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Paria River > Buckskin Gulch
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Buckskin Gulch is the longest and deepest slot canyon in the Southwest,
and while others are narrower and more photogenic, the length and variety of the terrain in the Gulch make it the best overall.
The canyon is narrow for 12 miles; the cliffs become steadily higher downstream, reaching a height of 500 feet above the streambed
at the end, where Buckskin Gulch meets the Paria River which also flows through a deep canyon for several miles around the confluence.
The walls of both canyons are rather dark, and the depth means that the sun rarely illuminates the narrow passages fully and there are
fewer pretty patterns of light and color such as often found in, for example, Antelope Canyon. |
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Still, the Gulch does have the characteristic
swirls and curves worn by countless years of floods and there are innumerable photogenic rock formations which, given a vivid imagination and the right kind of light, can resemble all kinds of distorted creatures and strange objects.
Location: Buckskin Gulch is a
tributary of the Paria River that drains an area around the Vermilion Cliffs in Utah and joins the Paria exactly at the Utah/Arizona border, 20 miles from the Colorado River.
| There are 3 trailheads that give access to the Gulch; Middle, Wire Pass and Buckskin. The Middle Trail leads to the canyon about half way, but involves a 5 mile trip on bad roads and a climb down the cliff walls. The other two entry points are more popular, and are both reached along a reasonable quality dirt track - fine for 2WD cars - that heads due south from US 89 near milepost 26, 4 miles east of the turn off to the Paria ghost town. After 4 miles, a signpost points to the Buckskin Trailhead; here the Gulch is quite unremarkable - wide and meandering with soft sand, and remains so for several miles. Most people prefer the Wire Pass Trailhead, 3.5 miles further south since it affords quicker access to the deep, scenic parts of the canyon. Only about 2 miles of the narrows are by-passed, and the start of the route is along the
Wire Pass side canyon that is also very narow and interesting in places. |
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Again there is a signpost, with a carpark, self-pay fee point and a good area for camping a short distance up the hills along a side-track opposite. This has nice views of the enclosing hills and the start of Wire Pass, with interesting cacti all around. There are also scattered specimens of petrified wood in various locations in the surrounding hills, which have occasional bands of the same colorful clayish soils that are found in the Petrified Forest National Park. The hills are part of the Coyote Buttes region - an extensive area of eroded cliffs and mounds which includes The Wave, an oft-photographed formation of curving rock layers framing a depression in the cliffs. This location has become so popular in recent years that access is restricted, and a permit is necessary, obtained by writing several months in advance to the BLM office in St George for an application form.
Permit: Buckskin Gulch is popular, potentially hazardous and part of the Paria River Wilderness, and so there are several rules regarding access. A fee is required for all visits (see https://www.blm.gov/) for details. Day use is $5, camping $10 and overnight trips must be booked in advance and are limited to 20 people per day, although when I went in early June (the most popular month) there was only one group of campers in the whole canyon.
Photographs: 13 views of Buckskin Gulch.
Map: TopoZone topological map of Buckskin Gulch.
Description:
The Gulch has some open, shallower sections, but is less than 3 meters wide for most of its length. There are always some residual pools of water and mud; the extent depends on how recently the canyon has flooded. Occasionally swimming will be necessary but normally the pools are just 2-3 feet deep and a few meters long.
The water is always cold and muddy, and the canyon is not a place to take expensive footwear. The walking surface is roughly half sand - sometimes hard and damp but mostly soft and dry - and half stones or boulders, so progress is more difficult than might be expected as the terrain is largely flat. There are some places where the floor drops a few feet but none of the sheer dryfalls found in some other slot canyons.
The only possible problem is a pile of boulders, 1.5 miles from the end of the Gulch, with a drop of about 20 feet. A rope may be useful but most people manage to climb down between the rocks. Each flood has the potential to make significant changes to the canyon, though, so these boulders may become more of an obstruction. There is no drinkable water except for a clear, shallow stream that flows for the last half mile before the confluence with the Paria River.
The junction is a magical place, with a overpowering sense of isolation and adventure. The water of the Paria river is fast-flowing and light-brown colored, quite different to the clear lazy flow down the Gulch. There are some sandbanks but generally the river covers all of the canyon floor. The Paria is narrow for about 2 miles in each direction; downstream the gorge becomes wider
although still very interesting, and eventually joins the Colorado at
Lees Ferry. There are plenty of possible camp sites, and several fresh water sources on the way.
More Information: A detailed trip report, with 6 more photographs.
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