Buckskin Gulch Slot Canyon & Wire Pass

The Dangers of Buckskin Gulch

Like so many natural areas in Utah, Buckskin Gulch is both beautiful and dangerous. If you’re not careful, a hike here could be your last. Backpacker Magazine named it the most dangerous hike in the U.S. The reason for this is the narrowness and length of the slot canyon itself.

Buckskin Gulch drains a very large area of land and if there is a downpour from a storm as far away as 20 miles or more, the resulting flashflood can bring 20-40 feet of water violently rushing down the canyon. This water can arrive in hours or just minutes and, if you’re caught in the canyon, there is nowhere to escape. Many people have died in slot canyons. These flashfloods have left their calling cards in the form of large logs that have been carried down and wedged 10-20 feet above the canyon floor. You’ll see some of them when you watch our virtual video tour.

Visit the Kanab BLM Office Before Going

With this danger in mind, we strongly recommend that you visit the BLM office/Visitor Center in Kanab (or Big Water near Page) before hiking into Buckskin Gulch or doing any other adventure in this area. The knowledgeable rangers there will not only inform you of road and hiking conditions but will also have up-to-date weather information including critical information about any forecasted storms in the area. You may also learn more intriguing facts about the areas you will be visiting. Understanding the risks and making an informed decision will help keep you safe.

Once you determine that it’s safe to hike that day, the rewards of being in Buckskin Gulch can be a surreal experience like none other. There is no real trail to follow because you are walking in a drainage, wash or canyon bottom for the entire hike.

First Obstacle

The first slot canyon, in Wire Pass, has a 10 foot “pour off” or short cliff that will stop most hikers. However, there is a bypass route that climbs the sandstone to the south of the canyon. During some years, such as 2021, a group of volunteer rescue workers in the area have built a ladder here. However, subsequent flash floods swept it away, only to be rebuilt by the volunteers. So, there may or may not be a ladder when you hike Wire Pass.

Once you get into Buckskin Gulch, depending on the time of year, there may be one more obstacle – deep mud or even quicksand. To avoid those obstacles, it is best to plan your visit a month or two after any wet spell, such as the winter rainstorms or the summertime monsoons that usually end in September.

Our First Time to Buckskin Gulch

We first discovered Buckskin Gulch in the late 1990s. It was one of our first forays into a slot canyon and, quite frankly, it overwhelmed us. After entering the main canyon, it didn’t take long to get into a very deep, narrow space. It’s a good thing neither of us are claustrophobic!  We walked away being reminded of how powerful and violent Mother Nature can be and yet, from those violent erosional episodes, she creates such magnificent and elegant geologic formations.

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