Trip Summary: We flew into Flagstaff, AZ (via Phoenix) & drove north to Lees Ferry. We left our rental car at Lees Ferry, which is near the confluence of the Paria River and the Colorado River, and used a hired shuttle driver to drive us from Lees Ferry, through Page, AZ, to the "White House" entry point of Paria Canyon (located roughly half way between Page, AZ and Kanab, UT). White House is one of three entry points into the beginning of Paria Canyon, the other two being Buckskin Gulch and Wire Pass. The "White House" entry point got its name from a cowboy who said in the 1800s that the fresh water from the spring at that location was "fine enough to be served at the White House" (Michael Kelsey, Hiking & Exploring the Paria River). We did a 6 day hike through Paria Canyon (all primitive wilderness conditions), relying on springs and seeps along the way (This is one of the prime hikes in the Colorado Plateau Region). Much of the hiking required walking through the shallow Paria River. We also did side hikes out of the main canyon to Buckskin Gulch and Wrather Arch (in Wrather Canyon). After returning to our rental vehicle we had left at Lees Ferry, we were able to take showers and clean clothes at a concessionaire in Marble Canyon, AZ and then eat dinner at the Vermilion Cliffs Cafe, where they have over 80 different kinds of beer available. The Cafe is part of the Vermilion Cliffs Lodge, but we didn't stay there. We spent the last two days of our trip day hiking at the South Coyote Buttes (in the Paria/Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area) and in portions of the Grand Staircase National Monument. We then headed back to Flagstaff, where we learned our flight was canceled, and were then driven in a van to Phoenix where we caught a flight home.
If you go: the Bureau of Land Management sells a Paria Canyon publication - The map & topo information is somewhat helpful. The best resource without a doubt is Michael Kelsey's, Hiking & Exploring the Paria River.
PICTURED BELOW: Upper Paria Canyon (during day 1)
PICTURED BELOW: Upper Paria Canyon, just before entering canyon "narrows" (during day 2)
PICTURED BELOW: Paria Canyon narrows (during day 2)
PICTURED BELOW: Slide Arch, Paria Canyon narrows (during day 2)
PICTURED BELOW: Paria Canyon narrows (during day 2)
PICTURED BELOW: nearing campsite for night 2; approx.1/8 mile inside Buchskin Gulch, near Paria Canyon/Buckskin Gulch Confluence (during day 2)
PICTURED BELOW: Buchskin Gulch, just below the "boulder jam" (during day 2)
PICTURED BELOW: Paria Canyon/Buckskin Gulch Confluence campsite for night 2 (morning of day 3)
PICTURED BELOW: At the Paria Canyon & Buckskin Gulch Confluence (Buckskin Gulch comes in from the left); Paria Canyon & Paria River are to the right of James and me (morning of day 3)
PICTURED BELOW: me and Wall Spring, Paria Canyon narrows (during day 3)
PICTURED BELOW: me in front of some vertical fault cracks, Paria Canyon narrows (during day 3)
PICTURED BELOW: me hiking in front of James past a large alcove, Paria Canyon narrows (during day 3)
PICTURED BELOW: Paria Canyon narrows (during day 3)
PICTURED BELOW: Paria Canyon narrows (during day 3)
PICTURED BELOW: Paria Canyon narrows (Skipper hiking in front of James) (during day 3)
PICTURED BELOW: Skipper & James hiking past another large alcove, Paria Canyon narrows (during day 3)
PICTURED BELOW: Paria Canyon narrows (near the end of the "narrows" section) - pic. taken from our campsite on a small sand bench with Juniper trees above Paria River (taken on morning of day 4)
PICTURED BELOW: Paria Canyon (during day 4)
PICTURED BELOW: Wrather Arch (during day 4)
"Wrather Arch is the name of a natural arch in north Arizona. It is located in the eponymous Wrather Canyon, a small tributary of the Paria Canyon, which is itself an important tributary of the Colorado River. With a span of 75 meters (246 feet), Wrather Arch is the longest natural arch outside of the state of Utah (although this claim may be superseded by Aloba Arch in Chad, whose unverified span may be slightly longer), making it the 4th longest natural span according to the Natural Arch and Bridge Society. Wrather Arch is distinguished among the great natural bridges in the USA as being the least accessible. Located in the heart of the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness area, it can only be accessed on foot. Being located almost at the midway point of the Paria Canyon trail, potential visitors must hike nearly 32 kilometers (20 miles), frequently walking in the shallow river, to witness this remote landform." (Wikipedia)
PICTURED BELOW: Shower Spring (one of the water sources we used in the middle part of the canyon); Paria Canyon (during day 4)
PICTURED BELOW: Petroglyphs - portion of "Big Horn Panel" (Pre-Columbian, Anasazi - dated 700 AD to 1,300 AD) (during day 5)
PICTURED BELOW: me in front of portion of Big Horn Panel (during day 5)
PICTURED BELOW: just left Big Horn Panel (during day 5)
PICTURED BELOW: middle portion of Paria Canyon (during day 5)
PICTURED BELOW: middle portion of Paria Canyon (during day 5)
PICTURED BELOW: James & I taking water from one of the last reliable water sources in the canyon before Lees Ferry, where we left a car (during day 5). James is holding the pump of the water filter.
PICTURED BELOW: campsite for night 5, lower Paria Canyon (pic. taken on morning of day 6)
PICTURED BELOW: Petroglyphs, lower Paria Canyon (during day 6)
PICTURED BELOW: Skipper & James in front of a balanced rock, lower Paria Canyon (during day 6)
PICTURED BELOW: me at the BLM Paria Canyon/Vermillion Cliffs wilderness boundary, lower Paria Canyon, about 2 miles from Lees Ferry and where we left a car (during day 6)
PICTURED BELOW: the Colorado at Lee's Ferry (pic. taken from the car just after we finished the 6 day hike through Paria Canyon). This pic. is of a group beginning a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon, launching their rafts at Lees Ferry
"Lee's Ferry (also Lees Ferry or Lee Ferry) is a site on the Colorado River in Coconino County, Arizona, United States, about 7.5 miles (12 km) southwest of the town of Page, Arizona and the Glen Canyon Dam, and about 9 mi (15 km) south of the Utah-Arizona border. It is the former location of a ferry established by John D. Lee, a Mormon settler. Today, the site is used primarily for fishing and launching rafts." (Wikipedia)
PICTURED BELOW: me at South Coyote Buttes; Paria Plateau, Paria Canyon/Vermillion Cliffs wilderness area
PICTURED BELOW: Toadstool in the Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument; between towns of Kanab, Utah & Page, Arizona
PICTURED BELOW: in the Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument
PICTURED BELOW: in the Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument
PICTURED BELOW: The Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell, across the bridge from the town of Page, Arizona
