There is an iron gate across the creek at one point, presumably to stop cattle, but no natural obstructions.Īfter the narrow passageways, the rocks become lighter in color as the gorge opens out, and ponderosa pine trees grow in alcoves at the edges, still quite a pretty scene. Past this point, the northern half of Skutumpah Road - also used to reach Bull Valley Gorge - is generally more uneven and rougher.Ĭliffs rise up a short distance east of the road, enclosing the wash in a canyon that soon becomes 250 feet deep.It takes just ten minutes to walk down the stony creekbed to the start of the narrows - not quite a slot canyon as the walls are never less than around 15 feet across, Lick Wash still has several good enclosed sections through rocks composed of many bands of cross-bedded sandstone at different angles.

Vehicles may be parked at a level area right next to the road bridge over the streambed. Lick Wash flows across a wide basin (Dry Valley) 2 miles north of the ranch, and it is not signposted, though the hike has become more widely advertised by the BLM in recent years. The southern approach is preferred as the road is better there is a good gravel surface, though still rather bumpy, for 13 miles as far as Deer Springs Ranch after which it is narrower and has some sections made of clay, apt to be rutted even when dry. Lick Wash is about half way along - 18 miles from the north end of the road at the Paria River near Cannonville and 15 miles from the south end at the head of Johnson Canyon. Like Smoky Mountain Road and Cottonwood Canyon Road, this is impassable in wet weather but should be suitable for all vehicles when dry. The wash is reached by Skutumpah Road, the westernmost of three unpaved routes across the Paria-Escalante region, linking US 89 with UT 12.

Willis creek slot canyon flesh water