Driving the Cottonwood Canyon on the way to the Buckskin Gulch.
This week we are posting five of our favorite photos from our recent road trip through southern Utah. Today comes to you from one of Jeff’s childhood favorites: The Buckskin Gulch.
Slot canyons like the Buckskin are no joke. Towering walls rise six stories or more straight up with spots so narrow you can reach out and touch both walls. They’re carved by infrequent by severe flash floods that blow through pushing debris like trees into impossible crevices.
They’re like exploring a real life Indiana Jones set but with the very real possibility that if it flashes while you’re inside, there’s no way to get out for miles. So it’s important to check with rangers before setting out. But the reward for that risk is totally worth it. It’s adventure hiking at it’s finest, with glowing scalloped walls and beautiful rock formations everywhere you look.
The Buckskin is the longest slot canyon in the world and it feeds into the Paria Canyon – another legendary slot canyon. We day hiked from the Wire Pass trailhead which provides easy access to the Buckskin and doesn’t require a permit – only registration at the trailhead.
A much needed break after hours of walking through freezing water
The river flashed the week before our arrival, forcing us to hike through standing water much of the time.
Sometimes you need to stop looking at your feet and look up.
