Buckskin Gulch (also known as Buckskin Creek, Buckskin Wash, and Kaibab Gulch) is a
gulch
In xeric lands, a gulch is a deep V-shaped valley formed by erosion. It may contain a small stream or dry creek bed and is usually larger in size than a gully. Sudden intense rainfall upstream may produce flash floods in the bed of the gulch. ...
and
canyon
A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...
located within southern
Kane County, Utah
Kane County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 7,125. Its county seat and largest city is Kanab.
History
The county was created on January 16, 1864, by the Utah Territory legislature, ...
, United States.
It is located near the
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
border and is one of the main
tributaries
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...
of the
Paria River
The Paria River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in southern Utah and northern Arizona in the United States. It drains a rugged and arid region northwest of the Colorado, flowing through roadless slot canyons along part ...
which is a tributary of the
Colorado River
The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...
It is over long.
Buckskin Gulch is the longest and deepest
slot canyon
A slot canyon is a long, narrow channel or drainageway with sheer rock walls that are typically eroded into either sandstone or other sedimentary rock. A slot canyon has depth-to-width ratios that typically exceed 10:1 over most of its length and ...
in the
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Ne ...
.
Often visited in conjunction with the longer
Paria Canyon, due to their close proximity of , hiking both canyons in one day is possible. Wire Pass, a short tributary to Buckskin, is a popular day-hiking alternative that takes hikers through the narrow, curving features which are the hallmarks of the slot canyons.
Access
Buckskin Gulch is reached via
U. S. Route 89 (US‑89) in Utah or
U. S. Route 89 A (US 89 A) in Arizona, and is roughly halfway between the towns of
Kanab
Kanab ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Kane County, Utah, Kane County, Utah, United States.[Find a Co ...]
, Utah and
Page
Page most commonly refers to:
* Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book
Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to:
Roles
* Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation
* Page (servant), traditionally a young m ...
, Arizona. There are four access routes to the canyon. There is a $6 per person access fee, which can be paid online ahead of time or on-site through a cash/check drop box.
Buckskin Trailhead
The Buckskin Trailhead is about south along House Rock Valley Road. The US‑89 turnoff for House Rock Valley Road is about east of Kanab and about west – northwest of Page. It can also be reached via House Rock Road (as House Rock Valley Road is known in Arizona) by heading north along the road for about . The US 89 A turnoff for House Rock Road is at
House Rock in Arizona and is about southeast of Kanab and about southwest of Page. No restrooms are available at this trailhead.
Wire Pass Trailhead
The
Wire Pass Trailhead
Wire Pass Trailhead is a recreation access point in Kane County, Utah that features several trails leading to natural points of interest.
Description
The trailhead is located in Paria Canyon–Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area of southern Utah ...
accessed along the same road, but is about south of US‑89 or about north of House Rock. This entrance is more popular than the other three as it provides the quickest access to the best parts of Buckskin Gulch and because it is the same trailhead used to access the
Coyote Buttes
Coyote Buttes is a section of the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), spanning extreme south-central Utah and north-central Arizona, south of US 89 halfway between Kanab, Utah and Page, Ariz ...
, home to
The Wave, a famous
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
rock formation. (Access to The Wave requires a special, separate permit.)
White House Trailhead
The White House Trailhead is about south along White House Trailhead Road, which can only be accessed from US‑89. The US‑89 turnoff for White House Trailhead Road is about east of Kanab and about northwest of Page. Restrooms are available at this trailhead.
Lee's Ferry
In addition to the more direct routes to Buckskin Gulch, it can also be reached through Paria Canyon/Paria River at the Lee's Ferry. Lees Ferry, which can only be reached from US 89 A, is about northeast along Lee's Ferry Road in the
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (shortened to Glen Canyon NRA or GCNRA) is a national recreation area and conservation unit of the United States National Park Service that encompasses the area around Lake Powell and lower Cataract Canyon i ...
. The US 89 A turnoff for Lee's Ferry Road is just west of the
Navajo Bridge
Navajo Bridge is the name of twin steel spandrel arch bridges that cross the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon National Park (near Lee's Ferry, Lees Ferry) in northern Coconino County, Arizona, Coconino County, Arizona, United States. The newer ...
and about east – southeast of Kanab and about southwest of Page. Restrooms and water are available at this trailhead.
Regulations
Permits are required for overnight backpacking as well as day hiking in Buckskin Gulch and the
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
The Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness is a wilderness area located in northern Arizona and southern Utah, United States, within the arid Colorado Plateau region. The wilderness is composed of broad plateaus, tall escarpments, and deep can ...
. Permits can be obtained from the
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...
(BLM) online. Only twenty overnight permits per day are allowed, and group sizes are limited to ten persons. The overnight fee is $5.00 per person per day, while day-use permits are $6.00 per person per day. There is also a $6.00 fee per dog per day. Due to the canyon's popularity, permits typically sell out several months in advance. Campfires are prohibited, and human waste cannot be buried and must be packed out in order to preserve the pristine condition of the area.
See also
*
List of rivers of Utah
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of Utah in the United States, sorted by drainage basin, watershed.
Colorado River
The Colorado River is a major river in the Western United States, emptying into the Gulf of California. Rivers are list ...
*
Antelope Canyon
References
External links
Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness*
ttp://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=453569 Buckskin Gulch GPS mapBuckskin Gulch at Wikiloc.com. See the trail on Google Maps and Google Earth.
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Rivers of Utah
Slot canyons
Canyons and gorges of Utah
Rivers of Kane County, Utah
Tributaries of the Colorado River in Utah
Bureau of Land Management areas in Utah
Protected areas of Kane County, Utah