by William James-Kanab Tour Guide

 
The Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness is a world-class scenic resource that draws outdoor enthusiasts of all types, especially photographers, from all over the world.  In order to protect the environment and the experience here, the Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, has placed restrictions on access to certain parts of this area via a permitting system.  This system and all its rules are explained at length by the BLM HERE. The process is often confusing, even for locals, so this blog attempts to break it down in one place, and to provide you with insights into strategy, which as far as I can tell, no one has yet done in writing.

The Wave Permits and Lottery Strategy

Because of the high demand for permits to The Wave (Coyote Buttes North), two BLM lotteries now determine who gets them.

One BLM lottery is held online HERE.  10 online permits per day are drawn 3 months* in advance. The draw on the 1st of the current month at 1:05 pm is for the entire future month. Online Applications can be made for 30 days prior to each monthly draw. The other 1o permits are drawn in an in-person lottery at 9am the day before at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Visitor Center in Kanab (see below). On Fridays during the off-season (October-April) the drawing is for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

*PLEASE NOTE: THE BLM SAYS THE ONLINE LOTTERY IS 4 MONTHS IN ADVANCE BECAUSE IT INCLUDES THE 30 ENTRY PERIOD IN THE TOTAL.

The truth is the chances are not particularly high in either lottery as only 10 people are given permits through each lottery for each day. I think the odds can reasonably estimated at somewhere between 2% and 25% between April and October depending on party sizes. Odds are better for smaller groups and on Friday because of the triple day draw in a proportionately smaller pool (except when the visitor center is open 7 days a week from May-October). Odds are also much better in the dead of winter, as high as 100%.  On the Friday draws for about 8 weekends between mid-December and mid-February it is not uncommon for all that apply (or most) to get a permit for one of the days. Winter, however, has other considerations.

Weather and Road Conditions on House Rock Valley Road

The limiting factors in winter are wet weather, snow on the ground, the sloppy condition of House Rock Valley Road, and a dangerously icy trail over the sandstone. Wet weather can also be a factor in summer when afternoon thunderstorms can flood/mud the crossing of the Buckskin Gulch and turn the road into what us guides call “gorilla snot”. In this condition the road can become nearly impassible and/or dangerous for ill-prepared visitors. The local tow company has a field day. Never attempt House Rock Valley Road or crossing Buckskin Gulch when flooded or muddy, especially in a 2wd. Not only will you ruin your own day, but you will block the road for everyone else.

All that being said, in good conditions most vehicles can make it to Wire Pass TH (Wave) even if the drivers are violating rental contracts and risking flats with cheap street tires. High Clearance 4wd is necessary though if one wishes to leave the main road to go to South Coyote Buttes or White Pocket. When the conditions are borderline or roads too sandy, guided tours will still operate and can keep you safe.

Other Paria Permits

South Coyote Buttes, another area of multi-color slickrock sandstone, requires a permit that can be obtained by online application 3 months in advance or by walk-in request the previous day at 10am at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Visitor Canter in Kanab (see below). When there are more requests than permits a lottery is held. If this occurs, odds are usually much higher than the “WAVE” lottery as the area is less visited due to difficult terrain. SCB requires a high-clearance 4wd, knowledge of how to drive on sand, and navigation tools and abilities.

Wire Pass Slot Canyon requires a self-service permit obtained at the trailhead.

White Pocket does not require a Special Permit, but it does require a high-clearance 4wd, knowledge of how to drive on sand, and navigation tools and abilities.

There are small fees ($5-$7) associated with all Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Permits.
 

The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Visitor Center in Kanab:

745 East Highway 89, Kanab, UT 84741

Phone Number: Information: (435) 688-3200, Actual VC Desk: (435)644-1300

Hours: 8am-4:30pm, 7 days a week (April-October), Mon-Fri (October-April). Closed on Holidays.

Safety and Guided Tours

There are many safety and logistical issues associated with getting to the Paria Wilderness and back to civilization safely. Don’t become a statistic! People sometimes get themselves in predicaments in the Paria Wilderness by being unprepared, ill-equipped, and/or inexperienced. Kane County Search and Rescue goes after wayward tourists multiple times every year.  It has turned fatal more than once.

Guided Tours to the all of the locations mentioned above as well as several different combinations are available through Dreamland Safari Tours. Their medically trained, naturalist guides help you to get the most out of your experience in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness by showing you the subtle points of interest and photography you won’t find on your own. They explain how the geology, ecology, paleontology, and human history of these extraordinary places have unfolded over hundreds of millions of years. They keep you and your rental contract safe on unpredictable House Rock Valley Road, guide you on a special scenic route to the Wave, and carry satellite communications as well as abundant supplies in case of Emergency.
 

Lottery and Planning Strategy with Guided Tours

There is definitely a strategy for those wanting to visit the Wave (Coyote Buttes North) on a guided tour. The other permits are not really an issue. It all begins with attempting the online lottery DRAWN 3 MONTHS IN ADVANCE. If you know you want a guided tour, it may be a good idea to first find out which dates are available by contacting Dreamland Safari Tours.  Then you can apply for your dates. If you get lucky online then the issue is settled and you can set up a tour on your date. If you do not get lucky, then you have a second chance at the in-person lottery.

To avoid disappointment and/or wasting your time, it is a good idea to have a contingency plan in place before you enter the in-person lottery the day before. Coyote Buttes South and White Pocket combination is the most popular substitute for and complement to the Wave Tour. As guided tour guests this leaves you two options:

Option A: White Pocket and Wire Pass or South Coyote Buttes as a substitute for the Wave.

In this case you are interested in doing one or the other tour so the correct strategy is to plan your day with your tour guide the day after you plan to attend the lottery and then let the outcome determine the destination. Plan a day on your own or join a slot canyon tour the day of the lottery. You will be free by 10:30am.

Option B: White Pocket and Wire Pass or South Coyote Buttes as a complement to the Wave.

In this case you want to do both tours if you can so the correct strategy is to plan a White Pocket/Coyote Buttes South Tour at 10am with the pickup location at the visitor’s center. Then you will go to the lottery and determine whether a tour to the Wave will be possible the following day. Be sure to let your guide know at pickup so he can make arrangements for the following day.

If you are a Wave Tour or nothing party, feel free to call Dreamland Safari Tours the day before once you have permits in hand. Unfortunately they cannot hold dates without some sort of other reservation on the off-chance that a party gets a Wave Permit.

In some cases, given a guaranteed tour reservation of some sort and subject to availability, your guide can attempt to obtain permits for you at the in-person lottery the day before if for some reason you are not available. There is a drawback in guide-obtained permits. Your guide must be included in the permit reducing the effective permit size to 5 tour guests. It also slightly reduces the chances of fitting into a remainder slot. In other words, you might not only have to be drawn, but be drawn first in order to accommodate a party of 6. PERMIT COSTS ARE NOT INCLUDED IN TOUR PRICES. PERMITS OBTAINED BY YOUR GUIDE MUST BE REIMBURSED PRIOR TO DEPARTURE.

If you are taking a guided tour and you get the permits on your own through either lottery, you do not need to add an extra person to the number of people on your permit for the guide. The effective maximum number of guests on the permit remains 6.

By Will James, Kanab Tour Guide at Dreamland Safari Tours

 
Toroweap Overlook, or Tuweep as it is also known, is on the Remote western edge of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon nestled in a rim of bulbous eroded sandstone pocked with tinajas, or potholes, which after recent rains can host a whole micro-ecosystem unto themselves. Pinion and Juniper dot the landscape and Yuccas, Agaves, and wildflowers thrive. Toroweap Overlook is unique for a variety of reasons. The most tangible difference is the view. At the paved portions of both the North and the South Rim there is a very long view of the breadth of the canyon at 10-12 miles. The rock ledges that make up the walls of the canyon are heavily terraced and huge monolithic fins, buttes, temples fill the canyon carved out by the rivers shifting course over eons. The river is seldom visible.  These views are spectacular in their own right and we recommend you see them all. Toroweap, however, stands out.

The walls at Toroweap are near vertical. The 3000 foot drop is similar to looking off of a skyscraper down at the Colorado River. At Toroweap the river steals the show, as you can see from the pictures below. Rafters, often seen floating or going over Lava Falls, look like ants. The Rim hike is open with few trails and no rails to get in the way of spectacular photography. Around every rock on the rim is a new frame for this breathtaking view.

Toroweap Upstream. The Rocky Points offer endless frames to this breathtaking view.

Atmosphere-wise the comparison is like night and day. Whereas the paved portions of the park are very busy during the season, one might encounter 20 people on the busiest day of the year at Toroweap. Sometimes there are just a handful of people, but often a visitor will have the whole thing to themselves, especially in the slow season (Nov-Mar). There are no buses, no crowds, no exorbitant prices, nothing but the peaceful wilderness of the Grand Canyon as it has existed for millions of years. Canyon Swallows, Vultures, Ravens, and Golden Eagles are commonly seen soaring or maneuvering over the canyon. Occasionally an endangered California Condor is seen.

Golden Eagle With Gopher Snake

Downstream offers a view of Lava Falls and of the Lava Flow from Vulcan’s Throne, a massive cindercone (extinct volcano) on the very edge of the canyon. Here as recently as 73,000 years ago eruptions occurred. They spewed and draped the landscape and sent rivers of lava into the Grand Canyon Canyon, creating huge dams that blocked the Colorado River in 12 places. Eventually reservoirs filled and spilled over the edge creating waterfalls the likes of which the world has never seen since. Lava Falls is an eroded remnant of one of these dams. If your timing is perfect on the downstream view, you might see or even hear rafters going over the falls over a mile away. Bring binoculars. Read what the NPS has to say about Toroweap in general the geology of the Tuweep/Toroweap Area.

The downstream view at Tuweep

Although a day-trip is all that is feasible for many travelers, and it’s a great outing, it pains the soul to leave this place. Locals know that to get the full experience one must stay the night under the red sandstone overhangs of the campsites in the campground. They serve as an eerie projection screen for campfire stories with S’mores. Sunsets, incredible night skies, campfire camaraderie, and Sunrises are all in store for the overnight traveler. It is one of the darkest places in the US. For those urbanites among you, it will blow you away! For Photographers the skies and red-rock foregrounds are perfect for Milky Way shots or star trails photography.

Toroweap Campground: Peeking out from the campsite overhang at susnet.

Toroweap is remote. In fact, it’s one of the most remote places overland in the continental United States of America. From Toroweap it’s about 60 miles from pavement and about 75 miles from civilization (Fredonia, AZ pop 1174). It is known for its incredible night skies because it’s distance from artificial light sources. The 60 miles of washboarded, rocky, seldom maintained dirt road, and 3 miles of jeep trail at the end serve as a filter and keep visitation down. It’s not uncommon to see people with multiple flats. The NPS TOROWEAP BROCHURE  says that as many as 25% of the people that come have tire problems. Tow charges are more than $500 (NPS says $1000-2000) and more than a few people have had to spend the night on the road to get word for help out. In these type of remote pitfall-prone situations it’s wise to consider a guided tour. Dreamland Safari Tours out of Kanab, UT is the only company to guide to Toroweap in Southern Utah/Northern Arizona. They can help you set up daytours for 2 to 13 people and overnighters for up to 6. They even offer what they call “Mobile Bed and Breakfast”. Their website is www.dreamlandtours.net and their phone is 435-644-5506. Reviews of their services are found on Trip Advisor here.

This place is magical. Give it a go!