Buckskin Gulch Rock Climbing

Print Guide Available @ The Buckskin Gulch Climbing Guide

Page ~ Lake Powell ~ Grand Staircase ~ Glen Canyon adventure guide @ Canyon Country Outdoors

The Buckskin Gulch has easy access, two star sport climbing, on Kaibab Limestone, in one of the most scenic places on Earth. The Gulch is surrounded by national parks; Zion, Bryce, Lake Powell and the Grand Canyon are only an hour or so away. The Paria Canyon, the Wave, White Pockets and Coyote Buttes are practically within yelling distance. The climbing here is mostly on vertical rock with the occasional bulbous overhang, lending itself to moderate routes that are typically very edgy, and require balance over strength. The rock is extremely fossiliferous and is uniquely decorated with really cool round chert nodules, some as big as softballs. The nodules are adorned with fossilized organisms like sea fans, brachiopods and crinoids and produce fantastic holds that make it seem like you are climbing a coral reef.  This area is very top rope friendly and a fantastic place to Top Rope Solo.  Many of the routes are equipped with chains that overhang the top and can be accessed without roping up or using a handy back up bolt so that you can set up the anchor. Be prepared for stiff, old school grades. The knock on the area is that the rock can be sharp in spots, especially in the black colored sections and can be hollow in the yellow. At Priest Draw they call the cute little warts on the limestone Croslies, here at the Gulch we call the sharp little bastard thingies, Chizzlies. Although there has been activity out here since the early 90's and many of the routes have been cleaned fairly well, there are still a few hidden choss gems to be discovered. For the climber used to polished, chalked up routes from areas that host the hordes, this place will seem a bit sketchy but for those that can handle a bit of "salt in their soup" it is all part of a savory desert cuisine.  The Gulch isn’t exactly what you would call a destination crag but it is however, a crag at a destination.  

Please leave the carabiners at the anchors. We have placed them there for everyone to use. Feel free to climb/lower off them, just don’t take them. Please don't top rope through the existing lowering apparatus, use your own draws/carabiners to eliminate excessive wear on the fixed gear.   

You can climb here all year but the preferable months are in the cold season. The cliffs have an east-west orientation so you can find shade or sun depending on the time of day. Most of the routes face west. The toughest part of the deep summer are the sage gnats. You can get up as early as you want to avoid the sun but you can’t avoid the gnats. They rate high on the chingaso scale and pack a mean bite that you will scratch until you bleed. They also crawl in your ears.