The canyon shows a classic U-shaped cross section, and many patches of bare granite still retain the dark patina and striations caused by direct contact with the lower surface of the glacier that once filled this valley.

From Seitz Lake the canyon makes a more gradual descent to its middle section 8,000 ft (2,400 m), an area that includes a dense stand of aspen trees and beaver ponds.

It then descends again to its large lower section 7,000 ft (2,100 m), which includes an open forest of aspen and white fir trees, sagebrush flats, and the junction with the south branch of the canyon.

This merger also led to a large area of exposed granite at the bottom of Seitz Canyon, and a steep cascade of the stream nearly 1,000 ft (300 m) long.

As the stream exits the range, it passes the last unusual feature of Seitz Canyon, the best examples of lateral moraines in the Ruby Mountains.