Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness

The Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness was set aside in 1984, 112,000 acres of the desert Southwest left deliberately raw. There are no trails, no signs, no campsites, no facilities inside its boundary. Backpackers spend three to six days working down Paria Canyon from trailheads like Wire Pass, which also opens onto the sculpted sandstone of Coyote Buttes. Permits are required and conditions shift with the weather. It is country meant to be entered on its own terms, by people who can navigate primitive backcountry without a marked path.

What the plaque says

The Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliff Wilderness was added to the National Wilderness Preservation System on August 28, 1984. This 112,000-acre jewel of the desert Southwest truly reperesents the meaning of wilderness. The majority of the wildreness area is within Vermilion Cliff National Monument with the northernmost portion just over the Utah border. Is is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Adventurous backpackers usually begin their three to six-day journey through Paria Canyon at Wire Pass, White Home, or Buckskin Trailheads, eating here, near Lees Ferry. Wire Pass also serves as the principal gateway for day hikes into spectacular Coyote Buttes. Hiking permits are required for these BLM areas. Keeping It Unspoiled, There are no designated trails, campsites, signs, or facilities inside the wilderness boundary. Terrain is rugged and hiking conditions can change with the weather. Hikers should be in good physical condition and know how to navigate in a primitive backcountry setting. In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia., - Chales A. Lindbergh

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Antelope Canyon — 12 mi
  Tsé bighánílíní — where the water runs through the rock

More markers nearby

• Lonely Dell Ranch — steps away
• 1872 Founding Family — steps away
• 1925 Polygamist Cabin — steps away
• Historic District River Trail — 0.6 mi