Buckskin Gulch
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Buckskin Gulch Kaibab Gulch |
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| Data | ||
| Water code | US : 1426082 | |
| location | Kane County , Utah , USA | |
| River system | Colorado River | |
| Drain over | Paria River → Colorado River → Gulf of California | |
| origin | The confluence of Kitchen Corral Wash, Clay Hole Wash, and Telegraph Wash at Eightmile Pass 37 ° 7 ′ 47 ″ N , 112 ° 5 ′ 2 ″ W |
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| muzzle | at Bridger Point (on the Arizona border ) in the Paria River Coordinates: 37 ° 0 '6 " N , 111 ° 51' 58" W 37 ° 0 '6 " N , 111 ° 51' 58" W
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| length | 21 km from Wire Pass | |
| Right tributaries | Coyote Wash | |
Buckskin Gulch is a mostly dry slot canyon in the state of Utah in the United States , which receives the periodic tributaries in the southwest of the Paria Plateau and feeds it to the Paria River and thus the Colorado River .
location
The south of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument , like the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument immediately to the south, consists of a desert-like rocky landscape, which is largely formed by layers of Navajo sandstone . The precipitation , which occurs mainly in the form of violent thunderstorms in the summer months, is diverted in a few streams that have fallen dry for most of the year in the direction of the permanently water-bearing Colorado River. Due to the geological nature of the area, watersheds form alongside geological faults as well as narrow canyons cut deep into the soft sandstone .
The Buckskin Gulch catchment area covers a large area between the Vermillion Cliffs north of US Highway 89 in southern Kane County , Utah , the Buckskin Mountains, and the Paria Plateau in Coconino County , Arizona . The most important tributaries are the Kaibab Gulch (officially part of the Buckskin Gulch), the Pine Hollow Canyon and the Coyote Wash, the latter previously joining at the northern edge of the Coyote Buttes to the Wire Pass and in a first slot canyon the monoclinal fault called Cockscomb break through.
The Buckskin Gulch breaks through the Cockscomb east of House Rock Valley Road , runs from there in a southerly direction to the intake of the Wire Pass between Cockscomb and the West Clark Bench and then turns to the east where it separates the West Clark Bench from the Paria Plateau. Shortly before the border between Utah and Arizona, the valley meets the Paria River, which is also deeply cut here. With a length of around 21 kilometers, it is considered the longest and, with a depth of up to several hundred meters, also one of the deepest slot canyons in the world.
Access
Due to its length and depth, the canyon is very popular with hikers and there are several ways of access. From the White House Trailhead, which is almost directly on US Highway 89, there is the possibility of entry via the valley of the Paria River, all other options start from House Rock Valley Road between this highway and US Highway 89A (Buckskin Trailhead, Wire Pass Trailhead ). By far the most popular hiking trail uses the Wire Pass slot canyon, the Wire Pass Trailhead is also the starting point for hikes in the northern Coyote Buttes, for example to the Wave.
Often hikes through the Buckskin Gulch are combined with a multi-day crossing of Paria Canyon to the Colorado River near Lee's Ferry in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area , for which a permit is required as well as for day trips. While there are no restrictions on the number of people for day hikes, only a limited number of permits are issued for multi-day trips.
hazards
For the Buckskin Gulch itself as well as for the Wire Pass, no special technical aids are normally necessary to cross them; Individual possible entry and exit points, however, require mountaineering experience including the necessary equipment. However, in the course of the hike it is important to overcome rocky steps as well as to cross chest-high water holes. Due to the narrowness of the valley and the non-existent or only brief solar radiation, the temperatures on the ground are significantly lower than in the surrounding area. Occasionally the bottom is formed by quicksand . The most important danger is the occurrence of flash floods after precipitation in the entire catchment area, as these can result in tidal waves with a height of up to 30 meters.
