Buckskin Gulch, a tributary of the Paria River, is one of the longest and deepest slot canyons in the southwest (and supposedly the world). We hiked the length of Buckskin Gulch (thirteen miles) on a previous trip when we backpacked through Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon. It's a beautiful and stunning slot canyon and we were eager to return with Norah for a day hike. We entered through Wire Pass, whose trailhead is located 4.2 miles from US 89 on House Rock Valley Road (usually passable by passenger car). Through Wire Pass it was 1.7 miles to reach the confluence with Buckskin Gulch. I'm not sure how far we hiked in Buckskin Gulch, but we walked for about an hour or so from the confluence before turning around. We didn't encounter any water (our previous trip required a bit of wading) and there was only one choke stone that required some maneuvering to get up and over.

The narrows are generally ten feet wide and sometimes as narrow as three feet. The canyon walls towered above us and it was often pretty dark in the canyon. It was breathtaking when we would round a bend and catch sight of sandstone glowing orange from reflected light. The canyon walls were varied in their erosion patterns and we took our time to examine the "ghost holes" or admire sandstone striations. We were constantly awed at how insignificant we felt in this magnificent slot canyon and it was a highlight of our trip.