{"id":7661,"date":"2017-02-17T06:01:04","date_gmt":"2017-02-17T06:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.acrossutah.com\/wordpress\/?p=7661"},"modified":"2023-03-29T10:21:42","modified_gmt":"2023-03-29T10:21:42","slug":"hike-guide-the-upper-paria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.acrossutah.com\/wordpress\/hike-guide-the-upper-paria\/","title":{"rendered":"Hike Guide: The Upper Paria"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Upper Paria<\/strong> doesn’t get as much attention as the Lower Paria<\/strong><\/a> a little farther south. The Upper Paria (rhymes w\/ “Maria”) \u00a0is located in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument<\/strong> and is a braided river in a much more wide-open canyon than its lower counterpart which is famous for its narrows. The Upper Paria’s \u00a0amazing geography, historical\/cultural sites, and interesting side canyons make it worthy of a visit. Hayduke hikers travel this stretch as they head to\/from Bryce Canyon, thus this entry is in my Hayduke Trail Reference<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Access to the lower end of the Upper Paria is via the Cottonwood Road<\/strong> or the Paria Spur Road<\/strong> (aka Movie Set Road). The upper end is most frequently accessed via Willis Creek along the Skutumpah Road<\/strong>, but it’s also possible to access the Paria directly near the town of Cannonville. Many loop hike possibilities exist depending on how long you’d like to spend and which sights are the priorities to see. Write to me if you’d like suggestions.<\/p>\n

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— click for full map —<\/p><\/div>\n

Here’s a description of the route starting at the southern end near Cottonwood Road and traveling up the river:<\/p>\n

Just south of the extremely cool Yellow Rock<\/a><\/strong>, the Paria River cuts though the Cockscomb formation. This somewhat narrow canyon is known as “The Box”. Walk up the river and through the narrow corridor — don’t bother trying to keep your feet dry as they will get wet sooner or later.<\/p>\n

In less than 2 miles the canyon walls pull back and reveal incredibly colorful and stripped hills on all sides. These hills are truly amazing and the product of of the Chinle formation of geology.<\/p>\n

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On the right side (east) of the river are the old ruins of the Pahreah Townsite<\/strong>. This was a failed farming\/mining community that was established around 1870. It never got that large and was completely abandoned within about 40 years. Technically the ruins still seen today were part of the Spencer Mining Camp and not part of the original farming community which was on the other side of the river.<\/p>\n

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On the left (west side of river) is where the Paria Spur Road<\/strong> (aka Movie Set Road) ends. This used to be the location of a movie set<\/strong> used in several Hollywood westerns back in the day. The original sets are long gone and unfortunately even the re-creations which came later are now gone as well (one due to a flood and a later one due to fire. Orig photos in gallery at bottom of page.) The old townsite cemetery<\/strong> can still be seen on this side of the river though.<\/p>\n

As you continue north along the river, make sure to watch your step. The clay sediment makes for an extremely slick surface when wet. It really can take one by surprise if not careful. Also, there are a bunch of cows along this stretch. Their stench can be fairly repugnant at times. One may also see people driving up the river in 4x4s or ATVs along this stretch (and even the length of the canyon.) This seems to be discouraged, but not strictly forbidden (or at least enforced) by the GSENM*. If not for the amazing striped hills and interesting history, this lower end of the Upper Paria would not be a fun place to hike.<\/p>\n

*NOTE<\/strong>: the Paria River corridor was part of the area removed from GSENM in 2017 by the Trump Administration at the request of local politicians. The cliffs and surrounding area was kept as part of the monument, but the somewhat sneaky move to remove the corridor indicated what some locals would like to see happen (ie open the corridor to more motorized travel and\/or build a road there.) The monument was later re-instated in 2021 to its original boundaries including the river corridor.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

About 4 miles up from the townsite, the striped hills begin to fade and the red vertical walls close in and Kitchen Canyon<\/strong> enters from the west. There are some petroglyphs near the mouth of this canyon on the northern side. Not too far up this canyon one can see Kitchen Canyon Falls<\/strong> and the Starlight Canyon Narrows<\/strong>. Farther up Starlight are some great cave pictographs. Read more detail in the Hike Guide for that area.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Continuing up canyon and just around the bend,\u00a0Hogeye Canyon<\/strong> enters from the east. Good water usually runs in the lower end of this canyon. A short side hike will take one to the cascades and then to a rockfall. It’s possible to get all the way up this canyon into a cool area of slickrock. It’s even possible to connect to Stone Donkey Canyon (bypass slot) and Hackberry Canyon.<\/p>\n

The next several miles up the Paria is a fairly quick walk along the red-walled canyon. Cows are still present, but not as common it seems.<\/p>\n

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Farther up, Snake Canyon<\/strong> enters from the east. A short hike up this side canyon and one gets blocked by an 15′ obstacle where water trickles over a drop. I found it impossible to get past this solo, but adventurous groups could possibly make the tricky climb and then continue exploring toward the cool slickrock domes in upper Snake.<\/p>\n

\"41\"In another mile or so up, Deer Creek<\/strong> enters on the left. This is a really nice canyon with petroglyphs covering the northern wall at its mouth. Just a few hundred yards up the canyon on the same wall are some good pictographs and cowboyglyphs. Deer Creek will have good water flowing in its lower end. A short hike up the canyon will take one to another good panel of pictographs and then a narrows section and dryfall which marks the end of the Deer Canyon technical route.<\/p>\n

Continuing up the Paria the next few bends change character a bit as the vertical red walls give way to a string of large alcoves. Look closely and you will spot a few arches up in the alcoves.<\/p>\n

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Crack\/Pipe Spring<\/p><\/div>\n

Farther up on the left, hidden behind some trees, is one of the best water sources in the area — Crack<\/strong> or Pipe Spring<\/strong> (yes, some like myself call it Crack Pipe Spring.) A pipe sticks into a crack in the wall and good water flows out. Cowyboyglyphs on the wall nearby seem to indicate this has been a popular waterhole for quite some time.<\/p>\n

Less than another mile up the river one comes to Lone Rock<\/strong> — a cool toadstool right beside the river. Evidently it used to be a mile-marker of sorts for cowboys and thus it too has cowboyglyphs at its base.<\/p>\n

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Turn around and on the same side of the river one can spot an arch\u00a0high on the cliffs to the south. This arch seems to be unofficially known as Paria Arch<\/strong>. You may need to walk back down river a bit for the best look. On the opposite side of the river a smaller arch is tucked against the wall behind some brush.<\/p>\n

If you are looking for a diversion, on the eastern bank behind Lone Rock it’s possible to climb up and get atop the cliffs. From there it’s a short hike to the SE to see an amazing Balanced Rock<\/strong> and\/or to the NE to visit Red Slot<\/strong> — a cool short slot canyon which is red (bet you would have never guessed that!) Keep your map handy to visit these cross-country and not-heavily-frequented spots (more info in the Balanced Rock and Red Slot Hike Guide<\/a>).<\/p>\n

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\"68c\"A little farther north Asay Canyon<\/strong> enters from the west and its mouth is mostly obscured by cottonwoods. A short diversion here will lead one into a short sculpted slot canyon which ends in a tight crack. It possible to hike up and around the lower slot and access another set of narrows a mile+ up the canyon. See more detail and photos in the\u00a0Asay Canyon Hike Guide post<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Just north of Asay Slot is where the white upper layer of slickrock becomes visible on the cliffs. The distinct color shift from red-to-white makes for an interesting sight.<\/p>\n

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A little farther up a red and white rock peninsula marks the confluence of Sheep Creek<\/strong> and the Paria. On the left (west) is Sheep Creek and it is the direction to go to access Skutumpah Road<\/strong> either via Bull Valley Gorge<\/strong><\/a> or Willis Creek<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0Water flows in the bottom end of Sheep Creek, but it will likely disappear soon as the wash cuts through the towering White Cliffs. Bull Valley Gorge enters from the left in a few miles and a hike up this canyon is an adventure. BVG forms an incredible slot canyon before reaching the road and it makes for a tough hike at times with mud\/water and several small scrambles. The route up Willis Creek also contains a nice set of narrows and is much easier to get through. See more detail and photos in the Willis Creek Narrows Hike Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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If not going up Sheep Creek, stay right and continue to follow the Paria to get up near \u00a0Cannonville<\/strong>. From this area it is possible to make a big loop around Rock Springs Point and east to Hackberry Canyon<\/strong> to hike back to the lower end of Upper Paria. See the Hackberry Canyon Hike Guide<\/a> for options.<\/p>\n

Video Reference:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

2006 Grand Staircase-Escalante Hike<\/a> (Willis Creek to Cottonwood Road)<\/p>\n

2009 NV to CO Hike<\/a> (Deer Creek to Hogeye Canyon)<\/p>\n

2012 Bryce to Moab* Hike<\/a> (Willis Creek to Hogeye Canyon)<\/p>\n

2015 Zion to Capitol Reef Hike<\/a> (Starlight Canyon to Cottonwood Road)<\/p>\n

2018 Zion to Arches ep05: The Upper Paria<\/a> (full episode on the area)<\/p>\n

Gallery:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\t\t