• Distance: 3.5 miles one-way
• Duration: 4–5 hours
• Elevation change: 500 feet
• Effort: strenuous
• Trailhead: at the confluence of Cottonwood Creek and Paria River, 2.5 miles south of lower Hackberry Canyon Trailhead (29 miles south of the pavement’s end at Kodachrome State Park or, from the south, 11.5 miles north of U.S. 89)

The confluence of the Paria, Hackberry, and Cottonwood Canyons provide the backdrop to an excellent, although strenuous, day hike. The Box of the Paria River involves some steep climbs up rocky slopes as it traverses a tongue of slickrock between the mouth of the Hackberry and Paria Canyons.

The route then follows the Paria River through its “box” or cliff-sided canyon in The Cockscomb formation. The trail returns to the trailhead by following Cottonwood Canyon upstream to the trailhead. The round-trip hike is about seven miles long. Inquire at visitors centers for maps and about conditions.

Although not as well known as the lower canyon, the upper Paria River Canyon has some beautiful scenery and offers many side canyons to explore, too. The Paria lies west of both Hackberry and Cottonwood Canyons. Access to the upper end is from the Skutumpah or Cottonwood Canyon Road near Kodachrome Basin State Park (elev. about 5,900 feet).

The usual lower entry is from near Pahreah ghost town (elev. 4,720 feet); turn north six miles from U.S. 89 between mileposts 30 and 31 and continue past the Pahreah movie set to road’s end. (The clay road surface is very slippery when wet but is okay for cars when dry.) The upper canyon is about 25 miles long, and the hike takes 3–4 days (allowing some time to explore side canyons).

You can find water at springs along the main canyon and in many side canyons (purify first); try not to use water from the river itself as it may contain chemical pollution. Topo maps are the metric 1:100,000 Kanab and Smoky Mountain or the 7.5-minute Cannonville, Bull Valley Gorge, Deer Range Point, and Calico Peak.