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–June, September–October
- Permit required
- Yes
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Max group size
- 10 people
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.
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