Paria Canyon Overnight Permits
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
Always check weather for the entire watershed before hiking in a slot canyon. Nationally known for its beauty, the Paria Canyon has towering walls streaked with desert varnish, huge red rock amphitheaters, sandstone arches, wooded terraces, and hanging gardens.
Paria Canyon, Buckskin Gulch, and Wire Pass combine to form one of the longest slot canyon systems in the United States. Portions of the permit area are included in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Kanab Field Office, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
The Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness contains a variety of scenic, geological, historical, biological, and recreational values. Paria Canyon is noted for its scenery caused by erosion of the sedimentary rocks in the 2,500’ deep canyon producing a variety of unusual geological features such as arches, amphitheaters, and massive sandstone walls. At the Arizona-Utah border the Paria Canyon and its tributary, Buckskin Gulch, form spectacular ‘narrows’ only a few feet wide in places and several hundred feet deep.
These geological features are enhanced by springs, hanging gardens, wooded terraces, interesting plants, and a variety of wildlife. The canyon rims provide scenic panoramas of not only the Paria Canyon and its tributaries, but also the outlying canyon country, sandstone plateaus, and towering cliffs.
Opportunities for visitors to experience solitude vary from good to outstanding, depending on the area of use. Excellent opportunities exist for a variety of primitive and unconfined types of recreation. Backpack through water-sculpted narrows and colorful geological layers on your way through this spectacular canyon.
Expect the wild! In both the Paria Canyon and the Buckskin Gulch there are no marked trails, few drinking water sources, and only occasional contact with other visitors. The canyons present numerous hiking difficulties such as miles of streambed strewn with small cobblestones making footing difficult, quicksand and deep mud, threats of flash floods, large and deep stagnant pools of cold water that might require swimming, and canyon obstructions such as log and rock jams that may involve the use of ropes to ensure a safe descent. To help protect yourself and the wilderness experience, please take the following precautions:
- Check weather forecasts, river flow, and route conditions at the Paria Contact Station, the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument Kanab Visitor Center, or online before you go.
- Obtain accurate information about your route.
- Tell a responsible person your itinerary and whom to contact if you are overdue.
- If you carry an emergency beacon or SPOT, know how and when to use it. False alarms put rescuers at risk and can cause lasting damage to the canyons.
- Violators of group size may be cited if limit is exceeded. Do not travel or camp in larger groups.
Notifications and Alerts
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION: Be sure to read ALL the details about this permit. Please note - There are no refunds or rescheduling for ANY REASON (including, but not limited to weather or COVID related issues). Permits are nontransferable unless you previously selected an Alternate. There are very limited changes that are allowed as explained in the Fees & Cancellations Section. It is your responsibility to understand what you are purchasing BEFORE you pay. Email questions to: blm_az_asdoweb@blm.gov
Permit & Season Information
This permit is required in order to camp overnight in the canyon. You must apply for, obtain, and purchase a permit in advance and pick up your permit in person within 10 days of the start date of your trip. Refer to the hours of operation under the 'Getting Here' tab for your chosen permit pick up site to assure you will be there during operational hours. Permits cannot be left outside.
Reservations are accepted at 12:00 noon (MT) on the 1st of each month for a permit during the third month ahead.
For example, permits for the month of August would become available on May 1st at 12:00 noon MT. Reservations are not accepted for trips beginning the day-of or the next day.
Reservation and permit fees for all applicants will be charged at time of reservation. Following the reservation process, a confirmation email will be sent containing the receipt and permit information.
Need to Know
Permit Information
- Permits are non-refundable. No Rainchecks.
- A valid government issued I.D. is required upon permit pick-up.
- Your trip must begin only on the reserved entry date; overnight trips that begin on a day other than the permit entry date are considered invalid, even if you begin on a day that would have been covered by the permit dates.
- Permits MUST be picked up in-person no sooner than 10 days before your trip begins. You can pick up your permit year-round at either the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in St. George, UT or seasonally at the Paria Contact Station or the BLM Kanab Field Office. Check pickup location hours under the "Getting Here" tab so you can plan accordingly.
- Upon permit pick-up, you will receive human waste bags (required within the entire canyon), a permit, a brochure, and a condition update.
Safety is your responsibility!
- This permit area does not have marked trails or routes. Take sufficient route-finding materials that you know how to use. We recommend purchasing a copy of the Hiker’s Guide to the Paria Canyon.
- Risk is inherent in backcountry areas, and rescue is not guaranteed.
- Consider weather conditions before attempting to visit the area, temperatures during the day and night, water temperature and depth, availability of water sources, potential for thunderstorms and flash flooding, and difficult hiking conditions common after a flash flood.
- Slot canyon dangers may include boulder jams as tall as 20 feet, quicksand, very cold and deep pools of water, rattlesnakes, and scorpions in a confined area.
- Bring and drink sufficient water. Dehydration has led to fatalities in this wilderness area. Water must be purified, even from springs. Some sections of the permit area have no available water sources for many miles.
- Heed warnings from local authorities and consider cancelling your trip if unfavorable conditions are reported.
- Evaluate group members’ backcountry hiking experience, physical fitness, and equipment.
- Notify an emergency contact of your plans, including where you are going and when you plan to return. Stick to your plans.
Rules and Regulations
- Visitors must register at trailheads when entering or leaving the area.
- All group members must stay together.
- Use of motorized and mechanized vehicles and equipment, and the launching and landing of drones, is prohibited in Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness.
- Dogs are allowed, but they must be included on the permit. They must be kept under control at all times and be leashed within Glen Canyon NRA. Waste must be packed out.
- Visitors must camp only in existing campsites, or if necessary and safe, on shoreline terraces.
- Defacing surfaces is prohibited. All natural and cultural objects are protected.
- All trash and solid human waste must be carried out.
- All fires are prohibited.
- Campsites must be at least 200 feet away from springs and archaeological sites.
- Wrather Canyon is closed to camping.
- Harassing or feeding wildlife is prohibited.
- Breaking, cutting, or utilizing trees, limbs or other plants for camping is not allowed in the canyons.
- Group size cannot exceed 10 people sharing the same affiliation and beginning a trip in the permit area on the same day. Groups larger than 10 people will be required to split into smaller groups and begin hiking on separate days. These groups are not permitted to rejoin during the trip. Minimum distance between affiliated groups is 2 miles apart. Permits may be denied and violators cited if limit is exceeded.
- Overnight trips are limited to 14 days.
- A Special Recreation Permit is required in addition to the overnight recreation permit, for all commercial uses such as outfitters or organized group guided trips.
Fee Policy
Reservation Fee: A non-refundable $6.00 fee is required for each permit reservation.
Recreation Fee: A non-refundable recreation fee of $5.00 per person and per dog per day is required for Paria Canyon Overnight permits.
When making a reservation, you must reserve the number of days you want to spend in the canyon, not the number of nights. For example, if a group of two people plans to spend three days and two nights in the permit area, the total recreation fee for the permit would amount to $30.00 (+ $9.00 reservation fee). Everyone, regardless of age, must be included in the overnight permit. This includes infants that are not walking.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation Policy: Fees are non-refundable regardless of weather or any unforeseen circumstances. No rescheduling.
Change Policy: Changes in trailheads, group members, vehicle information, and pick up location do not require fees. The addition of extra days, group members, or dogs requires a fee of $5.00 per day / per person/dog, if quota is available (for group members). Permit holders make changes through the modify feature on My Reservations.
The entry date may not be modified.
No changes within 2 weeks of entry date.
If the permit holder cannot make the trip, the permit can only be used by an alternate permit holder, who accepted the email invite (within 3 days) and is listed on the permit. If a primary or alternate permit holder is not present, the permit is invalid.
Alternate names are submitted during the registration process; they cannot be added later.
Alternates must have an account with rec.gov, using the same email submitted during the application.
Contact Information
Mailing Address
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument 345 East Riverside Drive St. George UT 84790-6714
Phone Number
(435) 688-3399
