White Canyon, Canyon in San Juan County, United States.
White Canyon begins in the foothills of the Abajo Mountains, runs through Natural Bridges National Monument and empties into Lake Powell. Sipapu Bridge, one of the largest natural bridges in the world, spans the canyon. Utah State Route 95 parallels the inner gorge for much of its length, and the canyon holds Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings and slot canyons.
Ancestral Puebloans built cliff dwellings in White Canyon's alcoves, leaving structures that are among the canyon's notable features. The canyon later lay within the area crossed by Utah State Route 95, which was built to parallel the inner gorge. In September 1996, a 16-year-old girl drowned in a flash flood while hiking in the Black Hole section.
The canyon holds cliff dwellings built by Ancestral Puebloans in rock alcoves, the remains that give White Canyon its archaeological value. Sipapu Bridge, a natural span over the canyon, carries a Hopi name meaning "place of emergence" in the tradition of the Pueblo peoples.
Utah State Route 95 runs alongside the canyon and provides several entry points for hikers and canyoneering enthusiasts. Check weather conditions carefully before visiting, as rain in the narrow sections can create dangerous water flows through the rock.
The Black Hole is a permanently flooded, 500-foot (150 m) stretch of White Canyon where the walls stand only a few feet apart in places. Canyoneers wear wetsuits against hypothermia. The canyon's large drainage basin makes flash flooding very dangerous; a 16-year-old girl drowned there during a September 1996 flash flood.
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