Paria River Canyon
Paria River Canyon
4.5
About
The Paria River has cut deep into the soft sandstone, hundreds of feet deep, and the walls of the canyon are striated in bands of pink and red and ocher and copper and gold, smoothed by water into intricate rippled patterns and glazed by the sun.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles113 reviews
Excellent
85
Very good
24
Average
3
Poor
0
Terrible
1

Natsy42
Orem, UT311 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2021 • Friends
My friend and I were headed to the Paria “ghost town” but we were never able to find it. That didn’t matter because the drive down the dirt road was gorgeous.

We were there on a Saturday and only saw about 4 other cars. The dirt road was pretty good except for a couple sections with some potholes that you had to watch out for. My crossover did just fine.

We loved the drive. There were stunning views of the colorful cliffs. It took us about 60-90 min overall with stopping along the way and eating lunch.
Written May 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CAishome
San Francisco, CA93 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021
Stopped here by chance to read the plaque—had no idea we could drive the backroad off 89. It was out of this world beautiful- ever changing scenery as we rounded each corner. Our Prius handled the road fine, in spite of the one pretty steep section. Highly recommend.
Written April 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Laura L
Hudson, NH1,042 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020 • Couples
Drove here one late afternoon after hiking all day. There’s a historical Marker at the pull off on the side of the highway that marks the spot where you can drive down a dirt road for several miles into a beautiful canyon. There USED to be a movie set here but it burned (like everything old does).

There’s an old graveyard towards the end of the road, but if you keep going it empties at a shallow river that is warm and a beautiful picnic spot.
Written July 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Getmarshall
New Albany, OH475 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Couples
Don’t be put off by the gravel dirt road, it’s not that bad, just go slow. I did it in a Camry and was fine. Once you get into the Canyon it’s beyond worth it. Only went to the parking area with the bathroom and that was good for me. So much to see absolutely amazing scenery. Was the only one there for about three hours, just so amazing! Having a bathroom was a huge bonus also had a picnic table.
Written August 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

l-_-Sheila-_-l
Austin, TX195 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2020
The short drive on a dirt road was well worth seeing this spectacular view. When dry, a regular passenger car can go all the way to the end. Very peaceful and serene place with brilliant color and some artifacts. Great place to relax.
Written May 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

heckfy
Pleasanton, California1,234 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2014 • Friends
There are plenty of great national parks in the area and they offer great views, comfort stay and paved roads - so it's almost like watching the scenery in a 3D theater, beautiful, comfortable and crowded.

Here is a totally different way of experiencing the wilderness. You just get off the main highway on a dirt unpaved road (if it's dry, you can dry pretty much any car, but high clearance would help and if it's wet, you're better off with some crossover or SUV - nothing extreme, but the road might get rough and muddy) and drive. The scenery is breathtaking. There are colorful mountains, carved rocks, a shallow river you can go along for miles. The place has a lot of history, but there are no crowds or comfort, so you get as close to the true middle of nowhere experience as possible.

They used to have a town there and a movie set, but now they are all gone, so the only reminder is an old cemetery. There are a few signs along the road and a parking lot with a basic restroom, that's pretty much all reminders of the civilization you'll see.

Ok, the important one, the safety. There are no extreme challenges in this area, the road is drivable, the river is shallow, and the trails was walkable, but because the area is so remote, you need to think about your safety. Some advices:

1. Don't expect mobile phone coverage. Get a map or offline GPS.
2. Stay on the road. If your car gets stuck, it will be very hard to get out.
3. If you get lost, it might be very hard to call for help. So stay on the trails, plan your route, avoid risks.
4. This area might have flash floods, so pay attention to weather forecasts, the rains could be very dangerous.
5. Make sure you can always walk back to the main HWY 89 before it gets dark. If anything happens to your car, this is where you can get help.
6. Bring your water.

Basically, just some common sense safety tips, nothing you need to be afraid of.

And it's free! Highly recommended!
Written December 11, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

UtahDaytripper
Utah252 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2011 • Couples
being a western movie fan I wanted to see the Outlaw Josey Wales movie set, we drove there and hiked to the "set", seems vandals burned down the original and this one in it's place is crap, don't waste your time
Written August 21, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

giniperry
Homer, AK19 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2013 • Couples
We visited the Page, AZ to Kanab area in April and learned quite a bit about where we want to go next time we visit. I had originally planned to spend most of my time in the Nat'l parks, but found that they are so strictly managed, and the weather so uncooperative, that we couldn't camp where we wanted to on short notice, so we headed back south and spent a few days in Pariah canyon area.
In general, I found the BLM people to be friendly and informative; not as concerned as the Nat'l parks people with controlling every footstep you make.
Stopping at the visitor's center at the Glen Canyon bridge is very useful for getting the maps and info from the rangers about different places to hike and camp in the area and the permits required for those things. Filtering through the requirements for hiking/camping use can be a hassle without expert help if you have never been there before.
Also, you can and should stop at at least one of the 3 BLM visitor centers between Page and Kanab. They are well marked on the highway, so they are hard to miss. They will also have maps and good ideas of where to go in the area, along with the essential info on what permits are required for specific areas. We spent one night in Buckskin Gulch and another night in White House Campground, both in Pariah Canyon area. Both areas were awesome canyon/wash hiking with beautiful scenery. Don't let the boring/ugly looking trail head at Buckskin fool you. After you go around the first few corners, it opens up to cattle grazing lands, so you are in a nice, broad canyon; flat, but very sandy to walk in. The rocks were red and huge and gorgeous and it made a nice mid-morning hike, although the wind was pretty constant.
White house campground was a neat place to camp. The primitive campsites (basically, only a few have a bbq thing and a picnic table, and nothing else, beside the main toilets in the parking lot) are all on sand dunes with big trees in between; perfect for pitching your tent underneath. The rolling hills make it feel like you are all alone in whatever site you choose, as you can't see or hear anyone else. It was so quiet and pretty out there and the hike into the canyon was gorgeous. You can go in 3 miles before you hit a special use area and then after that point you have to have a different permit to camp there if they will even let you. But, you can just hike there with the basic use permit. The rock formations are awesome back there.
There are so many places to go in Pariah Canyon besides the coveted 'Wave'. You can have a great time and see some awesome sites, without the crowds or 6 months reservation of other attractions.
Written May 7, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

snowfall1
Orchard Park, NY243 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2015 • Family
Basically you can see similar terrain to the Coyote Butte South area, IF you don't want to deal with the whole permit thing, and also you won't need a 4x4 like you do at Coyote. Paria, instead you can drive a short (2mile) gravel road off 89 to the White House trail head which we did in a regular auto, then once to the trailhead follow the creek bed for as many miles as you are in shape for . We hiked 4 in, then turned around and hiked 4 out, ran into only a couple other groups of hikes, all of whom started at the opposite end and were hiking the full 30+ miles. You could hike as long or short as you want here, but you have to go at least 2 miles to begin to see the coolest scenery, between 2 and 4 is very pretty. We heard if you start at the opposite end it gets awesome sooner, but that other end also has a narrow passageway so just depends what you prefer. Veryyyy isolated here, no cell reception. Bring water, food, and know that this hike is wet on your feet, so consider whatever you prefer on your feet for that. I wore hiking boots (nylon ones) with vibram soles and my daughter actually hiked in water shoes that she uses to kayak. You may want to bring extra socks, shoes, etc and ziploc bags to keep important things dry, like your phone. Plastic bags for placing your shoes in after would be great as well. Awesome beauty and easy to get to , no guide necessary. There is a campground at the trailhead, had a couple groups the day we were there. Once you leave that area the only bathrooms will be those you find in nature.
Written November 5, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TessE
Cincinnati, OH48 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2018
I came across a little notice of this and thought it'd be a nice little side detour on the way to somewhere else. WOW! You travel down a dirt road that gets a little iffy in places (we had four-wheel drive), but I'd never have believed this had I not seen it with my own eyes. Entire cliffs are striated like this for miles. We picnicked down at the old homestead site and actually got run off by a movie crew setting up for a shoot (politely, of course!) We were ready to leave anyway. Don't miss this! It's worth the extra 30-60 mins. of your trip. It's like you've landed on another planet, which is why it is often a film site.
Written March 21, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Paria River Canyon - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Frequently Asked Questions about Paria River Canyon