Arizona Trail Approach Day 2
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Today was an absolutely exhilarating day. I climbed around countless rapids and waterfalls heading up Paria Canyon further into the wilderness area in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. The soil around here can be cryptobiotic – essentially, living – so I stayed in the stream whenever possible to avoid damaging living soil. The stream water is cool in comparison to the 95 degree air, so walking in the water doesn’t bother me too much.
The canyon has started to narrow from its wide open nature at the bottom in Glen Canyon NRA and the lower section of the wilderness in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. I spotted petroglyphs a mile or two into the hike. It’s still very hot and sunny, so I went through water a bit faster than anticipated.
Since it’s not usually advised that one drinks from the Paría (even filtered), I ended up rationing water until I made it to the first reliable spring where the canyon breaks out of the Chinle Formation and into the Navajo Sandstone. The clay and mudstone that make up the Chinle don’t hold water particularly well, so there are no reliable springs for the first 15 miles of the route.
I decided to camp at the spring for the night since it gives me a reliable water source and cuts back on how much I may have to carry tomorrow.
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Images, Day 2
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Logistics
| Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness | |
| BLM Information | Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness |
| Weather Forecast | Buckskin Gulch Weather |
| Trail Surface | Rustic (the river is the trail) |
| Length (Mi) | 45 (Lee’s Ferry to Wire Pass via Buckskin Gulch) 38 (Paria Canyon, Lee’s Ferry to White House) 20 (Wire Pass to White House via Buckskin Gulch) 22, approx. (Buckskin Gulch to White House) 1.8 (Wire Pass to Buckskin Gulch) |
| Season | Fall-Spring. Brutally hot in summer. |
| Potential Water Sources | Springs. Unless informed otherwise by a BLM ranger, there is likely no drinkable water in Buckskin Gulch, and the Paria River should be considered undrinkable even when filtered. Know how to recognize desert springs. |
| Trailheads | Paria Canyon North: White House Paria Canyon South: Lee’s Ferry Buckskin Gulch Middle Exit Buckskin Gulch West Wire Pass |
| Trailhead Access | Vehicular access to all trailheads |
| Wilderness | Yes |
| Possible resupply points | None |
| Difficulty | Strenuous |
| Potential campsites | Best near springs. Some higher-water campsites in north, south of Buckskin Gulch-Paria Canyon confluence. Use higher water sites if there is any risk of rain. Few to no campsites in Buckskin Gulch. |
| Threats | Flash flooding – Extreme hazard here. Know the forecast daily (an inReach or other satellite communicator helps with this). Know how to recognize the signs of a flash flood and how to react. You cannot outrun a flash flood; you must climb above it. This is not possible in Buckskin Gulch – do not enter it if storms are in the forecast during your trip. Heat – wear a cotton shirt so you can soak it. Synthetics aren’t great in the desert. Hyponatremia – “drunk on water.” To avoid, ensure adequate salt & electrolyte intake and ensure you eat as well as drink water. Symptoms are almost identical to dehydration, but drinking more makes it worse. Prevention is by far the best solution. Dehydration Hypothermia in winter, made worse by exposure to cold water Because there is no trail, there are places where boulders must be climbed around or over and at least one spot where your pack must be hauled over a boulder jab. Flash floods change the trail, shifting obstacles around, removing some and adding others. Expect the unexpected. |
| Permits Required? | Yes. 20 people max per night issued on recreation.gov . |
| Miscellaneous | Leave No Trace is different in the desert. Know desert principles and carry wag bags. |
| Cell service? | Nonexistent |
Interested in learning about the plan for this portion of the hike? Check out my first entry from Vermillion Cliffs. Missed a day? Here’s yesterday’s entry.
Stay tuned for the next one as we head farther into Paria Canyon.
Robert
Great adventure, fabulous photos, wonderful words!
Aspen
Thanks! I think one of my best decisions was adding this segment onto the trek. I had wanted to do it earlier in the year but when I saw that the two legs would line up within a mile of each other, I knew I couldn’t pass up the chance. And never regretted that decision from the moment I started out. Such incredible beauty.