When coming to visit St George people often ask us what are things to do here? Where should we go that’s outside of the norm? Well if you like hiking then Buckskin Gulch near St George is one of the best. Buckskin Gulch is described as a lengthy slot canyon tributary of the Paria Canyon. It is handled as if it is a wilderness and is considered among the best hiking destinations in the world. The name Paria comes from the Paiute Indian language and it has the meaning “muddy water.”
Photo Credit: Chris M Morris
Description of Buckskin Gulch
The Buckskin Gulch and Paria have a couple of hiking options as one of the routes stretches for about 38 miles starting from some trailheads from Utah/Arizona border up to Lees Ferry located at the Colorado River. This place has no trail, therefore, you will have to hike down this canyon. It is very narrow to a point you could touch both walls together at some points. There are towering cliffs that rise above the trail and one mile after the other, you will not find any other diversions unless you finish the trail. Therefore, it is highly advised for people to take caution and look at the weather patterns since in case a flashfloods comes along, there will be no way to avoid it. The place has muddy water and the hikers have to paddle through these waters in this wild and twisting canyon. There are about 300 river crossings with the boulders and other features obstructing and making it hard to cross through.
Getting Permits for Buckskin
Permits are required for the hikers and backpacks when visiting this place. You can take a visit to the ancient Paria movie set and the ghost town to locate toward north of the area. The petroglyphs and campsites indicate that the Pueblo Indians had travelled through this way about 700 years ago. Never touch the petroglyphs but you can take pictures of this and other ancient artifacts to create memories.
Recreation Locations
The Rangers station of BLM Paria Canyon is situated in Utah. It is about 43 miles to the east of Kanab along US 89 close to milestone 21. Two miles south away from the Buckskin trailhead, is an old homestead location known as White House Ruins. Another trailhead, the Wire Pass, is just a couple of miles further the same route. A beautiful location at Coyote Buttes known as The Wave is located nearby.
Wildlife
Plenty of wildlife is observed in this area. During winter, you might be able to see the bald eagles and the white golden eagles are available all year. Other prey birds include the threatened peregrine falcon, great horned owl, red-tailed hawk and the Cooper’s hawk. You may also find swallows, killdeers, flycatchers, wrens and also the black-throated sparrows. Other types of birds may be observed during the morning hours. You may find blue herons along the river. On other occasions, you might find foxes, porcupines, bobcats, mountain lions, and also beavers. Commonly observed are the coyotes, cottontails, bats, ground squirrels, kangaroo rats among other rodents. You will often spot different lizard species and also rattlesnakes. The Paria River hosts the bluehead sucker, flannel mouth sucker, razorback sucker and the speckled dace.
Geology
Paria Canyon has scenic beauty that is known all over the country. All the hikers are drawn by its wonderful, colorful, meandering stone corridors, the narrow gorges and also the seven major geological formations. The canyon geology is made up of the Moenkopi Formation, Kayenta Formation, Chinle Formation, Navajo Sandstone, Moenave Formation, Carmel Formation, and the Temple Cap Sandstone.
Administration of the Land
The wilderness of Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs was developed in 1984 in accordance to the Arizona Wilderness Act. It is situated on the Arizona-Utah border and is about 112,000 acres. It has some public lands located in the counties of Kane and Coconino. The Paria Canyon is usually managed by the Bureau of Land Management at the Kanab and Vermillion Resource Areas, and also the National Park Service, which caters for the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. BLM is supposed to take care of the natural conditions of the canyon, its outstanding opportunities for its primitive and solitude recreation as well as the area’s educational, historical and scenic values.
Make a point of visiting Buchskin Gulch to experience some of the best outdoor beauty you can find anywhere, beauty that you have never seen before. That’s why you come to southern Utah, and that’s why when looking for places to stay in St George, and things to do once you’re here you should add it to your list.
