The Subway, with its wedged tree trunk, is a uniquely shaped slot canyon along the Left Fork of North Creek in Utah’s Zion Wilderness. Its remoteness and the difficulty of reaching it only add to the sense of wonder inspired by this spectacular place.
The Virgin River has carved more than 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) into the Colorado Plateau, while its tributaries and side channels have further dissected the Zion region with deep and narrow canyons. Here, the canyon walls curve inward to form a tunnel resembling a subway, giving this extraordinary slot canyon its name.
Around noon, just before direct sunlight enters the canyon, reflected daylight scatters vividly across the walls. For this fleeting moment, the yellow and red hues of the sandstone seem almost to liquefy, transforming the canyon into a mystical world of light and color.
The red sandstone dates from the Jurassic Period and contains trace fossils left by dinosaurs. The Left Fork of North Creek is not only one of the most beautiful tributaries in the Zion Wilderness but also one of the most difficult to reach.
Deep within the twists and turns of the Subway Canyon, this barely accessible tree trunk has become wedged between the towering sandstone walls.
