Wire Pass to Buckskin Gulch Slot Canyon

Updated: Jan 21, 2023

Hike Stats

Distance: varies, up to 20-ish miles! I hiked about 5.6 miles RT.

Elevation Gain: 600 feet (not sure if this is right, it feels flatter)

Date Hiked: March 2022

Location: Between Kanab, Utah, and Page, Arizona

Getting Here

From Hwy 89 (runs between Kanab and Page), turn onto the House Rock Valley Road and continue down it for approximately 8.3 miles. The road is dirt and has some washboard-y sections but it is generally navigable by most cars when dry. I recommend parking and starting at the Wire Pass trailhead (not the Buckskin Gulch TH!) as the hike is much more scenic and you get to explore another short slot canyon. This is the same trailhead that hikers start from to reach The Wave (do not hike without a permit, you will get caught and fined). It’s a fairly large lot but will fill up by midday. There is a small $6/person charge that you can pay via your phone (even without internet) that is NOT covered by the America the Beautiful annual pass. If you would like to thru-hike the entire trail, you’ll need either a shuttle or another parked car at the White House Trailhead.

The Hike

Most people think of Vegas when they hear the word “slots.” But what they don’t know is that the Southwest is also famous for its incredible slot canyons, which I would argue is the superior kind of slot! Buckskin Gulch is one of the world’s longest slot canyons at about 20ish miles long and certainly one of the most beautiful.

The hike starts off along a sandy wash with the trail to The Wave branching off to the right after about ¾ of a mile. As I continued straight, the walls of Wire Pass grew steadily taller and taller until I reached a large drop which thankfully had a wooden ladder to help me get down. Wire Pass is short at about 0.3 miles but it is still really pretty with the classic slot canyon “wavy walls.”

wire pass entrance — Wire Pass slot entrance

woman climbing down a ladder in wire pass

narrow slot canyon near the end of wire pass — Heading out of Wire Pass

Note: According to reports on AllTrails, this ladder was washed away after a flash flood and has not been replaced as of January 2023. So you will need to take the connector trail that can be found just to the right of the Wire Pass entrance until that is replaced.

After 1.7 miles, I came out into a sort of big alcove with large walls that was more open to the sun. At this junction I turned right and headed into the Buckskin Gulch slot canyon. You can see 800+ year old petroglyphs in this area if you know where to look near the blind arch (I forgot so I did not see them but go check them out!). I shouldn’t need to say this but as always, please be respectful and do not carve anything into the walls or deface the petroglyphs in any way. No one cares that you love Mary, Bob.

Wire Pass was cool, but Buckskin Gulch truly shines. The passageways were windy with waves in the walls that caused the light waves to reflect and bounce around, highlighting the canyon’s various colors and features. The lower part of the walls tended to be more brown in color while the sunlight would hit the upper walls just so, creating this magnificent warm orange glow. I had so much fun exploring this canyon; it was almost as if I had been transported back to my childhood when I would run around the woods pretending to be an explorer. I took so many photos but here's just a few of them:

woman walking though buckskin gulch with wavy walls

sun casting orange glow on the brown walls of buckskin gulch

orange glow on upper walls of buckskin gulch

There were some areas of the canyon that had standing water with the deepest pool being almost up to my knees. With it being early March, this water was literally freezing! It was also kind of gross wading through stagnant chocolate milk-colored water, but it was so worth it so see this beauty. It definitely could’ve been worse though — I’ve heard stories of people wading in water up to their waist or chest! No thanks.

I turned around at what I assumed was the Buckskin Overlook, which was less of an overlook and more just an open area, but it was a great place to sit in the sun and warm up my poor freezing toes for a bit.

If you enjoy slot canyons, then Wire Pass to Buckskin Gulch is one that you absolutely cannot miss! It is very much a choose-your-own-adventure type of hike so you can walk as far or as little as you want. If you want to backpack, you will need to obtain a permit which you can find on the BLM website for Paria Canyon. One thing to note, DO NOT, and I mean DO NOT, hike this trail if there is rain in the forecast anywhere even close to here. Flash floods occur in this canyon several times a year and there is only one escape route that’s located in the middle of the canyon. AKA if you get caught in a flash flood here, on a scale from 1-10 you’re f***ed. Have fun!