Paria Canyon – Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness

The Paria Canyon/Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness is a playground for the adventurous. Designated by congress in 1984, Paria Canyon is home to varied geologic features and numerous slot canyons, including the world’s longest narrow canyon, Buckskin Gulch. Visit, and explore these deep, narrow canyons carved by the force of water into smooth sandstone walls- where the walls tower 500 feet above the streambed. Within the 112,500 acre wilderness you will find immense high desert ecosystems on the plateaus and riparian gardens on the canyon floor, each home to wildlife unique to the area.

Type of Trip:  Backpacking/Camping
Dates:  April, May, June, September, October
Number of Days: 3 - 5 Days
Total Miles:  38 (4 days)
Elevation Gain Loss: 1950ft
Difficultly:  Moderately Strenuous 
Orientation Time:  4pm the day before
Orientation Location:  Flagstaff – at our store (1051 S. Milton Ave - Suite F)
Trip Departure: 6am
Trip Return:  4pm

(B) = Breakfast   (L) = Lunch   (D) = Dinner

Cost:
3 Day - $785 per person
4 Day - $985 per person
5 Day - $1250 per person

** This trip can be customized around different starting point and times**

This is the most famous hike in the Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness. It is covers approximately 38 miles of canyon in a wilderness of 112,500 acres. The hike can be done in three days; however, it is so beautiful that most people recommend spending 4 to 5 days for exploration. The special attractions include high, sculpted red-rock walls covered with desert vanish in Paria Canyon, and if you choose to add it, Buckskin Gulch. Buckskin is an outstanding narrows hike that ends at the confluence with Paria Canyon. It has been called the premier narrows hike on the Colorado Plateau, while another guide book claims it is the ‘longest continually narrow canyon hike in the world.’ The national monument is home to desert bighorn sheep, pronghorns, California Condors, and over twenty species of raptors. You may also spot the Desert Spiny, a colorful lizard inhabiting the Colorado Plateau.

Itinerary - The final itinerary may change due to weather or any unforeseen circumstance(s).

Day 1:
Depart Flagstaff at 6am for a drive through the Arizona Strip to the trailhead. You will want to stay awake for this drive as we travel through Navajo Reservation, over the Colorado River and around Lake Powell. We begin our hike in the upper reaches of the Paria drainage. There is archeology to explore right at the start, and then we’ll begin our hike down canyon. You will be in complete and total awe within 30 minutes of leaving the car. (L) (D)

Day 2:
We wake on a sandy beach at the base of towering sandstone walls. Our day begins with a short hike with our back packs, and upon reaching the Buckskin and Paria confluence we will drop our packs and spend the rest of the day exploring the narrows of Buckskin Gulch- the longest set of narrows known in the world. Our camp will be in the vicinity of this amazing confluence, where “two canyons with impossibly high, vertical walls, each about 15 feet wide, meet at right angles. It's holy ground.” As described by Valerie Clark of Utah Wild. (B) (L) (D)

Day 3:
Today we will walk down Paria canyon through the remaining narrows, wading through pools, and welcoming the sun as the canyon opens up. We will find a spectacular camp near a spring and spend our final night surrounded by the smooth and sculptural sandstone walls of Paria Canyon. (B) (L) (D)

Day 4:
After packing up camp we begin our final day’s trek to the Canyon’s confluence with the Colorado River, creating the first whitewater in Grand Canyon. The canyon is wide here, and the views are much farther than our previous days. As we close in on our destination there are canyon walls in the distance and loads petrified logs to rest on. We will complete our hike with a picnic lunch at the Lonely Dell Ranch, an historic oasis of fruit trees, followed by travel back to Flagstaff. (B) (L)

5 day itineraries offer many options for exploring in Paria itself or the surrounding area. Some of these options include the Wave (if permits are available), the toadstools, Cobra Arch, and other secret highlights in the area. You may also start your hike at The Wire Pass Trail head, allowing for more time backpacking through Buckskin Gulch.