box canyon

American  

noun

1. a canyon with steep side walls terminating headwards in a vertical cliff.

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box canyon British  

noun

1. a canyon with vertical or almost vertical walls

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Etymology

Origin of box canyon

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

Example Sentences

Perched 8,750 feet up in a box canyon in the Colorado Rockies, it’s reachable only by twisting roads or a white-knuckle drop into one of the nation’s highest airports.

From Los Angeles Times

Eventually, we were told Biden was going to “designate two new national monuments” in Box Canyon near Coachella CA.

From Salon

Tucked away in a remote Colorado box canyon, the Telluride Film Festival has long leaned into its image as a kind of Brigadoon for cinephiles.

From Los Angeles Times

Picturesque Box Canyon offers a rustic bridge, gentle half-mile ramble, picnics and views of rushing waters through a tall, narrow canyon.

From Seattle Times

They discover the simplicity and warmth of life in a town at the dead end of a box canyon with a year-round population of roughly 300.

From New York Times