Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch

Within the Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness area lies Paria Canyon and its tributaries. One of its main tributaries is Buckskin Gulch, which is arguably the longest slot canyon in the world at 21 miles, and is certainly one of the most impressive.

There are several different ways to approach Buckskin Gulch, and can be done as a backpacking trip with a one-way shuttle. If interested in doing Buckskin Gulch as a backpacking trip, you can find more information HERE.

As a day hike, the most popular route starts at the Wire Pass trailhead, where there is an obvious parking area 8 miles up the House Rock Valley Road, south of highway 89 (between Kanab, Utah and Page, Arizona.) This dirt road is usually in decent shape, but may be impassable when wet.

At first, the hike starts up a wash and is pretty uneventful, but know that it gets much, much better!

Soon, you enter Wire Pass, a tributary of Buckskin Gulch and an impressive slot in its own right. I have taken two trips into Buckskin Gulch via Wire Pass. Here are the highlights.

Stephany, who had just moved to Kanab from Connecticut a couple of months prior:

(Apparently, they don't have slot canyons like this back east.)

After about 1.7 miles, Wire Pass joins Buckskin Gulch, where the canyon opens up in spectacular fashion, with towering, streaked rock walls all around. 

Here's a photo at the confluence, looking back towards Wire Pass:

For scale:

Once reaching Buckskin Gulch you can either take a left and head back towards the House Rock Valley, or a right, and wander for miles. Buckskin Gulch's canyon walls are much higher than Wire Pass, but not as narrow in most sections. I definitely recommend hiking to Buckskin via Wire Pass rather than starting on Buckskin from the beginning. Wire Pass offers a slightly different, more "intimate" slot canyon experience.

Here's a look into Buckskin Gulch (right of the confluence from Wire Pass):

Working our way back through Wire Pass, which sometimes opens up with views of colorful slickrock:

On a different trip, I took my friend Shenon on the same hike while he visited me in Kanab. This time, I elected to go left at the confluence. We discovered some interesting mud slabs that we entertained ourselves with. 

Soon, we reached an area where the canyon opened up, and we were able to hike up the slickrock and explore the area a bit more. 

In some areas, the rock formations resemble the nearby Wave.

After a while, we decided to sit back, relax, and soak in the views.

On our way back through Buckskin Gulch, we spotted a Gopher Snake. Surprising, considering it was a chilly November day. 

Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch are spectacular, easily accessible slot canyons that offer the versatility of short day hikes or longer, overnight adventures. Nearby, there are countless other attractions that are also worth exploring. As I recollect these trips, it makes me miss slot canyon and slickrock country. Trust me, if you get the chance, you don't want to miss out on exploring these amazing places!