Buckskin Gulch on Nov 29th

[RajeshR]

I am planning to do Buckskin Gulch on Nov 29th. Although I have done a slot canyon (Zion Narrows) before, not this time of the year. I found some very useful info on this forum but had a few Qs-

1. Clothing/shoes - I will put on neoprene socks and quick drying clothes. I dont have the 5,10 canyoneers shoes but would rent. The water is going to be super cold. May be in 30s. Do I need a wetsuit to do this ? Would I be able to rent gear in Kanab ?

2. Day-hike or over-night - The hike from Wire-Pass to White-house would take 11 hrs. SO if I am there at crack of dawn, I hope to be done before 6 pm. This would mean the last few miles of Paria canyon would be in dark. But thats ok, since I have heard it is not the most scenic part.

The forecast for Nov 28th is a few showers. So I am keeping my fingers crossed.

-Raj

[DOSS]

I am planning to do Buckskin Gulch on Nov 29th. Although I have done a slot canyon (Zion Narrows) before, not this time of the year. I found some very useful info on this forum but had a few Qs-

1. Clothing/shoes - I will put on neoprene socks and quick drying clothes. I dont have the 5,10 canyoneers shoes but would rent. The water is going to be super cold. May be in 30s. Do I need a wetsuit to do this ? Would I be able to rent gear in Kanab ?

2. Day-hike or over-night - The hike from Wire-Pass to White-house would take 11 hrs. SO if I am there at crack of dawn, I hope to be done before 6 pm. This would mean the last few miles of Paria canyon would be in dark. But thats ok, since I have heard it is not the most scenic part.

The forecast for Nov 28th is a few showers. So I am keeping my fingers crossed.

-Raj

I doubt you will get in past your thighs unless the water level is high.. if so a wetsuit will probably save your butt :).. I would suggest doing an overnight it is worth it not to rush through and look at everything and the north end of the paria to white house is not the most scenic but still worth seeing (wish I hadn't hiked any of it in the dark myself but I will be rectifying that next summer :) ). not sure on gear rental maybe someone else can pipe in about that.

[shagdeuce]

1. Clothing/shoes - I will put on neoprene socks and quick drying clothes. I dont have the 5,10 canyoneers shoes but would rent. The water is going to be super cold. May be in 30s. Do I need a wetsuit to do this ? Would I be able to rent gear in Kanab ?

I did Buckskin a few years ago with about 8 people. Plan on a lot of sand. Some of us wore water shoes, but there was only one small pool of water in the entire slot. Not a big deal except that the mesh vents on the water shoes sucked in the sand. Some were better than others, but some had Merrell shoes with the slits in the toe and they were horrible. On the contrary, the Salomon and North Face water shoes kept the sand out fairly well (but were ultimately not necessary). Of course, the water situation varies a lot, so check on that before making your decision.



2. Day-hike or over-night - The hike from Wire-Pass to White-house would take 11 hrs. SO if I am there at crack of dawn, I hope to be done before 6 pm. This would mean the last few miles of Paria canyon would be in dark. But thats ok, since I have heard it is not the most scenic part.

I would definitely recommend camping. The campground in Buckskin is beautiful and adds to the experience in my opinion. Definitely one of the coolest places I have ever camped. In saying this, I have never attempted it in one day.

[DOSS]

I would definitely recommend camping. The campground in Buckskin is beautiful and adds to the experience in my opinion. Definitely one of the coolest places I have ever camped. In saying this, I have never attempted it in one day.

I agree that campground is sweet.. you can also if you are suicidal and such sleep on the bank that is just north of the confluence of buckskin and paria.. it was fun to stay there though it didn't help with a super relaxed sleep but worth it :)

[peregrine]

I was just through 2 weeks ago and there were still quite a number of pools ~25. I don't know how fast they generally drain but the deepest (3) were crotch deep with way sticky mud. From reports from just before we went in it appeared as if the water levels had dropped by 6-12" in a week or so.

The water in the pools is cold but the water in the Paria was even colder! The deepest water you will see is in the narrows just upstream from the confluence and was reported to be neck deep. We just went up to take a look but hiked on out to Lee's Ferry so I can't say if it was that deep or not.

We wore water shoes with neoprene socks and had cold feet but not bad. The low for the night in Buckskin was 33 degrees. I would take the time to camp as it is a special place.

[RajeshR]

Thanks all. Buckskin did not happen for me. It rained moderately when I was there and although later I came to know it did not flash, I did not take any chances. Next year..