Buckskin Gulch or Not?
 

Plans for an early June trip are progressing.

I'll be driving from Zion to GC South Rim (staying the night in the Park) and on to Sedona.

I expect to stop and see Horseshoe Bend but would also really like to see a Slot Canyon.

Getting older (early 60s) and not a hiker but I'm fine with walking most of the day and resonably nimble.

Buckskin Gulch seems to be less hassle (not sure why I think that) than Antelope Canyon.

I'm more interested in the view/sights than the actual walk/hike. If I could spend an hour or so walking and seeing the sights it would be great.

Any recommendation on Buckskin?

The reports I've seen for Buckskin indicate that the trailhead is a mile from the start of the canyon. That first mile basically follows an open wash before getting to the canyon. The canyon starts out sort of shallow and gets deeper, with a few drop-offs in the early going.

Based on that, I'm not sure you'd get much out of an hour hike/walk.

Forgot to add: there are some slot canyons in and around Zion (other than the Narrows), and some of those might have much easier access.

Thanks Weasel,

I was just reading about them.

In and around Zion might be a better option.

Myer,

When you say "seeing the sights" exactly what do you mean? The colors and swirls often seen in photos of slot canyons? If so, your best bet is Antelope. It's beautiful. And we didn't find it to be that much hassle. Well worth the effort.

Otherwise, there are some slots near Zion that are fairly accessible, as others have mentioned.

Fran

Has anyone hiked Wire Pass to Buckskin Gulch? I understand that's around 3.5 miles round trip. We are planning on doing that next week and I really, really hope the weather cooperates!!!

I'll answer my own question - and Myers!

Myer - Antelope is easily accessable by a tour you can book in Page. In Antelope, at the right time of day, the sun streams down into the slot in beams of light.

You don't see this in Wire Pass. Wire Pass trailhead is about miles south of 89 on a dirt road (fine for rental cars). The hike is about a mile in a sandy wash, and then you hit the narrows. They are very cool. You hike through a few (very) narrow spots, and then come to the confluence with Buckskin Gulch. Total round trip is about 3.4 miles.

We loved this hike.

Horseshoe Bend is great - wonderful view.

I've done the Buckskin Gulch hike and I do recall it being a good walk from where we had to leave the car. There was one shallow wash we had to cross too, and decided to leave the car in the lot rather than risk getting stuck.

There is a small slot canyon on the left as you do the hike. We missed it going in, and saw it as we returned. You have to walk off the trail to get to it, but it's visible from the trail. There's also a large area of petroglyphs along the walk...amazing in variety.

Of the hikes we've done, this was less spectacular, although quite different from what you'd see in Zion, and we thoroughly enjoyed the day spent there. It's more a walk than a hike, too.

I have some pictures I could post to snapfish, but am not at my home computer and won't be until Monday.