HikeArizona.COM

Have some trip reports to catch up on, but felt this worth sharing outside of that. Did a quick overnight of buckskin last week and the road was very low clearance friendly aside from one section on the way in... that was completely level on the way out. Demand is there, and this will increase safety a bit I guess, but that TH is gonna be a pooeyshow now. Backpacking trips probably better off starting at whitehouse and then dayhiking up buckskin to middle out or so unless you get a REALLY early start. Even on a thursday morning the trail was really crowded for the first 3-4 miles and that's as the lot was being expanded...

https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archi ... -the-wave/

The trailhead improvements are part of a plan from last year to more than quadruple the number of permits issued to visit the Wave from 20 to 96 per day. With the additional permits, and increased use of the area overall, trailhead improvements are planned not just for Buckskin, but also White Pocket, Lone Tree, Cottonwood Cove, and Paw Hole. None are slated to be paved, but all increased in size, with more toilets. Additionally a new administrative site will be built.

Thankfully, new signage will be installed to prevent people from getting lost on their way to the Wave.

The BLM proposal is not clear as to whether or not the new cell tower will provide the necessary coverage to upload your selfies to Instagram while you are standing there.

chumley wrote:upload your selfies to Instagram while you are standing there.

Another area I am glad to have seen before this onslaught. As I have stated before I went to the Wave before any permits were required, and never saw anyone in the area. I've accessed it from several directions with no problems. At Wire Pass the last time I was there saw two other vehicles? Did not see anyone on the hike. Don't plan to go back, at least to that specific TH.

RedRoxx44 wrote:before this onslaught

It's refreshing to see that the BLM Kanab Field Office is making changes and attempting to balance the demand with responsible land management. The same cannot be said of the management agencies for many of the public lands I regularly visit.

There's roughly 5x the amount of humans living on this planet than there were a hundred years ago. 2x the amount compared to 1975. 33% more than 2000. Depending on your perspective that's between 133% and 500% the amount of demand on the land compared to what an individual considers as being the "good old days".

Those responsible for managing lands have to choose between expanding visitation to keep up with the population, or keeping limits the same and thus increasing demand for the same limited permits. Certain areas of the wilderness cannot sustain more visitation, they are already at their capacity. The wave is not an area that I consider falls into that category.

Choosing to increase the limits does mean you need to upgrade the infrastructure, like the additional restrooms and additional parking lots that were pointed out above. This costs money. Not having that money is another reason many land agencies will not increase limits.

Problem at the Wave will be inappropriate marking footwear and more people walking on the tiny ridges and breaking them down, and of course pooping under some sandstone crevice. Can't do anything about it tho, as they will come anyway whether it's 20 a day or 200 a day. And of course those jockeying for a photo without the hoards in it breaking down more ledges and toppling fragile prominence's. Oh, well.

Haven't done the wave and probably won't at this point (did consider sneaking up to it, but the area was heavily congested) - I have no qualms with the expanded parking plans as long as they don't quadruple the backcountry permits, and agree that in this case it makes sense. The extra day use fees they'll collect for buckskin should help funding as well, though I wonder how many of those with 3 off-leash dogs wandering around in the slot paid the $6 fee for each...

There's definitely a LOT more TP in the dayhikable part of buckskin from Wire TH than there was in the lower half & Paria (went down to third crack).

It does makes that TH less desireable in terms of doing a there and back backpacking trip whenver I'm back next, so felt it'd be useful for people to know the lot is being expanded as we type, and the road is now an easy low clearance when dry.

@eru
Do a lot of people venture much further than a few miles into Buckskin from Wire Pass? Five years ago I went from Buckskin TH to White House and saw nary a soul, kinda wondering if that route is going to still offer some solitude.

@ShatteredArm the vast majority stop once it opens up a bit down buckskin but it’s a zoo until that point, once you get past that there were a few dayhikers, then it was very few intrepid dayhikers and ~half the backpacking quota (we did a there and back to the ledge opposite middle out to take our time).

WH to the confluence we saw, 2-3 people each time? Then once down Paria or in the lower half of buckskin just backpackers (did a three night trip from WH with just a dayhike to middle out from the confluence), then carried packs to first crack and dayhiked to third and back, then out WH again first trip out (3 nights, got lucky with cancellations).

A VERY early start would probably be fine, but imagining it with 4x the people I saw there seems terrible.