Cottonwood Canyon to Paria River Confluence — Skutumpah Road South Circuit

Skutumpah Road departs Cannonville heading south and runs 60 miles through the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument before hitting US-89 near Big Water, but the real payoff lives in the southern stretch where the road drops toward the Paria River Canyon corridor. You’re threading through White and Pink Cliffs terrain, past the Bull Valley Gorge — a slot canyon so narrow that a pickup truck fell into it in 1954 and the wreckage is still wedged there above your head as you hike through. The Paria River confluence at the south end sits inside one of the most dramatic canyon systems in the Colorado Plateau. Plan to camp at Wire Pass or one of the BLM pullouts and watch the walls glow amber at dusk.

The road is bentonite clay over much of its length — in dry conditions it’s a moderate high-clearance run; one rain shower turns it into a skating rink that’ll ditch even experienced drivers. Do not attempt this road if rain is in the forecast or if the sky upstream looks threatening. Check BLM road conditions in Kanab before departing. No water on route. Permits required for Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness hiking; the drive itself needs no permit but that can change. Best window is late spring and fall. If you catch it dry, this is southern Utah backcountry at its most raw.