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From the White House Trailhead
parking lot, follow the sandy track west into
the Paria River drainage and simply head
downstream. Don't bother trying to keep your
feet dry, you'll be hiking in the river much of
the time. The Paria starts out wide and shallow
with areas of
deep sand which slow your progress. After about
2.5 miles of hiking, you will pass under a set
of power lines and at the 4 mile point the
narrows begin. Though not a narrow slot like
Buckskin Gulch, the river cuts deeply into the
Navajo Sandstone and soon begins to travel
between towering walls. Near the 7 mile point
you'll pass Slide Rock Arch, which is not a true
arch, but a large piece of the left canyon wall which
has fallen into the canyon forming a short
tunnel. A short distance
later is the confluence with Buckskin Gulch
which comes in from the right.
Continue down canyon through an
extremely scenic canyon to a fairly reliable
spring which may be found on the right at the
9.3 mile point. Just beyond is the first of four
fault-line cracks which comes in from the right.
At the second fault-line crack at the 10 mile
point is a more reliable spring which lies at
the mouth of the crack on the right. Just past
the 12 mile point is Big Spring (also on the
right) the largest spring in the canyon. A
popular campsite sits just opposite the spring
on a prominent bench.
It's more of the same below Big
Spring as you pass by the second and third
fault-line cracks. Just past the fourth crack is
the Adams Trail and route to the rim, which is
on the right (the trail is most easily seen by
walking past it then turning around to look up
canyon). The trail was constructed in the late
1930's to install a pipe and water pump to get
water up to the rim. The pump may be seen a few
miles downstream at the 17.5 mile point in Judd
Hollow on the left. Continuing downstream to
just past the 19 mile point to where a minor
side canyon enters from the right. This small
box canyon is named 'The Hole' and features a
seep from which it may be possible to get water.
Another mile and a half below The Hole, Wrather
Canyon
enters the Paria on the right. This canyon
features a trail that leads 0.75 miles to Wrather Arch, the 5th largest natural arch (by
span size at 246 feet) in the world. The hike to
the arch is well worth a detour. In addition to
a spectacular arch, the canyon itself is quite
pretty and features an intermittent spring. Due
to the fragile nature of Wrather Canyon, no
camping is allowed.
Below Wrather Arch the canyon
begins to widen and soon the Kayenta then
Moenave Sandstone layers may be seen. At the
24.3 mile point, just before passing a large
sand slide which may be seen on the hillside on
the right, look for a large set of petroglyphs
on the left just before the river makes a tight
lefthand turn. About a mile downstream just past
the 25 mile point you'll reach the last reliable
spring which drips from a small fern covered
layer in the sandstone on the left.
About a mile below the last
reliable spring, Bush Head Canyon enters from
the right with some nice campsites at its mouth.
Below this drainage you'll have to route find
through some large boulders which have fallen
into the Paria, making for slow going. Keep an
eye out for a trail which appears on the right
which provides easier traveling. Soon the trail
becomes a well established path as the walls of
the Paria fade into the distance. At the 31.5
mile point, the path passes by a series of
petroglyph panels which are found near a
mushroom shaped hoodoo. Additional panels may be
found on the hillside on the left a short
distance down canyon.
The walking is easy as you head
down canyon to mile 33.5 and the remains of the
Wilson Ranch. The Moenkopi Formation begins just
prior to the 35 mile point and you'll reach a
marked boundary separating the Paria River /
Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness from the Glen
Canyon National Recreation area. Passing mile
point 37 you'll arrive at a trail register and
soon thereafter at the Lonely Dell Ranch at mile point 38. Signs
mark the left branching trail which leads to the
long term parking lot and your vehicle. |
