Miles: 1.5 miles RT from the trailhead. Add another 1.5 miles if walking from the day use area.
Elevation Gain/Highest: minimal/4775ft
Map: USGS Calico Peak and Fivemile Valley, Canyons of the Grand Escalante
Favorite Eats After Hike: Pack A Cooler.
Find out current conditions and as always, practice Leave No Trace. Pretty please.
3/28/2018
Old Town Pahreah is located in the county of Kane, Utah, and is well known for its striated cliffs with bands of red, orange, purple and bluish grey that are visible along the drive to this abandoned settlement at the mouth of the Paria Box Canyon. The area was originally hunted and gathered upon by the Southern Paiute and pronounced pah-ree-uh, which means muddy or elk river. A town was first settled in 1865 by the Mormons, forcing the Paiute from the land, and inhabited until 1929 when it was finally abandoned due to the constant flooding of the Paria River.
We had a chance to visit on our trip to Utah and Arizona and we went in search of not only the colorful Chinle Formation mountains but to explore the ruins of the town. The day use area sits 4.6 miles in on the Paria River Valley Road, a wide gravel road suitable to all vehicles up to where you reach the sign, parking lot and privy. At the turn off from 89, there was a pullout with a marker that describes the town and area but we continued on towards the day use area itself.
The painted cliffs did not disappoint and undulated in all directions for miles. We had to stop several times alone on the road in to stop and take pictures!
The parking area with the bathroom had several kiosks that shared the timeline of the old town and history of the area. It starts with the canyon as a travel corridor, then attempted farming by the indigenous people. There is the 1870’s and the settling of the town and the mid 1900’s when it became more about the movies and television shows filmed here and the sets constructed to replicate the Wild West. The Outlaw Josey Wales with Clint Eastwood and the 1960’s TV show Gunsmoke were just a few examples. The sets, as they were rebuilt over time, have since been burnt down and all that remains in the area is what is left of the old homestead. I have to say that it is almost as if the canyon wants to reclaim itself because nature seems to be dictating that manmade structures just aren’t going to make it here.
From the day use area, it was possible to drive in our sedan rental car (carefully) another mile to a cemetery and where the road ends at the river. There are several deep (deep) washes to maneuver and most standard cars will feel uncomfortable doing so. If it had been wet, it would have been impossible.
Part way along the road we came to the town cemetery. It is a replica, more of a memorial, as the tombstones and markers are replacements as the originals eroded over time and were prone to vandals.
At the end of the road there is pullout for about 4 cars and a brown national lands trail marker sticking out of the sand under the shade of what little cottonwoods there were but no sign to indicate the direction of the town remnants. A wide sandy path that was once the road to town leads towards the Paria River and ends abruptly. Here you must cross the shallow water and several sand banks to reach the other side. The remnants of two brick buildings are nestled at the foot of the cliffs barely distinguishable amongst all the red and orange rock.
It was fun to wander and spot old pieces of mining equipment and what remains of an root cellar. We spent some time looking up the river and imagining what life would have been like so close to the mouth of the river and could see how flooding would have been an issue. We had heard at the ranger station the day before that it is possible to hike from Hackberry Canyon where we were the day before and come out Paria River Box Canyon to here and decided that would make a fun trip if you could figure out the shuttle.
Directions: Paria River Valley Road off US 89 between Kanab and Page between milepost 30 and 31. The turnoff is 37.2 miles east of Kanab or 39.3 miles northwest of Page, Arizona. Drive 4.7 miles to the day use area and another mile to the trailhead for the old ghost town. The road will be impassable during wet conditions and is prone to flash flooding. No parking pass needed and there in a privy.
For more hikes on this trip, read our 6 Day Southwest Hiking Road Trip Itinerary!
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