Hi Scott,

Thanks for the nice compliment, I’m delighted you love my blog.

Good question about Paria. November can be a good month for many Southwest backpacking trips, even with generally cooler temps than you’ll see in the peak fall season, which is generally late September to mid- or late October. However, with any canyon like Paria that features a lot of walking directly in water and deep narrows where you’ll see little to no sun, especially in November (when the sun angle is low and days are very short), the cold temps are compounded by constant immersion in water that’s anywhere from ankle-deep to sometimes pools that reach thighs or waist. Those are very cold conditions. I’d absolutely recommend canyoneering boots and neoprene socks, at a minimum, and probably dry pants, plus plenty of insulation. That specialized gear can make the trip reasonably comfortable.

The other concern would be flash floods. The narrows section in Paria extends for several miles and is generally hiked in the first two to three days, no matter which trailhead you start at; and that doesn’t include Buckskin Gulch, the tributary that’s extremely narrow for many miles, but is done via either its own trailhead or the Wire Pass Trailhead, reaching Paria Canyon on either the first or second day, so you’re still in narrows for the first two or three days. If there’s any possibility of rain in the forecast, you don’t want to start a trip in Paria (or Buckskin) and rain is more common in November than earlier in fall.

Lastly, Paria has just a few springs for fresh water that’s not heavily silted, as the Paria River is.

I offer more details about planning this trip in the trip planning section at the bottom of this story, which requires a paid subscription to The Big Outside to read. A subscription gives you full access to all of my blog’s stories, including the trip planner section in stories about specific trips, where I share details of the itinerary and other logistics and tips on planning a trip, plus you get access to member gear discounts. I also offer Custom Trip Planning, where I’ll help you plan this or any trip you read about at my blog.

I hope that helps. I wouldn’t rule out Paria in November, but you should understand the greater complications of it.

Thanks for the good question. Keep in touch.

I am thinking about doing a trip to Paria Canyon in late October or early November.

One option is Nov 11 – Nov 15. Do you think that too late in the season weather-wise / or from a access to water perspective (note: we are Canadian and are used to cold backcountry nights in the Rockies!)

Appreciate your thoughts!

Hi Marcus,

Those photos were all taken in the narrows section of Paria Canyon, which begins upstream of the Buckskin Gulch confluence and extends for miles downstream beyond the Buckskin confluence. I can’t pinpoint those locations more specifically than that. You would have to hike very fast to reach those areas and return to your car in eight to 10 hours; it’s not likely, given how much you have to walk in water and deal with sand and possibly quicksand. I suggest you make a realistic plan for how far you can hike in that time and start at either Wire Pass or White House trailhead. Good luck.

I mean this photo
https://i0.wp.com/thebigoutside.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Paria1-051-In-the-narrows-day-two-Paria-Canyon-copy.jpg?w=1200&ssl=1
but also these one
https://fsguides.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/paria-canyon-slots.jpg
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/565677efe4b04cd6ce803b53/1592095521627-QYK7NFZN89XIZ0KA2JBW/Paria-39.jpg?format=1000w

I have only one day to spent (8-10 hours trail) anf I need to know where to start the one day trail to able to reach the spots in the link, I think where the sides of the canyon are taller.
White house, wire pass, bucksin or lee ferry
The first part of trail starting to lee ferry seems to be very large and the sides of the canyon very low…

https://ourinfiniteearth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/buckskin-gulch-paria-canyon-backpacking-map-e1520380429144.png

Hi Marcus,

A permit is also required for dayhiking in Paria Canyon but there are no visitor use limits for day use for Paria Canyon and you can get a Paria Canyon day-use permit by using your smartphone to scan a QR Code at each trailhead. See blm.gov/programs/recreation/permits-and-passes/lotteries-and-permit-systems/arizona/paria-canyon.

I’m not sure which photo in this story you’re asking about but the photos appear in this story basically in chronological order as we hiked down the canyon over five days, meaning that photos near or at the end of this story were shot in the lower canyon, closer to Lees Ferry.

Good luck!

Hi Danielle,

Congrats on your Paria permit. You might have good river levels by mid-April but I won’t venture to speculate in this very unusual year. I happened to stop in the BLM office in St. George, Utah, just a few days ago, after having to cancel my Owl-Fish canyons permit (Cedar Mesa in southeast Utah) for March 31 to April 2 because of an inaccessible road and canyon entrance (ice dam). At that time, on March 31, the recreation staff there said Paria was not recommended. Much can happen in two weeks, so I suggest you contact that office and/or the BLM office in Kanab for any reports of current conditions and ask them about recommended water levels. I don’t recall what water levels we encountered, but it was in late March and we had relatively warm, dry weather with low river levels and still saw maybe a couple of pools that were thigh-deep (and very cold) on kids around 5′ 6″.

I’m sure you understand there’s plenty of quicksand in Paria. If river levels drop to a safe level, the muddy edges of the river will likely have lots of quicksand. It’s generally not dangerous but it can be impossible to extract yourself without help, so the group should stick together and spread out enough to avoid multiple people getting stuck simultaneously.

Good luck. If there’s doubt, save the trip for another year.

When you did your hike do you recall the water levels or willing to share what days you were in the canyon? Where specifically (and on what day) did you encounter some of the deepest water (how high on a person of X height?). We’ve been watching the USGS data and temps very closely and trying to see what snow water equivalent might be anticipated to allow safer passage through the narrows section (if starting from White Hall it’s supposed to start narrowing signficantly around mile 4 and the narrows look to last for about to mile 20 around the Wrather Arch area).

Any insights are much appreciated.
Thanks,
Danielle

Hi Brett,

You’ll want to plan your water around the few springs in Paria Canyon. In a pinch, you can try to filter the river (we did one night), but it’s heavily silted and you’ll have to settle water out in pots for hours before filtering it. The springs are clear but should be filtered. If you’re getting water from the river, use a pump filter; that silted water would quickly clog anything else, like a gravity filter.

Good luck.

Thank you very much.

Thanks, Will. Paria is fascinating, you’ll love it. We (including the kids) wore our hiking/backpacking boots but more important, neoprene socks to keep our feet from getting too cold. Bring standard hiking socks also, for long stretches where you don’t hike mostly in the river (as in the lower canyon). Have a great trip.

What did your guys use for footwear?

Hi Debbie,

Good questions, thanks. Generally, spring and summer in the Southwest bring the kind of heavy rainstorms that can cause flash floods; that said, spring is still a good season to backpack Paria because the springs are more likely to have a good flow in them. Just make sure you have a reliable forecast for at least the first few days of the trip (hiking downriver), when you’re going through the narrows section. Fall is drier and the biggest concern is usually the springs for clear water (the river is heavily silted), though heavy rainstorms can come, especially later in fall.

I don’t know of any guides operating in Paria Canyon.

Good luck planning your trip. And see my Custom Trip Planning page to learn how I can help you plan your Paria trip.

You’re welcome, Jade, have a great hike.

Thank you so much means a ton

Hi Jade,

I’m glad you posted that question because I think I can give you a clearer plan. We backpacked Paria Canyon from Whitehouse to Lees Ferry in the last week of March with our kids when they were 14 and 12 (and still both small kids). The water is usually cold and mostly shallow in early spring, when you’re also going, although there were a few spots we waded thigh-deep (but not very far). We all wore shorts and warm layers on top when needed. The air temperature was never cold, just cool in the mornings. Bring jackets to block wind as well as insulation layers.

And everyone wore neoprene socks, which kept our feet from freezing; feet felt chilly at times but no one really complained, it wasn’t too bad. I highly recommend getting neoprene socks and insisting they all wear them; if they refuse at first, they’ll probably want them before long, so bring the socks with you.

I definitely recommend against waders. First of all, they’ll be too hot and clunky to hike in. But more importantly, the risk with waders is that, in the few deep spots, water could flow over the waders and they will suddenly weigh a ton; if someone falls over with water-weighted waders on, there’s a risk they won’t be able to get up and will be held underwater.

The neoprene socks are a safe and good solution.

Thanks for the question and enjoy your hike, it’s beautiful. Make sure the forecast shows no rain, there are narrows in the Paria and flash floods can be dangerous.

But now it has me second guessing if his feet can withstand the Paria so looking into youth fishing waders which I had not originally considered due to the miles. Now thinking of waders for my 5&8 year old with clipping on their canyoneering shoes and neoprene socks to the pack just in case or do you think the waders are overkill and the Paria is very doable with just the neoprene socks? As a mom you know kids can do almost anything if they are comfortable lol so doing my best to make sure they have the right gear to complete the hike. We are starting at Whitehouse and ending at lees ferry. 4 nights 5 days. We do about 1 mile an hour and about 8 miles a day average. We experienced quicksand last weekend at lone rock beach Utah kids found them stuck waist deep along with one of our dogs and why my 8 year old had no shoes for the kayaking horseshoe bend 🤦‍♀️ The quicksand ate them but glad to experience before our backpacking trip.

My kids have backpacked enough so not worried about the trip just keeping their feet functioning. It will be our longest hike though we normally do 4 days 30 miles. So just curious about your suggestions for kid shoes, waders or not?

I had the good fortune to complete a Canyon Trifecta on this trip. Paria first, then the Escalanate Route in the Grand and finally the Aravaipa Canyon. Three special and distinct experiences.

Michael thank you for being an inspiration.

Thanks, Michael. May should be a good time. Have fun and safe travels.

Hi NateKat, I’ve also backpacked Buckskin to upper Paria as an overnight, a number of years ago, later in spring, and we still had some cold pools of debris-filled water to wade. I suspect it varies a lot from year to year.