Buckskin Gulch conditions

[3beans]

Has anyone been there recently? I am going this weekend and wondering what all this rain and flooding has done to the canyon.

 

[Nick]

I haven't heard anything but with all the flooding that's happened in the last two weeks, you can expect there will definitely be a LOT of mud and quicksand and an excellent chance of other changes in the canyon that might make passage more difficult than usual. I would avoid it until it dries out a bit - I've heard some horror stories about it when it's really muddy and it is not something I would ever want to experience.

But if you go (or hear anything more about conditions), let us know how it is!

 

[Nick]

An old one but probably relevant:

http://backcountrypost.com/forum/threads/buckskin-gulch-august-of-09.230/

 

[HomerJ]

Ya, it flashed on Aug 30th. It might have flashed in Sept too... This video is Buckskin Wash about 10 miles above the slot. It was shot on Aug 30th. I think @Nick posted this video in another section...?
I've heard and seen pics when it is a mud slog. Doesn't look fun.

 

[T-Mac]

I just got back yesterday from hiking with family in Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch on Saturday. We made it about a couple of miles before middle exit before we turned around. We hiked there in May and I was completely amazed at what the flooding from the summer monsoons had done to the canyon. The wash leading to Wire Pass even showed huge signs of erosion since May and once getting the Wire Pass, the biggest thing that stood out to me was that the log that was in the narrowest point of the canyon was gone. I think that it had been buried in sediment and partly shredded as well. I got to that point and saw no log but instead a slight step down. When I stepped down and looked back at the step you could see about 6 inches of the log showing. The other impressive part to me was where Wire Pass and Buckskin meet up. The large open wash area there was completely flat and most of the side sand areas were gone. The whole area was flat and looked like it had all been completely scraped clean with little rocks throughout it and some sand hills with vegetation on the sides. Throughout our hike we encountered 4 pools of water we had to go through with all of them being within the first mile and a quarter of being in Buckskin slot after leaving Wire Pass. The first being the worst about 50 yards in the slot as you first enter. Very muddy and a little over knee deep if you fall of the log that is in the water. I will process my photos this week and put up a trip report in a couple of weeks if I can get the time.