There are as many metaphors to describe what locals call 'down in the Buckskin' as there are people who have been there. I choose the word 'in' because you are literally inside the walls of the world's longest slot canyon.

According to the Bureau of Land Management ('BLM') website, Buckskin Gulch is 16 miles long (around 26 km) from the Buckskin Trailhead to the Paria Canyon and over 500 feet (around 150m) deep at its confluence with the Paria River. There are places in the Buckskin where you are able to touch both canyon walls at the same time.

Buckskin Gulch is a photographer's and hiker's Mecca. Every corner you turn is changing continuously; the cliffs are water-and-wind-sculpted patterns of colors, light and shadows. You may also marvel and puzzle at the meanings of the rock writings (petroglyphs) from the early Archaic period (some are as old as 9,000 years).

It was voted one the top 10 hikes in the world by National Geographic Adventure Magazine a few years back.


Archaeology Tours in Page

Private Buckskin Gulch Tour