A Land Called Paria

Over the years, Southern Utah and Northern Arizona have provided us with some of the most vivid and cherished travel experiences. So it is no wonder that cache of memories is one of our most guarded and preserved. It is here that one enters the realms of Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon National Parks. And with the conclusion of this special trip, the areas of the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument Wilderness that we explored - the Paria Plateau, Coyote Buttes and Paria Canyon...will now be also embraced in BlaNic lore.

As we drove Highway 89, skirting our beloved North Rim, we could not have fathomed what lay in store for us within the red rock canyons of the Paria Wilderness. But thanks to Dick and Melinda’s foresight and planning, we were introduced to yet another western territory that can captivate you with it's magical beauty.
Close your eyes. Now envision what “Mars...the Red Planet" would look like. Paint it with a spectrum of brilliant colors, create a mosaic of abstract shapes and formations…Guess what? The Paria Canyon and Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness area is far more brilliant! No doubt that the words used here in creating a visual portrait for you will fail to mirror the geologic wonders, stunning panoramas and brilliant hues found in this high desert wonderland.
Our first stop was the Paria Outpost, situated on a bluff above the Paria River. Paria means “muddy water” in the Paiute language…and that is a perfect description of this river. Owners Steve and Susan, restauranteurs, innkeepers and wilderness guides showed us their rustic guest room that we were to use during our brief stay. It turned out perfect, as we were located right smack in the middle kingdom of this wilderness.

Dick and Melinda, who volunteered to be our own private guides, had their coach parked adjacent to the Paria Contact Station. As the happy co-hosts at this station, they offer valuable information on trails, road conditions, weather and “life” to any and all adventurers that have traveled from all over the world to explore this wilderness. They also manage the lottery used to determine who will be lucky enough to gain access to a world famous hike known as "The Wave".
Our reunion started with a short hike down a wash, up a canyon and over some steep sandstone to a secret treasure.

Melinda calls it her “Nautilus”…and we immediately realized why this unique place is shared in whispers…to protect, preserve and honor it's ancient beauty. We also got our first taste of what we fondly named, a “Utah sandblaster”…as high winds pelted us with fine sand, grit and anything else not tied down from the desert floor. It was almost impossible to keep your eyes in front of you, even with sunglasses on.
The next morning we entered the lottery for the Wave, but with the high number of entries, we missed getting the spots. Only 10 hikers per day are selected via this method and if your winning number has a group attached to it, say 4 hikers, it reduces the available spots by that number. However, fortune did find us. Cottonwood Cove of South Coyote Buttes had two permits remaining from the ten allocated. We snagged them for an early adventure the following day. But the rest of this day belonged to the Wire Pass trail.

Access to some of the most awesome sights in this wilderness is not made easy…thank goodness to fear, doubt and half empty glasses...emotional obstacles that eliminate crowds and one's chance to have a life experience. Adventure seekers must have the “right stuff” to tackle House Rock Road, a temptation full of trouble. Expect to be challenged by ruts that resemble fault lines, wet red clay that can all but erase the most vicious tire treads, deep, soft, vehicle swallowing sand and exposed boulders that can snap axles like twigs. Four wheel drive and a high clearance vehicle is mandatory for this trial by fire…and even with that, caution and off road experience is a must. Dick and Melinda offered all of that and more. With their brand spanking new 4-wheel drive Jeep, years of experience driving these wilderness roads and the patience of a rock, our jarring 8.3 mile ride to the Wire Pass Trailhead was scenic, but uneventful.
Wire Pass is a slot canyon much narrower and not nearly as deep as the acclaimed Buckskin Gulch. The canyon tightened to barely shoulder-width for short distances (with daypacks we had to walk sideways) and had a few steep drop offs of five feet or more. Hiker ingenuity aided us at these points with some well placed rustic ladders. The hike is a short 1.7 mile stroll from the trailhead to the confluence with Buckskin Gulch, the primary tributary to Paria Canyon. Melinda had indicated that Buckskin Gulch is recommended for only the most experienced and well-prepared hikers due to distance and difficulty. They’ve hiked it… and it would have been our first choice this day, but the water level through the canyon was far too high and fast.

Our trail followed a dry wash bottom, canyon walls along side of us offered a kaleidoscope of color and scenery. Because the canyon is not that deep, the sun was able to illuminate the curving sandstone walls more extensively, illustrating with vibrant clarity the designs of this canyon mural. Occasionally, you would see logs high above, jammed between the slot canyon walls; solid evidence that this bone-dry wash is not dry all the time.



As we came upon a small amphitheater, we noticed the many petroglyphs upon the canyon walls. The ancients were there to welcome us. We reached the end of the pass at the junction with Buckskin Gulch. We were not surprised to see the strong current of the Paria River. We had reached the end of our trail. After a short break we retraced our steps back to the trailhead.

Since we had hours of daylight left, our knowledgable guides switched gears and recommended yet another E-ticket ride. We exited the Paria Canyon Wilderness and embarked on a “preview” tour of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The Grand Staircase is named for the five mesas (“stair steps”) terraced from the Grand Canyon in Arizona to the top riser in Bryce Canyon. There are many viewpoints in this wilderness area where you can actually see the steps as they ascend toward Bryce. Dick and Melinda wanted to share a rock formation known as the Cockscomb. But like most other scenic gems in this wilderness, there is no easy way to see them…you have to earn it. So we motored a few miles down Cottonwood Canyon Road, a narrow, dirt and gravel, rut filled road, running parallel along the Cockscomb.
After driving but a short distance, we stopped to inspect something quite fascinating. Below where we parked was a huge shell fossil bed, with millions and millions of ancient oysters, layered who knows how deep below the surface. Many of the shells were entirely intact, all cemented to each other over eons. We were atop a prehistoric beach. Melinda indicated that this area, due to its size and remoteness, is quite renowned to roving geologists, paleontologists and archeologists for the amount of extraordinary opportunities that have been discovered in this area. Real neat!
The Cockscomb, is one of the most spectacular geologic features of this Colorado Plateau. The range divides the Grand Staircase from the Kaiparowits Plateau. Shaped like the crest atop a roosters head, the formation is a series of steep serrated ridges, the ancient rock uplifts that have been tilted up and folded, exposing its candy striped layers. Erosion over eons has created elegant details of its growth through time, a stark reminder of how brief our shimmer of existence is. 
"South Coyote Buttes...the final frontier. These are the voyages of the crew of the Rauscher Jeep Liberty. Their seven week mission: to explore strange new wildernesses, hike new trails and 4-wheel every dirt road, to boldly go where no man has gone before"...oops we are getting weird...


Cottonwood Cove of South Coyote Buttes…the day has come that our permits are now valid! We again must navigate whatever untold miles down House Rock Road, much further than before, to reach this magic kingdom. So be it…the Rauschers are in the house and taking charge! 

Reaching the trailhead, we could see the buttes in the distance. We were all alone here…quite amazing considering that all the permits had been issued. Most likely the latest weather report predicting a chance of snow flurries influenced the change of plans for a few. Although the storm clouds in the distance looked dark and ominous, we felt confident that clear skies would prevail. We were parked in a draw and the car would become invisible after a just few yards up the trail, so we set our GPS coordinates and scanned the horizon for landmarks. It would be quite easy to become disorientated in this land…as the landscape looked so similar. Outfitted for foul weather, our band of wayfarers, set off with the excitement and anticipation of seeing Cottonwood Cove.


So this is OZ…or was it an illusion? We entered a realm which at every turn displayed a eclectic collection of the abstract and beautiful marbled sandstone. Beehive shaped sentinels with their stone armor towered above us as we were engulfed in a swirling sea of color. Petrified waves of whimsical formations twisted every which way…contortions that only Mother Earth could have created. How do you describe the intricate detail of patterns and colors? From what hand did these brush strokes come from? Yet these arches, domes and the delicate and fragile fins…all are slowly crumbling as they succumb to the timeless touch of nature.

After an afternoon of being in awe, a light hikers lunch and the over-heating of our camera shutter we decided it was best to leave…snow had started falling. Dick called this hail "popcorn snow"…pea size, fluffy soft and pure white. It started as a light sprinkle, but quickly accelerated to seemingly blizzard proportions…With over a mile yet to hike back to the Jeep, we checked our heading and maintained a steady pace. I relished the opportunity to use our GPS to track the position of car as those visible landmarks were now hidden by moments of soft white snow. Visions of us being found huddled in the Jeep, frozen stiff with our lips affixed to each window, floated through my mind…a little drama for “seasoning”…in reality, the conditions made our hike even more memorable and provided more photo opportunities. The experience was playful and exciting for all of us. So with our entrée completed, we loaded up and headed off for dessert. We now headed for Paw Hole and our drive down was no less easier than our ascent…except now we were dealing with snow and water on the ground. Mix those two with that red clay and you have instant pottery mix…an evil combination for tire treads.



And just like that...clear skies again. Paw Hole is another kaleidoscope of scenery...a collection of sandstone “teepee” hoodoos located on the southern end of Coyote Buttes. The rich, multi-hued red color of these beautiful conical mounds amplified the swirling strata. Here we found more bizarre formations that only increased our wonderment of this land.
Our time with Dick and Melinda was too brief…so much more to catch up on and definitely so much more to see and do. We must return! Our friends will soon be wrapping up their stint in Paria and will begin their long trip to Alaska for some first time exploration. Ah…more adventures for true wandering souls! We hope to see them both upon their return.
We left the Paria Wilderness to the timeless ritual of re-creating more enjoyment for generations to come. These landscapes of spectacular beauty and geographical wonders define immortality and will forever attract the lifedancers of this world.