Buckskin Gulch

Buckskin Gulch (also known as Buckskin Creek, Buckskin Wash, and Kaibab Gulch) is a gulch and canyon located within southern Kane County, Utah, United States.

Inside Buckskin Gulch
Inside Wire Pass slot canyon, the primary entrance into Buckskin Gulch
Confluence of Wire Pass canyon and Buckskin Gulch. There are petroglyphs here and slot canyons are on all three sides of the delta.
A log stuck in the narrow walls of Buckskin Gulch, about 40 feet (12 m) above ground level

It is located near the Arizona border[1] and is one of the main tributaries of the Paria River which is a tributary of the Colorado River It is over 13 mi (21 km) long.

Buckskin Gulch is the longest and deepest slot canyon in the Southwestern United States.[2][3][4][5]

Often visited in conjunction with the longer Paria Canyon, due to their close proximity of 20 mi (32 km), hiking both canyons in one day is possible. Wire Pass,[6] 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.[7]

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, Utah and Page, Arizona. There are four access routes to the canyon.[8] 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 4.5 miles (7.2 km) south along House Rock Valley Road. The US‑89 turnoff for House Rock Valley Road is about 38 miles (61 km) east of Kanab and about 36 miles (58 km) 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 26 miles (42 km). The US  89 A turnoff for House Rock Road is at House Rock in Arizona and is about 51 miles (82 km) southeast of Kanab and about 67 miles (108 km) southwest of Page. No restrooms are available at this trailhead.

Wire Pass Trailhead

The Wire Pass Trailhead accessed along the same road, but is about 8 miles (13 km) south of US‑89 or about 21 miles (34 km) 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, home to The Wave, a famous sandstone rock formation. (Access to The Wave requires a special, separate permit.)

White House Trailhead

The White House Trailhead is about 2 miles (3.2 km) 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 43 miles (69 km) east of Kanab and about 36 miles (58 km) 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 5 miles (8.0 km) northeast along Lee's Ferry Road in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The US  89 A turnoff for Lee's Ferry Road is just west of the Navajo Bridge and about 78 miles (126 km) east – southeast of Kanab and about 39 miles (63 km) 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. Permits can be obtained from the Bureau of Land Management (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.[9][10]

See also

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Buckskin Gulch
  2. "Buckskin Gulch". www. smithsonianmag.com. Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  3. "Buckskin Gulch". utah.com. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  4. "Buckskin Gulch". /www. zionnational-park.com. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  5. "Buckskin Gulch". americansouthwest.net. The American Southwest. Retrieved 18 January 2007.
  6. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Wire Pass
  7. "Buckskin Gulch". americansouthwest.net. The American Southwest. Retrieved 18 January 2007.
  8. "Buckskin Gulch Trail Guide: Backpacking the Paria River and Buckskin Gulch". wildbackpacker.com. Wild Backpacker. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  9. "Paria Canyon Permit Area: Vermilion Cliffs National Monument / Paria Canyon / Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness". blm.gov. Bureau of Land Management. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  10. "Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness permit information". blm.gov. July 10, 2006. Archived from the original on March 9, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
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