Wire Pass / Buckskin Gulch
Utah · BLM · Southwest Region
Buckskin Gulch is the world's longest slot canyon, 21 miles of twisting Navajo sandstone narrows, in places only 2 feet wide and 500 feet deep, with walls that block direct sunlight and create a cathedral of orange and maroon light. Wire Pass is the entry: a short slot canyon squeezing through tilted rock strata before opening into the wider gulch. The colors at midday, when a sliver of sky appears 400 feet overhead, are unlike anything above ground. Intimate in a way that open air locations cannot be.
- Best season
- April through June, September through October
- Permit required
- Yes
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Max group size
- 10 people
- Permit info verified
- April 2026
Permit Information
BLM day use permit required: $6 per person (self serve fee tube at Wire Pass Trailhead). No advance reservation needed. Commercial photography requires a BLM permit. Flash flood risk is serious and real, always check forecasts for the entire Paria River watershed before entering.
Seasonal Planning
April through June and September through October. Always check weather for the Paria River watershed, not just local forecasts. Bring water and wear shoes that can get wet.
Planning Your Day at Wire Pass / Buckskin Gulch
One-Spot Day
Wire Pass itself is a complete day for a tiny group. The slot opens within a half mile of the trailhead, so you can hold vows in the narrowest, most intimate section and then work the walls in both directions for portraits. One permit, one slot, one unforgettable hour.
Ceremony + Portraits Split
Hold the ceremony deep in Wire Pass where the walls tighten to a few feet wide, then continue down to the Buckskin confluence for portraits against cathedral scale walls. Same permit covers both, and the moods shift from intimate to monumental within a mile.
A Note on Light
Midday is counterintuitively the best window here. When the sun is high overhead, reflected light bounces between the walls and produces the saturated copper and amber glow slot canyons are famous for. Morning and late afternoon go cool and flat inside the slot.
Ceremony Spots at Wire Pass / Buckskin Gulch
- Wire Pass Narrows — Intimate ceremony in a narrow slot canyon where the walls squeeze to just a few feet wide
- Buckskin Gulch (First Mile) — Deep slot canyon ceremony in the longest slot canyon in the world with cathedral scale walls overhead