Do it: Backpacking Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon

The Colorado Plateau is full of amazing slot canyons, and some of the best backpacking destinations on earth. And perhaps there is no better slot canyon for backpacking than Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon. Buckskin Gulch is one of the most beautiful, sustained slot canyons in the world, with some fifteen miles of spectacular formations before joining in with Paria Canyon. Light is constantly at play in the canyon, and creates some of the most spectacular scenes around. It's an especially unique place for photographers to enjoy constant opportunities to play with the light and wild rock formations. The Paria Canyon is stunning in its own right. It is a major drainage for southern Utah, and is regularly responsible for single-handedly turning the Colorado River from a clean emerald-green to chocolate-milk during the monsoons. I had been wanting to do a backpacking trip through Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon ever since I was a little kid and first saw photos of hikers wading chest deep through muddy water, nearly swallowed up in an impossibly narrow, dark canyon. It looked like a landscape that couldn't possibly exist. A friend of mine organized the trip, secured permits, and offered me a spot. There was no way I would turn down the opportunity!  

Check out the video on the five day adventure.<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span>

If you are keen to making this dream backpacking trip happen, here's how to do it.

Permits

Permits are required for any overnight trips in the Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness.

Good news / bad news: getting permits to overnight in Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon is very difficult, as the permits are limited to twenty per day. But that means that you won't see hardly anyone in either canyon. There's solitude aplenty. (Also, technically you can't camp in Buckskin Gulch until the confluence with Paria Canyon.) To get permits, apply in advance through the managing BLM office . Permits open up four months in advance on the first of each month, and permits definitely go quickly. So you've got to plan ahead! Pick up your permits in person at the Paria Contact Station before beginning your trip.

Routes

Option A: Wire Pass to Lee's Ferry - 42 miles. 3-5 days.

This is my recommended route because you get the most bang for your buck. You can add an additional three miles by starting at the Buckskin Gulch trail head, but that makes for a very long day, as getting through all of Buckskin Gulch in one day is mandatory. There is no camping allowed until the confluence with Paria Canyon. We did this route in five days and had plenty of time to relax and explore side canyons. I believe the ideal timing would be four days.

Option B: White House Trail Head to Lee's Ferry - 38 miles. 3-5 days.

Another common route is beginning at the White House Trailhead. This option is shorter and easier, but starts in Paria Canyon and misses, in my opinion, the best stuff. Buckskin Gulch is the heart of this treasure, don't skip it.

Option C: Middle Route to Lee's Ferry - 35 miles. 3-5 days.

A less common option is to begin at the Middle Route Entrance to Buckskin Gulch. This bypasses the wettest parts of Buckskin Gulch and shaves off 8 miles of hiking. You still get plenty of Buckskin Gulch, but skips a lot of what makes this the whole trip a world-class experience. Route-finding and scrambling is required for this option.

Option D: Wire Pass to White House Trailhead - 21 miles. 2 days.

This is another route that is commonly done, as it is the easiest. The other options are assuming you want to end at Lee's Ferry. But this is an excellent option if you don't have as much time available, or simply want to do a shorter trip. Begin at Wire Pass and camp at the confluence. But instead of going down canyon at the confluence of Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon, turn left and head up canyon. You'll miss lots of great hiking, but you'll have experienced the most action-packed and beautiful stretch of these canyons. If you've got three days, spent two nights camping at the confluence to allow for exploring down Paria Canyon before returning and heading upstream.

Vehicle Shuttles:

Logistics for any of these overnight trips require setting up a shuttle, which will require approximately 2 hours of additional driving time. There is a free 14-day parking lot at Lee's Ferry. Wire Pass trail head is along House Rock Road (1095). This road is often good for most vehicles. But beware, if the road is wet, it becomes a peanut butter soup that will trap even burly off-road vehicles.

Water

There are quite a few springs in Paria Canyon that make for good fill-up stations. It's possible to do this hike refilling water only at springs. But it's the desert, so water does require some planning. You'll either need to haul a lot of water, or plan on treating the water before consumption. Buckskin Gulch is full of stagnant water deposited from flash floods. It's extremely muddy, and should not be counted on for drinking water. There is a spring near the confluence, but it should be filtered or treated. In Paria Canyon, the "Last Reliable Spring" is some fourteen-ish miles from Lee's Ferry. That can be a long way to hike in the sun without a fill-up. Depending on the time of year, there will be water flowing in Paria. This water can be treated or filtered. Beware that the water in Paria contains lots of sediment and can easily clog most water filters. I use MSR's Guardian filter. It's larger and more expensive than most filters, but it is self-cleaning. It literally spits out the sediment and dirty water, meaning the filter doesn't hold onto whatever it filters out. It can filter thousands of liters of the world's dirtiest water. This is my go-to filter for places with dirty water (as in, full of dirt). If you've ever tried a regular, brand new filter in muddy, sedimentary water, you'll know it can clog a filter in only a few liters.

Poop

This is a fun one - you must haul out your solid waste and toilet paper. When you pick up your permits at the BLM office, they will supply you with "wag bags" that you will literally poop into. I know this sounds unpleasant, but it's an ecological necessity. Poop breaks down very slowly in these dry environments and would contaminate the river very easily. And with a constant stream of backpackers pooping in the canyon, it would quickly become a very crappy experience (heyo!). Wag bags seal closed and contain a chemical compound to reduce odors. Honestly, pooping into a bag and carrying it is not that big of a deal. And you are doing this trip, it's a necessity. So get over it. Pro tip: Do not pee into the bag or you will be carrying around the world's most disgusting slushee.

Campsites

There is no camping in Buckskin Gulch until the confluence. There are a handful of good campsites at the confluence, but they are heavily impacted and it can get congested here as most people end up camping here at the end of day one. Throughout the rest of Paria Canyon, there are regular, but not constant, options. Please camp in already-impacted sites and do not create new campsites. There are enough spots to go around.

Warnings

Slot canyons are tricky places and can be very deceptive. Flash floods can and do kill (I barely survived one myself). Monsoon season is a dangerous time to be in a slot canyon. Once you are in Buckskin Gulch there is only one escape for 11.5 miles. Another phenomenon is risk of hypothermia. When we were in the canyon, the temperatures were in the high 80's. But during one stretch of Buckskin Gulch, we all got very cold after an hour of moving through deep, cold water that gets no sunlight. If you go in the winter or spring, bringing wetsuits or cold-water protection is a good idea. The sun is no joke in the desert. About halfway through the 42 mile trip, the canyon opens up you are in full sun almost all day. Plan accordingly with sun protection; ie. long sleeves, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm.