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Buckskin Gulch Through Wire Pass

Fully Guided Tour

Longest Continuous Slot Canyon in North America

Only in Good Weather

Single Travelers & Private Tours

We can always accommodate single travelers via private tours.  Often times, we are also able to combine a single traveler with other scheduled parties; please give us a call at 435-644-5506 to discuss the latter option.

Private Tours are available to be booked online.

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We go out of our way to open the wonders of the West to EVERYONE.

We are permitted, licensed, and insured.

Dreamland Safari Tours holds Special Use Permits from the Grand Staircase Escalante National MonumentGrand Canyon National Park, the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument/Paria Wilderness, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Kanab Bureau of Land Management, Kaibab National Forest, and Arizona Strip Bureau of Land Management.

Don't see your preferred departure date or time available via online booking? Give us a call. 

For sunset or sunrise at our more remote locations, we recommend a scheduled or custom overnight or multi-day tour - and we are happy to work with you to develop an itinerary that meets your needs.

All listed tour durations and pickup times are approximate. Please allow 10-20 minutes of pickup time flexibility for unforeseen circumstances and varying pickup logistics. Water and snacks are provided on all tours. A lunch meal is included on all tours of 6+ hours. Vegetarian option available.

We reserve the right to fill all empty seats on non-private tours. Cancellation / Reschedule / Weather policy applies.

Please familiarize yourself with our FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS  before contacting us.

Contact us

To contact us with other specific questions or begin Making Reservations click the "Book Now" Button on each tour page or click Contact Us for info on how to give us a call or shoot us an email.

Buckskin Gulch is the grand daddy of all slot canyons – we’ll guide you into the belly of the earth. 

Price

$209 per person

Private Tour Upgrade Available?

Yes

Tour Length

8 hours

Departure Times

8 a.m.

Difficulty (1-10)

6

Recommended abilities

This tour entails substantial amounts of hiking (5 miles minimum) but it is mostly on flat albeit uneven ground.
No special permit is required for this tour.

Location

Kanab, UT

Attractions

Buckskin Gulch, Slot Canyon

Special Interests

Geology, Photography
What is included on your tours?

Daytours include pickup and dropoff from local hotels, off-road transportation, natural history narration, guided hiking, photo advice, snacks, water, and lunch on tours of 6 hours or more. Our multi-day tours include all of this plus camping equipment, camp management, three excellent meals, stargazing, sunsets and sunrises for the photographer, and lots more time outside.

How soon should we book?

This depends on several factors, but our best advice is to book as soon as you finalize your plans. We do fill up, and if you have a limited window of opportunity, you may miss out. The smaller your availability window and the tighter your schedule, the earlier you need to book in order to ensure availability. The larger your group, especially if it involves more than one of our trucks (>7 passengers), the earlier you need to book.

How do I reserve my date(s)?

You are able to book online or by contacting us. We do require a 50% deposit to reserve your daytour date(s) and a 1/3 deposit to reserve a multi-day tour. The remaining balance is due the day of your tour at departure. Your guide can take any method of payment.

Can I pay via cash, Paypal, credit card, check?
If you are interested in paying by cash or check please contact us directly. You are able to book online with your credit card or you may contact us by phone to place an order. Because people have abused our policies and we have no recourse, we no longer accept PayPal.
What is your weather policy? What is your cancellation/reschedule policy?

These policies are all found on our Policies Page. PLEASE NOTE: Because of the constantly changing weather, targets moving over the whole region (our trucks), unpredictability of weather forecasts, the complexities of different road surfaces in different areas, the variable nature of storms as far as coverage and volume in this area, and the fact that some of the best photography weather is often on days with a chance of rain, we do not reflexively cancel tours without solid information. However, as your safety is always paramount in situations where incontrovertible evidence leads us to believe that potentially dangerous situations are probable, we will cancel tours if necessary. We will assume tours will run until departure time. We do not cancel tours until departure time as the most relevant information is at hand. Also if we know of a particular area or time that will be a problem we will often consult with all parties on the tour as to how best to go about re-routing, postponement, or cancellation. Trying to manage this on the phone hours before the tour is nearly impossible. If a party decides to cancel prior to departure time for reasons of weather forecasts, the cancellation will be subject to the standard policy. Cancellations made by us at departure will be accompanied by a full refund if no other solution can be reached. Also the information we have at any given time is often incomplete. For example, we do not know if the Wave is covered in snow or if the route is hikeable, whether roads are impassable in a given location etc….as we do not have a webcam at these remote locations. We do try to network to get better information if we can. Sometimes incontrovertible evidence is only found once the tour has begun. Guessing, followed by reflexive cancellations, we have learned, produces more poor results for everyone involved, than the strategy we take. It is very, very complex making these decisions. We are always monitoring the weather and have many years of experience managing the logistics that are affected by weather in this area. Please trust us to act in both our best interests.

What kind of vehicles do we tour in? Do you offer ATV/Jeep Tours?

All of our tours are run in Chevrolet Suburbans or Crew Cab Silverados for comfort and safety. We do not offer ATV or Jeep Tours.

What do I need to bring on a daytour/overnight?

The biggest things you need to remember on a daytour are a small pack to carry your own water (essential especially on tours with more hiking), jacket for warmth and rain (essential), boots or high top sneakers (optional but optimal in sand), any essential medication, and camera. Other items include extra layers when cold, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, chapstick, and other typical daytime sundries. For scheduled overnights bring all the same except an extra layer or two. You do not need a change of clothes. For overnights in April or October bring a warm hat and gloves. For custom multi-day trips just add a change of clothes or two. On all tours we provide water and snacks. On daytours of more than 6 hours and multi-days more than 24 hours we provide lunch. On scheduled overnights of 24 hours we do not provide lunch so please eat before you come.

What is the weather like there at various times of year?

You can find average monthly temperatures and precipitation for Kanab HERE and also read our BLOG POST on the topic.

We want to do one of your overnight tours, but aren’t able to make any of your scheduled dates. What are our options?

Depending upon our schedule, we may be able to add or shift dates. Please contact us with which tour you are interested in and which dates you are considering. Custom multi-days can be arranged APR-OCT depending on availability.

If you are interested in slot canyons, chances are that you recognize the name Buckskin Gulch.  You’ll frequently hear desert adventurers talk about Buckskin Gulch in hushed voices, awed by the enormousness that it entails.  Buckskin Gulch bisects the western part of the Paria Plateau and the Vermilion Cliffs, creating a formidable obstacle for any cross-country traveler — in fact it is one of the reasons that it takes us so long to reach White Pocket from Kanab.

Buckskin Gulch via Wire Pass

Enter into Buckskin Gulch from its most accessible entrance at Wire Pass, and you’ll soon find yourself in a shaded, climate-controlled gorge with towering sandstone walls soaring around you.  The length of the Buckskin narrows runs uninterrupted for 14 miles, but you don’t have to hike quite that far to get a taste of what Buckskin is all about.

On this Buckskin Out-and-Back adventure, we’ll lead you into the belly of the earth via Wire Pass.  The approach to Wire Pass and Buckskin is just under 2 miles in length.  Once we reach Buckskin, we’ll explore as far downstream as you’d like before we retrace our steps and return to the trailhead at Wire Pass.  Given the mandatory 2 mile approach which we have to cover both ways, be prepared to hike a minimum of 5 miles on this tour.  The terrain is mostly flat but with uneven footing. Depending on the energy and interest level of the group, we can hike up to 8-10 miles on this tour.

About Buckskin Gulch

It’s deep. It’s dark.  And it’s considered one of the most dangerous hikes in the US because of the risk of flash floods.  Buckskin Gulch exists thanks to millions of powerful flash floods that have carved deeply into the soft sandstone. Seeing the evidence of these floods in Buckskin is both humbling and enthralling; encountering a live flash flood while at the bottom of Buckskin could very well be fatal.  As such, we only access Buckskin Gulch on days when there is no risk of flooding, which is why you won’t find this tour on the schedule during monsoon season from late June to late August.

Why Hire a Guide for Buckskin Gulch?

You don’t need a guide to access Buckskin Gulch via Wire Pass.  During normal conditions, the dirt road to the trailhead is typically passable for regular passenger cars.  Day-hiking permits for Buckskin Gulch are easy to obtain at the trailhead.  So why hire a guide?

We find that many of our guests appreciate both the peace of mind, and the added educational element that a guided trip into Buckskin Gulch brings. Head out with one of our guides and they’ll help you get the most out your adventure, bringing the hike to life with insight about the history and the geology of the area that you wouldn’t typically find out on your own.  All of our guides are naturalist interpretive guides as well as first-aid providers, and they know how to assess flash flood risk in the region so that you can enjoy a worry-free day in this remote area.  Let us do the work: after all, this is your time off.

Fully Guided Tour

Photography Paradise!

Interesting Geology!

Guest Experiences with Dreamland Safari Tours

Steve was an awesome guide and we had a great time hiking White Pocket (Vermillion Cliffs) with him. He customized our hike and planned a great route for us. Since we liked birds he stopped at the California Condor viewing area for us. We got to see 900 year old drawings and then amazing views of the white pocket are from different angles. Lunch was yummy with fresh veggies, fruit and meat. Fantastic Day, highly recommend.

DABEDB – May 20, 2019
TripAdvisor

Best tour ever. Such a beautiful natural wonder! The journey there and back was also amazing. Andrea was an excellent guide pointing out all kinds of interesting features of the landscape. Her driving was swift and safe in a well maintained all wheel drive vehicle. I would not want to attempt this trip on my own even with a adequate all wheel drive vehicle. White Pocket itself is simply stunning. I would recommend this tour to anyone who appreciates natural wonders.

I8990KDrobertr – May 16, 2019
TripAdvisor

Took a tour of White Pocket with Dreamland at the end of April with Andrea as our tour guide. It was a great experience. White pocket is very difficult to get to – both in terms of terrain and directions. Having a guide to get you there safely, as well as give some interesting history and facts on the area was great. Would definitely recommend!

Jamie U – May 12, 2019
TripAdvisor

Bailey did a great job for our small group. My wife and I enjoyed everyone’s company as well as the good lunch prepared for us. It takes a while to get out to White Pocket, but you will be glad you made the effort to see this fascinating area.

Departure68316626825 – May 10, 2019
TripAdvisor

Just completed a truly wonderful visit to White Pocket on a photo safari with Dreamland and AZ Highways Photo Tours. Dreamland’s outfitters were outstanding. Food was almost too good and plentiful. Their service and attention to detail is outstanding. Not sure when my next trip is with them but I’m already looking forward to it!

Terry G – May 7, 2019
TripAdvisor

A Word about Flash Floods in Buckskin Gulch

 Buckskin Gulch is considered ‘the most dangerous hike in the world’ due to its susceptibility to flash flooding.  If there is any rain in the forecast, it is unsafe to enter Buckskin Gulch. We carefully avoid scheduling regular departures of this tour during monsoon season, but your chosen date may still be subject to unpredictable seasonal precipitation. Should the weather not cooperate, we will pivot to an equally spectacular ‘backup’ adventure of similar difficulty – possible alternatives will be tailored to each group and include destinations such as White Pocket, our Ultimate Kanab Tour, or farther out locations that you don’t find among our standard tour options. 

If necessary, weather-related rerouting decisions will be made at the last minute; rerouting does NOT entitle guests to a refund unless we cancel your tour outright.  We work hard to create a flash-flood mitigation alternatives which are equally rewarding and beautiful as visiting Buckskin Gulch. If flash flood risk makes it unsafe to enter Buckskin Gulch, we will reroute this adventure to a different location which is not as exposed to the risk of flash floods. 

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