Buckskin-Paria finale to AZT

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#1

I am planning a northbound AZT thru-hike. When I get to the northern terminus at Wire Pass trailhead, I would like to continue on down Wire Pass – Buckskin Gulch – Paria River to Lee’s Ferry. I think this additional hike would be a fitting Grand Finale to the AZT. I also think it would be much easier to hitch from Lee’s Ferry to Page to catch a flight home.

My question is; how hard is it to get a Paria permit on short notice? Last time I hiked the Paria, I stated at the Whitehouse trailhead the week before Thanksgiving. There was no problem getting a permit, but that was the “off season” and I applied weeks ahead of my start. I had the canyon to myself. This time it will be at spring break time. Should I apply for a permit from the south rim, Flagstaff, or earlier? Anyone have any experience with this?

Tom W

Tom W

#2

that sounds intriguing … how miles would that add ?

yappy

#3

You can reserve the permit online. I would try to do it at least a month ahead of time. If you are there in March-April, getting a permit can be a problem, but if you are solo, you may luck out. Sometimes there are single slots available. I’ve tried to get a permit the last two years, reserving a month ahead, and been unable to get a permit but there were two of us and it was prime time (April).

Ginny

#4

When is spring break? The Paria doesn’t start to load up until April. I see your biggest problem as logistics. Can you predict your Buckskin-Paria traverse dates ahead of time? How will you take possession of the permit? They only take permit applications by phone or on-line. You have to be in physical possession of the permit to enter. The PO at the North Rim is your last General Delivery option unless you can make some arrangement with one of the businesses at Jacob Lake. The BLM may be reluctant to send permits to a GD address.

Your idea is a fantastic finale to an AZT thru-hike but a little extreme if it is just to catch a ride to Page. I know people in Fredonia that might be willing to shuttle you for a fee from the north terminus to Page. Email me if interested.

Good luck.

Dan

#5

Getting anything at the North Rim is unlikely since the Park services are closed until May. I’m not sure when Jacobs Lake opens, but it may not be until May either.

Ginny

#6

Jacob lake stays open all year round. Guino and I hitched from the northern terminus back to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. The rode to hwy 89 was well traveled in October and it wasn’t hard hitching a ride and yoging water!

Hydro Heidi

#7

this trail looks completely amazing…anyone been on it ?

yappy

#8

Yappy - you probably know this already but there is a trail book on it… The guy who makes the ultralight backpacks in Logan Utah hiked it and has a website describing the passages.

Jasper

#9

We have the book and hiked part of the only section that seemed to really be feasible for a short hike. We’ve done a lot of wandering in southern Utah the past few years. It’s beautiful country and I love the explorations we’ve done. I hope to do more in the future. That said, we probably won’t ever thruhike the Hayduke Trail. Why? 1) permits are needed in the National Parks and in some of the BLM land. If you’re on foot, picking them up can be a problem and it is hard to know in advance exactly where you’ll be when. The Paria is especially difficult to get a permit for if you are there in prime season. 2) water - there are sections where you have to carry enough water for two to three days. I can’t do that. The guidebook authors assume you can find a 4WD vehicle to put out water caches ahead of time. They live in Utah. We don’t. 3) Terrain - hiking in the canyons is nothing like trail hiking. The guidebook recommends hiking about 7 miles a day. There’s a reason for that. They do a lot of canyoneering - steep bushwhack climbs and descents involving some real technical skills. I read their description of bushwhacking in the Grand Canyon and I know I’m not up to it. Navigation in the canyons is a lot different from the kind of open country navigation that was required on the CDT. When you’re counting side canyons - sometimes the canyon that shows on the map isn’t obvious on the ground or, alternately, there are too many side canyons. GPS is of limited value because it doesn’t show the real ground level topography. The shortest route is rarely feasible. 4) I enjoy walking dry sandy washes for a few hours. Doing it for day after day after day - can get pretty boring.

OTOH - there are sections I’d like to do, if I could figure out transportation. I really enjoy southern Utah.

ginny

#10

Yeah, I did see there is a guide book and a terrific website. It looks like that guy hiked it in about 2 months averaging 18 miles I think with several 0 days. I am sure he had alot of experience though with desert travel. The scenery looks beyond beautiful and i would like to give it a try someday … but who knows…I heard that several people did it last yr…there is a journal or 2 out there.

yappy

#11

Having once lived in S Utah, it sounds like it goes through some of the best canyon country Utah has to offer and I’m sure George Hayduke would be proud of it but the hiking would be narly and having a good floatable pad to swim the Colorado river sounds like something one would want to take along. You may want to take a side trip to Jasper Canyon through the Maze, well worth it.

Jasper

#12

Brian Frankel hiked the Hayduke and I think he was the first to thru hike it. I hadn’t heard that it had been thru hiked again. Read his journal on his ULA site. http://www.ula-equipment.com/index.htm

Blisterfree put together the GET as a hikeable trail through the same terrain, Phoenix to Albuerque. He wanted a route that:
had water almost daily
didn’t need permits
wasn’t circuitous
Check out his site at http://www.simblissity.net/grand_enchantment.shtml

A 3rd desert route is the ADT across UT. It enters UT on Kokopelli’s Trail into Moab. Ken and I hiked west bound through Dark Canyon, Brian hiked eastbound on the Hayduke. Hiking across UT was like owning the world, we were completely alone in the most incredibly spectacular country. We didn’t see people even in Canyonlands which we entered very early in the morning and left in the afternoon so we didn’t need a permit.

Marcia

#13

The GET terrain is really quite different from the Hayduke. Sonora desert is lush - lots of cactus and bushes that bite. Utah doesn’t have as much vegetation, except along the watercourses. The elevation differences are much more extreme. It’s a lot more like the AZT with Sky Islands and low desert stretches between.

Marcia - where does the ADT go out of Canyonlands? South into Beef Basin like the Hayduke?

Ginny

#14

Ginny, from the east park entrance we walked south past Devils Kitchen and past Elephant Hill. The route was two track and some trail winding through the red rock needles. We had water cached in Beef Basin which was waterless then followed Trail Canyon into Dark Canyon. The ADT goes way south down Elk Ridge, then west and then north past Hite Marina. I remember reading that Brian passes Hite and had an epic crossing of Dirty Devil.

Beef Basin has in-ground BLM (I think)spigots in the ground like we saw in NM on the CDT.

The Sonoran desert vegetation was the biggest surprise when we hiked the AZT. We had expected open desert like UT or NV. I LOVE both UT and AZ hiking. I wish more hikers would discover the spectacular ADT through UT and NV.

Marcia

#15

The Hayduke is definitely up there on my list of trails to explore. When I hiked from the GC to Utah last June, I met Ryan and Ben, who were taking 3 months to hike the Hayduke. Ryan’s blog is at http://hayduketrail.blogspot.com/ He’s a great writer, and his pictures are fantastic. What an amazing looking trail.

Sirena

#16

yeah, Sirena the pics look breathtaking… the Get also looks like a very cool trail. I heard there is some trying the HD this March as well. It is interesting that they are all about the same length.

yappy

#17

Marcia, it sounds wonderful ! i am really looking forward to the Azt. My only desert experience has been the Pct ( and growing up in the USVI… haha ) I live in AK now and may keel over from the freaking heat… which would’nt be such a bad thing !

yappy

#18

Yappy, don’t start as late as we did! We started on Cinco de Mayo which seemed appropriate. We started so late because we waited for a graduation. Whew, we got triple digit heat in the Superior area.

The body does adjust to heat. Blood chemistry becomes different and sweat contains less salts (Dean Karnazas talks about it in his book and we also heard a wilderness medicine expert talk about the physiological changes.

I remind myself about that as we hike in very high heat. What I want at the end of the day is a flat place to sleep that hasn’t been sun-baked all day.

Marcia

#19

yeah, I hear you. We are starting mid march… hoping to be done first part of May. Along the pct the desert/heat did’nt bother me much but I was fresh off the islands. Things have changed since then … haha. On the CT I struggled some but not too bad. Last summer we came to Washington for a week and the heat really got to me. it was only about 85-90 or so but WOW, I did alot of day hikes and it got to me. But, you are right… we do adjust and I expect I will too…:slight_smile: I am in Washington now but back home fairbanks hit -50… and some places colder then that… yikes ! been there done that and it is a very harsh place to be.

yappy

#20

Hey all-

This may be a dead topic, but I’m planning an AZT thru-hike this spring and got sidetracked on the Hayduke discussion. I hiked it from Moab to Bryce Canyon in 2005 (no idea of the mileage-- if you’ve been on it, you’d know why). It was more of a navigable route than a trail. Caching food and water was greatly useful. River crossings and certain canyon sections can be a bit harrowing. That being said, it was beautiful. Good luck and plan carefully.

SlowRide