AZT Approach Day 8, Part I: Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Buckskin Gulch, Day 3, Part 1
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Welcome back to Aspen’s Tracks, backpacking through Buckskin Gulch in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness on the Arizona-Utah border on the way to the northern trailhead for the Arizona Trail.
Broke camp early in Buckskin Gulch this morning and headed out. I make better time than I expect, and encounter the Dragoos from Oklahoma about 1.5 mi from Wire Pass. I’m surprised that I’m that close to the Pass, since I hadn’t expected to make it for several miles. We have breakfast together and hike out, and find another large petroglyph panel at the junction between Wire Pass and Buckskin. After a tight squeeze through the Wire Pass narrows – I had to take my pack off and pass it through separately – and a water fill up and interesting conversation with Pete from Brockton, Massachusetts, they give me a lift over to the AZT.
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 |
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