Buckskin Gulch and Paria River via Wire Pass // Utah

I hiked from Wire Pass through Buckskin Gulch to the Paria River as a day hike during late March. Total mileage was 30 miles, which I finished in about 13 hours. I began the hike around 7:45 AM, entered the Wire Pass slot canyon, climbed up/down a few obstacles, including an 8 foot ladder, and soon reached the intersection with Buckskin Gulch. I quickly took a few pictures of the petroglyphs located at the intersection and then began the trek through Buckskin. The walls of the canyon quickly became narrow and deep, several hundred feet deep at times, followed by occasional wide openings that were always followed by another section of deep narrow canyon. Several hours into the hike (around late morning) the sun angle became favorable for robust coloration of the canyon walls, and that was the time I obtained my best pictures. I eventually reached a section of large boulders that could be climbed down via notched rock assisted by a rope, or down through a hole/gap in the slickrock. I picked the gap-hole. Shallow water soon began to cover the trail as I got closer to the Paria River, but was not very deep. In fact, most of the hike was dry with the exception of a pool of knee deep water, and another section of ankle deep freakishly thick mud. 

Once I reached the Paria River, I took a quick break, soaked in the silent tranquility of this wild section of America, and then began the journey back to the trailhead. I estimated I would get back to my truck by 9 PM. I encountered several other hiking parties, but otherwise I was completely alone in the canyon. One hour would pass, then another, then another...I trudged through one section of canyon after another, everything looked the same, the pattern of walking on sand then round stones then sand then stones repeated over and over. A lot of thoughts run through your head as afternoon turns to evening, then dusk, and then night. There were plenty of bats to keep me company as the last golden hues faded away along the canyon rim. Finally I reached the intersection with Wire Pass, which at that point required my headlamp to navigate. I then exited the canyon and was greeted by a dark desert landscape. Mountain lions were on my mind at this point, and I constantly scanned side to side with my headlamp, hoping I didn't see a pair of yellow glowing eyes staring down at me from the surrounding cliffs. Thankfully no lions were encountered, and I reached my truck at 8:45 PM...exactly 13 hours after I started the trek. It was a great experience, awesome canyon, and longest distance I've hiked in my life.

Google map of Buckskin Gulch can be found here. 

High Spur Canyon // Utah

 High Spur Canyon, located northeast of Hanksville, Utah and on the western edge of Canyonlands, is a fantastic adventure that awaits those daring enough to tackle the connecting road between Hans Flat Ranger Station and Deadman's Trail Road. This road is doable, obviously, as I made it there and back, but high clearance and 4WD is a must, evidenced by the fact that the tail of my 2014 Tacoma actually bottomed out once on a steep slab of rock I had to drive across...that has never happened to me before. But otherwise, if you survive the nail-biting drive, the canyon is a blast...and keep a lookout for wild burros. I arrived during a late afternoon, and given there were a few hours of remaining daylight, I decided to descend into the canyon but got cliffed out. So I returned to my truck, spent an overnight listening to the howling wind, and in the morning, found a route into the canyon that by-passed my previous cliff. I then trekked through deep narrow slots that occasionally opened up. My goal was to reach a section of the canyon near the end where the colors and shapes rival Antelope Canyon near Page, AZ. However, I reached a dry waterfall, and I determined I could definitely get down this feature, but I wasn't sure if I could climb back up due to slick rock and a lack of hand/foot holds. I was seriously sad I had to stop as the epic canyon section was so near. I actually managed to climb out of the canyon and look for side routes that would bypass the cliff section, but an hour or two of searching ended in failure...I thus hiked across a mile of desert to Windy Peak Road and then made my way down the road back to my truck. Perhaps if I come back I'll bring a rope to descend and ascend this last section. 

Check out these other sites for better beta on High Spur Canyon (Ropewiki // RoadTripRyan).

Here is a Google Map of High Spur Canyon. 

Lower Calf Creek Falls // Utah

 I enjoyed a low pain/high reward kind of hike during mid March, tackling several miles of mostly flat sandy trail that followed Calf Creek to a spectacular waterfall. The route is surrounded by towering sandstone canyon walls, and I bet the photography would be extraordinary when the trees and ground-vegetation green-out. After capturing obligatory pictures and video of the falls, I hiked back to the trailhead and drove into Escalante for pizza at Escalante Outfitters.

Google map location for Lower Calf Creek Falls can be found here. 

Kanarra Falls - Utah

 I hiked an easy couple of miles out to Kanarra Falls in Utah during early march. It was a nice hike, although slightly muddy in sections due to early spring snow melt. In addition, ankle deep wading was required, and the water was frigid. Otherwise, I got some epic video and pictures of the waterfall and short but deep slot canyon. Great hike but be prepared to pay $17 to access this natural wonder (see the link here).

 Google map of Kanarra Falls can be found here. 

Zebra Slot Canyon // Utah

 Another cold night spent at a trailhead, this time for Zebra Slot Canyon located near Escalante, Utah. I emerged out of my sleeping bag shortly after sunrise and started trekking across easy terrain toward Zebra. After a few miles, I entered a wash, and then entered the narrow chasm. I encountered knee deep water that I cautiously waded through, checking every next step so as to avoid plunging into a deep pot hole. After the water, I had to stem over several canyon sections that were too narrow for me to fit through. I then reached the most interesting part of the canyon filled with smooth streamlined rock walls and wavy formations, all of which could indeed be interpreted as zebra-like...thus the name of the canyon was appropriate. I then exited upwards and ran into a deep pot hole with smooth side walls that I was not at all confident I could climb out of. Not wanting to turn an epically awesome canyon experience into a tragedy, I turned around and retraced my steps back to the original entrance. Zebra slot canyon is pretty awesome, though short, and it offered a brief introduction into slot canyon stemming technique.

 Google map of Zebra Slot Canyon can be found here. 

Spooky and Peekaboo Slot Canyons // Utah

 I arrived in the dead of a windy winter Utah night near the trailhead for Peekaboo and Spooky slot canyons during early March 2025. The rising sun woke me up a few hours later, and I was on the trail within minutes. It was a raw morning, but things warmed up once I descended out of the wind. I then entered Peekaboo Slot Canyon, which was nice, but didn't offer the photogenic slotty experience I was looking for. I reached the exit of Peekaboo, turned right, and hiked over to the top of Spooky Slot Canyon. Things quickly became interesting inside Spooky as the walls grew narrow, water sculpted rock became abundant, and pinks, purples, reds, and orange colors abound. In other words, I got the slot canyon experience I craved and the pictures were fantastic. I reached the end of Spooky and found a 10-20 foot drop had to be down-climbed in order to return to civilization. I wasn't certain if smooth rock would yield a route all the way down, so I turned around and found a point to scramble up and out of the canyon. I then linked back up with the main route to the trailhead and called it a day.

Google map of these slot canyons can be found here.