Question about Buckskin Gulch, Paria Canyon

[Bailey]

I have searched everywhere but I cant find a through and through guide to this area. I've seen photos, watched YouTube, read blogs, and other online guides but I cant find anything where somebody has mapped photos to locations within any of these areas. I'm really trying to find where the canyon walls are at their highest, what landscape to expect and where because I've read that a lot of hikers miss key indicators as where they are and where they should be going. Is there a book somebody could point me to?

I plan on making this trek (overnight with a permit from the BLM) July 7th.

 

[Ben]

I've read that a lot of hikers miss key indicators as where they are and where they should be going

where exactly are you planning on going.

 

[Bailey]

where exactly are you planning on going.

That's the thing, I'm not quite sure which is why I'm asking what experiences others have had. I am hoping to find some of those really high walls because it is the deepest crevice canyon in the Etats Unis.

 

[Dave]

That's the thing, I'm not quite sure which is why I'm asking what experiences others have had. I am hoping to find some of those really high walls because it is the deepest crevice canyon in the Etats Unis.

I think what @Ben is probably asking is, where are you planning on starting and ending? Are you going Wire Pass to White House TH, Buckskin straight through to Lee's Ferry, or White House to Lee's Ferry? Those are the most common ways to tackle the canyon.

Buckskin between Wire Pass and the Paria gets plenty deep. Same for the Paria below the confluence, at least for a bit. It opens up a lot more the closer you get to the Colorado River. Take a look at a topo map (like the great ones on this site) and you can see where it's at its most deep/narrow.

 

[powderglut]

The BLM used to have a great foldable brochure of the whole Buckskin/Paria hike with all the highlites and milages. Seep locations, camping spots, tightest areas, etc. I still have mine from the late 70's. (Pretty ragged looking, but still readable.) I could be mistaken, but I believe they still print out this information (not in the nice brochure) on printed white sheets.
The BLM quit printing out many of the other great brochures they had many years ago for some reason. Too much info for the general public I'm guessing. You now need to ask specifically.. for info on what ever area you are going to. They will probably dig up some printed sheets for that location. I would say, it is worth asking if they still have this specific brochure information. It might be what you're looking for.

 

[Bailey]

I could be mistaken, but I believe they still print out this information (not in the nice brochure) on printed white sheets.

They do still print information out, I just wanted to plan and evaluate before I get there. I guess they also no longer mail you your permit beforehand, you are required to pick it up in person. Thats fine, I'll just pick it up when I arrive in Utah because we'll still have several days of hiking and camping in other places and I could probably use that time to plan.

Buckskin between Wire Pass and the Paria gets plenty deep.

I was debating if I should do the Buckskin Gulch TH to Buckskin Gulch then up to White House or if I should cut out those few miles and do Wire Pass TH to Buckskin Gulch to White House TH. Aside from a section in Middle Trail, it all seems to be about the same depth, give or take a hundred feet. Perhaps I'm not searching correctly, I tried to find a topographical map on this site but couldn't, I found a topo map from Climb Utah. What worries me is in the video I watched for the permit, they said experienced hikers miss key turn off points. On first glance, the canyon seems pretty straightforward but apparently people miss things. I have a good book from Hikernut I've used for other trails on the Colorado Plateau but I'm not seeing anything in this book about indicators as to what those turn off's are. So, I'm kind of interested if anybody has "The Bible of Buckskin Gulch" or short of a bible, a really amazing book.

 

[Ben]

What things or turn offs are you concerned about missing.

Though I have only driven past it, the buckskin gulch th starts out as a wash. I have hiked from the wire pass th, and it is tight and interesting, and shortly gets to the main section of buckskin gulch.

If you're looking for a topo of any where in the us, go to caltopo.com

 

[someguy]

David Day's Utah's Incredible Backcountry Trails has a section on Buckskin gulch. It may be worth checking out for trip planning, the link has the full route description but i think its worth it to buy the guide for all the other routes it contains as well.

 

[LarryBoy]

The BLM used to have a great foldable brochure of the whole Buckskin/Paria hike with all the highlites and milages. Seep locations, camping spots, tightest areas, etc. I still have mine from the late 70's. (Pretty ragged looking, but still readable.) I could be mistaken, but I believe they still print out this information (not in the nice brochure) on printed white sheets.
The BLM quit printing out many of the other great brochures they had many years ago for some reason. Too much info for the general public I'm guessing. You now need to ask specifically.. for info on what ever area you are going to. They will probably dig up some printed sheets for that location. I would say, it is worth asking if they still have this specific brochure information. It might be what you're looking for.

Scan it man!

 

[HomerJ]

I've hiked the Buckskin from Wirepass to the confluence of the Paria. My favorite section was definitely the lower section of the Buckskin to the confluence of the Paria. I really want to get back and see the Paria area. I read somewhere that the confluence is the deepest section at about 300'. The least favorite was the section before you get to the "cesspools". The walls are lowest and the canyon is widest here.

Here's my TR's
http://backcountrypost.com/threads/buckskin-gulch-wire-pass-to-middle-trail.2210/
http://backcountrypost.com/threads/buckskin-gulch-middle-trail-to-the-paria.2211/