Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness

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Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness
IUCN Category Ib (Wilderness Area)

Location:	Arizona and Utah, USA
Nearest city:	Page, AZ
Coordinates:	36°56′″N, 111°40′″W
Area:	109,400 acres (442 km²)
Established:	August 28, 1984
Governing body:	U.S. Bureau of Land Management

The Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness is located in northern Arizona and southern Utah, USA, within the arid Colorado Plateau region. The wilderness is composed of broad plateaus, tall escarpments, and deep canyons. The Paria River flows through the wilderness before joining the Colorado River at Lee's Ferry, Arizona. The 112,500 acre (455 km²) area was designated by the U.S. Congress in 1984 and was largely incorporated into the new Vermilion Cliffs National Monument proclaimed in 2000 by executive order of President Bill Clinton. Both the wilderness area and the National Monument are administered by the Bureau of Land Management.

The Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness was the location of a release of captively-bred endangered California Condors in 1996 in an attempt to re-introduce them to the wild.

Wire Pass Trailhead is the starting point for hikes into Paria Canyon via Buckskin Gulch, and to spectacular sandstone formations such as The Wave on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes.