Spaces | Buckskin Gulch

Buckskin Gulch, located in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness area, is the longest and deepest slot canyon in United States and possibly the world.

Marked by their sinuous carved rock, typically sandstone, slot canyons are often formed through water erosion, particularly flash floods. These are what make these beautiful canyons so dangerous, as water can be carried from a rainstorm many miles away leading to deadly flash flood during clear skies with no escape route.

Fairly deep into the canyon at this point, I had made sure to observed several weather apps before embarking. Two years earlier with only one day to hike it, I called off the hike due to a 1% chance of rain. I later found out that chance was responsible for flooded the canyon, trail, and road all the way to US Route 89, a distance of three miles.