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. It is one of the longest continuous slot canyons in the world, stretching approximately 16 miles through unique formations and undulating sandstone walls in the northern section of the Paria Canyon–Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness.

Permits are required for both day use and overnight use (overnight permits are sold separately and must be obtained in advance). Permits can be obtained online through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Only twenty overnight permits are issued per day, and group sizes are limited to ten people. The overnight fee is $5 per person per day, while day-use permits cost $6 per person per day. There is also a $6 fee per dog per day. Permits often sell out several months in advance. Even for day-use permits, it is recommended to apply online ahead of time, as there may be no internet service at the trailhead.

Wire Pass is a popular day-hiking route and offers the most scenic and direct access to the classic narrows. It is an ideal alternative to the multi-day backpacking trip.

To get to the Wire Pass trailhead, we first drove along US-89, then turned onto Cockscomb Road, and continued on House Rock Valley Road. After a 30-minute bumpy ride on the rugged dirt road, we arrived at the trailhead.

鹿皮峽谷（又稱鹿皮溪、鹿皮窪地或凱巴布峽谷）是位於猶他州南部、靠近亞利桑那州邊界的一條峽谷。它是世界上最長的連續狹縫型峽谷之一，綿延約 16 英里，穿過帕里亞峽谷-硃砂崖荒野北部獨特的地形和起伏的砂岩壁。

日間使用和過夜使用均需許可證（過夜許可證需另外購買，並必須提前買）。許可證可透過土地管理局 (BLM) 線上取得。過夜許可證每天僅發放 20 張，團體人數限制為 10 人。過夜許可證費用為每人每天 5 美元，日間使用許可證費用為每人每天 6 美元。此外，每隻狗每天還需支付 6 美元的費用。許可證通常在數個月前便會售完了。即使是一日使用許可證，也建議提前在網路上申請，因為步道起點可能有網路難通的問題。

Wire Pass 是一條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。它是替代多日背包旅行的理想方案。

要去 Wire Pass 步道的起點，我們先沿著 89 號州際公路行駛，然後拐入 Cockscomb 路，接著繼續行駛至 House Rock Valley 路，在崎嶇不平的土路上顛簸了 30 分鐘後，我們終於到達了步道的起點。

Photo Date: 2023.09.21 Location: Wire Pass Trailhead

After leaving the trailhead, we followed a wash to the entrance of the canyon, about 1.3 miles in. Along the way, we saw many wildflowers and some strangely shaped rocks.

離開步道起點後，我們沿著一條窪地走到了 1.3 英里處的峽谷入口。沿途，我們看到了許多野花和一些奇型怪狀的岩石。

Sacred Datura

Desert Paintbrush

Apache Plume

Near the end of the wash, we misread a sign, climbed a short stretch of the wrong path, circled around, and ended up back where we started. This marked the beginning of our exploration.

快到窪地盡頭時，我們看錯了路標，爬了一小段冤枉路，繞了一圈又回到了原點。這是我們探路的起步。

We found a narrow entrance to the canyon and went in to take a look, but it didn’t take us long to realize that the path was impassable. Later, we learned from other hikers that there had originally been a ladder there, but it was damaged by a rainstorm two weeks earlier (around early September 2023). For safety reasons, the staff had removed the ladder. Since we couldn't use it to climb down the high rocks, we had to turn back and find another way.

我們找到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，我們從別的登山客口中才知道，那裡原本有一個梯子，但兩週前（大約2023 年 9 月初左右）被一場暴雨沖壞。出於安全考慮，工作人員把梯子拆掉了。由於我們無法藉著樓梯爬下高聳的岩石，我們不得不轉身，另尋出路。

Ladder shown on other person's website

We decided to climb up the large rocks in the canyon to see if there was another way around. We saw a group of people scouting ahead of us, so we climbed higher to watch and waited for quite some time before seeing them again. Since the route was unmarked and required using both hands and knees to climb up and down, it seemed too difficult, so we decided to turn back and not continue.

Overall, it was a fun and adventurous experience. Although Buckskin Gulch is not as famous as Antelope Canyon, it is less crowded and features a much longer stretch of slot canyon. It’s a scenic spot well worth visiting.

我們決定爬上峽谷裡的巨石，看看是否有其他路可走。我們看到前面有一群人在探路，於是我們爬得更高一些觀察，等了好一會兒才再次看到他們的身影。由於路線沒有標記，而且需要手腳並用才能爬上爬下，肯定很難走，所以我們決定掉頭，不走了。

總而言之，這是一次充滿樂趣和冒險的體驗。雖然鹿皮峽谷不如羚羊峽谷那麼出名，但它人流較少，而且狹縫峽谷更長。這是一個非常值得一遊的風景名勝。