Travel/POI: Buckskin Gulch (鹿皮谷), Utah USA

Buckskin Gulch (also known as Buckskin Creek, Buckskin Wash, and Kaibab Gulch) is a gulch and canyon located in southern Utah near the Arizona border. One of the longest continuous slot canyons in the world. Buckskin Gulch passes through roughly 16 miles of unique formations and undulating sandstone walls in the northern stretch of the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness. Permits are required for day-use and (Overnight-Use sold separately and in advance). Permits can be obtained from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) online. Only twenty overnight permits per day are allowed, and group sizes are limited to ten persons. The overnight fee is $5 per person per day, while day-use permits are $6 per person per day. There is also a $6 fee per dog per day. Permits typically sell out several months in advance. Even for the day-use permit, it is better to apply online in advance to avoid no internet service issue onsite. Wire Pass is a popular day-hiking and the most scenic and direct way into the classic narrows. It is an ideal alternative to the multi day backpacking trip.
鹿皮谷是位於猶他州南部靠近亞利桑那州邊境的一個峽谷。它是世界上最長的狹縫峽谷之一，穿過約 16 英里長的獨特地層和起伏的砂岩牆，位於帕里亞峽谷 - 朱紅懸崖荒野 (Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness) 北段。日間使用和過夜使用都需要許可證（隔夜使用必需另外購買並且提前購買許可證）。許可證可以從土地管理局 (BLM) 線上申請。土地管理局每天只允許二十個過夜許可證，團體人數限制十人。隔夜費用為每人每天 5 美元，日間使用許可證為每人每天 6 美元。每隻狗每天也需支付 6 美元的費用。許可證通常在數個月前便會售完。即使是日間使用的許可證，也最好提前在網路上申請，以免現場面對網路難通的問題。 Wire Pass 是熱門的一日健行路線，也是進入經典的狹窄峽谷風景最優美、最直接的路線，它替代多日背包旅行的理想選擇。

To get to the Wire Pass trailhead, we first drove US-89, then turned into Cockscomb, and then continued to House Rock Valley Road. After a 30 minute bumpy ride on the rugged dirt road, we arrived at the trailhead.
去 Wire Pass trailhead，我們先開 US-89 公路，然後拐入 Cockscomb，接著繼續行駛至 House Rock Valley 路，在崎嶇的土路上開車顛了大約30分鐘後，就到達了登山口。

Photo Date: 2023.09.21 Location: Wire Pass Trailhead

After leaving the trailhead, we follow a wash to the entrance of the canyon at 1.3 miles in. Along the way, we saw many wildflowers and some strange-shaped rocks.
離開步道起點後，我們沿著一條窪地來到 1.3 英里處的峽谷入口。一路上看到許多野花，還有一些奇型怪狀的石頭。

Sacred Datura

Desert Paintbrush

Apache Plume

Near the end of the wash, we misread the sign, climbed a short stretch of the wrong path, circled around and returned to the same place. This is the beginning of our exploration.
在近窪地的底端時，我們看錯了標示，爬了一小段冤枉路，繞一圈又回到原地。這是我們探路的起步。

We found a narrow entrance to the canyon and went in to have a look, but it didn't take us long to realize that the road was impassable. Later, we learned from other hikers that there was originally a ladder here, but it was damaged by a rainstorm two weeks earlier (around early September of 2023). The ladder had been taken away by the staff for safety reasons. We were unable to use the ladder to climb down the high rocks, so we had to turn around and find another way.
我們發現一個狹窄的峽谷進口，就進去瞧瞧，但是走沒多久，就發現此路不通。後來從別的登山客口中才知道，這裏原本有一座樓梯，兩個禮拜前 (2023年9月初左右) 被暴雨沖壞，因安全考量被工作人員拿走，讓我們無法藉著樓梯爬下高高的石岩，我們只好轉身，另找別的路。

Ladder shown on other person's website

We decided to climb up the big rocks in the canyon to see if there was another way around the canyon. We saw a group of people scouting ahead of us, so we climbed high to watch and waited for quite some time before we saw them again. Considering that this road was unmarked and required both hands and knees to climb up and down, it must be difficult, so we decided to turn around and not proceed. But, overall it is a fun exploring experience. Although Buckskin Gulch is not as famous as Antelope Canyon, there are fewer people here and the distance of the slot canyon is longer. It is a scenic spot worth visiting.
我們決定爬上峽谷的大岩石，看看是否有其它的路繞過峽谷。我們看到一群人超過我們往前探路，我們就爬高觀望，等了好一段時間才又看到他們的身影。想想這路沒有標記，也需要手腳並用爬上爬下，肯定很難走，所以我們決定掉頭，不走了。但總而言之這是一次有趣的探索體驗。雖然鹿皮谷不及羚羊峽谷有名，但這裏人少，狹縫峽谷的距離更長，是個值得探訪的景點。