Buckskin Gulch, Utah. Two backpackers pause along Buckskin Gulch in the Paria Canyon Vermilion Cliff Wilderness Area in Utah. The headwaters of this deep, narrow canyon lie 40 miles away in the Pink Cliffs of Bryce Canyon National Park. With few avenues of escape, Buckskin Gulch poses a serious risk of being swept away in a flash flood as is evidenced by old cottonwood logs wedged as much as 75 feet overhead between the narrow walls. This hike should only be attempted during extended periods of high pressure with no threat of rain. Several miles downstream from here, Buckskin Gulch joins with Paria Canyon in one of the most beautiful confluences anywhere on the Colorado Plateau.