As previously noted, the area between Kanab, UT and Page, AZ is full of scenic adventures. Two such attractions are Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch, slot canyons near the North Coyote Buttes, Paria Valley and The Cockscomb monocline.
Wire Pass starts at the same trailhead that is used for the hike to The Wave, a tame enough sandy wash, but the two trails soon separate. The Wire Pass Trail leads into a narrow canyon that may not be as spectacular as Antelope Canyon, for example, but has its own beauty and challenges. The logs stuck in the canyon indicate how high the water rises during flash floods, while the large boulders pushed into the narrows show the force of the floods. Petroglyphs pecked in the walls are from early Native Americans who lived in the area.
Wire Pass ends where it joins Buckskin Gulch, the longest and deepest slot canyon in the country. We entered at mile four of the thirteen mile long canyon and hiked about a mile north, then south, before returning through Wire Pass. Buckskin Gulch is very rocky and also holds water from periodic floods, making it an uncomfortable hike. To go all the way through it usually requires some swimming. Just recently, four deaths here have been attributed to flash floods. Furthermore, through hikers report seeing rattlesnakes that somehow live in the canyon, feeding on lizards and such prey.
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