10 Dec 2023
My wife and I took a tour provided by Dreamland Safari Tours in Buckskin Gulch. We are seniors and were looking for something commensurable with our age, yet fun and some challenge. The tour exceeded our expectations.
Our guide, Jen (Janet Roberts) was excellent. She took us to the Wire Pass, and not to the beginning of the Buckskin Gulch as signs showed, saving us about 14 miles of boring hike in a wash. Without the guide we would have been lost, as we saw quite a few parties that needed Jen's help finding their way.
Road to the wide pass is not paved and generally passable by an average SUV, but it is clay, so it is very slippery when even slightly wet, and quite bumpy. Navigating it needs experience and I suggest using a guide.
Wire pass requires a bit of scramble, but Jen was excellent in showing us how to navigate the drops and boulders obstructing the way. In one place with especially high drop there is new ladder installed, so no more rope or bypass requiring mount goat skills (although Jen competently led us over the cliffs - the ladder is so new, it was installed just a couple of days before our hike).
Jen was excellent in managing time, showing us the way, and points of interest along it. And I can honestly say that we would not have competed the hike without her, as the obstacles in the canyon looked pretty serious; we would have just turned back and did not get to see the splendor of the Gulch. It is as spectacular as you can read in all other reviews. The pictures are breathtaking, tall vertical walls on the sides of the narrow pathway. It is quite dangerous to hike there, as the water during flash floods comes up high, carries enormous boulders (as we saw them deposited on the floor), and there is absolutely nowhere to hide if you get caught. But guides monitor the weather conditions and take you there only if there no danger whatsoever. Jen told us quite few stories about rescues, and she carries with her a satellite phone (there is no cellular reception anywhere there) and first aid kit.
The tour is totally worth it, and we got so many memories out of it. Dreamland provided great service, no hiccups whatsoever, and our guide Jen gave us great experience accompanied with very interesting stories.
Overall, we highly recommend this tour.