit out. A well-marked path heading up to the rim and traversing some ledges took us to an obvious trail that soon led us back to our shuttle cars.

In terms of level of effort and scenery, this canyon gets five stars. Aside from being located in a very remote area, Cheesebox is a fairly easy and fun day going through a gorgeous slot. If you’re in the area, it’s highly recommended.