The Paria River meets Kitchen Canyon Creek in this image of the Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument I lensed in the later afternoon on an early springtime day as I was exploring the area along the side of the Cockscomb Monocline near Canyonlands National Park.
The Paria River is on the right and Kitchen Canon on the left, where they meet is called Deer Range Trails.
If you follow that back towards the top of the image you will find two separate cliffs running horizontally across the image. The first ones are called the White Cliffs and the ones above them on the distant horizon are the pink and red cliffs of Bryce Canyon National Park.
I found the following information about the history of the area from here (Research Source)
The Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, a 112,000-acre reserve located on the border of southern Utah and northern Arizona, was established by Congress in 1984 in the Arizona Wilderness Act. Part of the wilderness area was later incorporated into the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument by President Bill Clinton in 2000. The wilderness area includes many plateaus, escarpments, and slot canyons. The history of the area, however, can be traced to prehistoric times. Indeed, some archaeologists believe that the wilderness area was inhabited at least 10,000 years before the first Europeans stepped foot in the area in the mid 1770s. It is believed by some to have been a travel route between southern Utah and northern Arizona. From approximately 200 A.D. to 1200 A.D., the area was inhabited by the Anasazis and later by the Paiute people. In fact, “Paria” (originally spelled “Pahreah”) is a Piute word that means “salty” or “muddy” water. These two civilizations left behind an inspiring array of petroglyphs and pictographs that can still be observed on many of the rock walls today.
On the right side of this image along the Paria River are what is called the “Water Pockets” and is a popular canoeing or kayaking river... this is from an article I found (Research Source):
Water Pockets Canyon is a remote, unique and interesting canyoneering route that is tribitary to the Paria River in northern Arizona with many minor keeper potholes and sections of sculpted, deep sandstone narrows. Intermediate to advanced understanding of construction and evaluation of natural anchors is required to safely complete this canyon.
Very small chockstone and deadman anchors were needed to complete the descent, and since they were placed directly in the watercourse it is assumed that some of the anchors will eventually be washed away in flash flooding. It is a good idea to scout ahead and make sure you find an anchor present or enough good material to build a new one before committing the last of your party through the previous rappel in case you find that anchor material is lacking at a drop that must be rappelled - in which case you may want to move material forward from before the previous drop for new anchor construction.
Sand trap anchors would prove useful in one or two spots if this is the case (though they aren’t necessary) - water trap anchors would not. Though it may be prudent to bring a bolt kit to ensure the safety of your group through this canyon, keep in mind that bolting is illegal in Glen Canyon National Recreational area and must be done only in a life-or-death situation when all other options are completely exhausted. No bolts were used in the first descent through trip.
Water is usually available in the potholes of Water Pockets Canyon, but many of the pools are littered with dead animals, making them less than desirable for filtering. The water in Paria Canyon also seems to be rarely suitable to filter as it is typically quite silty and muddy. The best approach seems to be to carry enough water with you for the entire trip from the beginning.
And this is some interesting info I found here (Research Source):
The Paria River winds down through Utah and into Arizona, eventually to reach the Colorado River just above Grand Canyon. Paria (pah-REE-a) is a Paiute word meaning "muddy water". A few miles north of the Arizona border, the river cuts into cliff-forming sandstone.
The gorge rapidly deepens, forming walls over a quarter mile high, but so close together in one five mile stretch that you can literally stretch out your arms and touch both walls at once. Sandstone cliffs characterize the canyon for the first 25 to 30 miles, after which the canyon widens out into mixed layers of sandstone and shale, before finally reaching Lee's Ferry on the Colorado River. Total mileage is just over 37, excluding the exploration of side canyons.
This is from my ongoing project in which I am trying to raise awareness of the 47% of the USA and 90% of Canada that remain unpopulated wilderness.
Where Eagles Fly - The American Wilderness Expedition is my personal mission to introduce people to these amazing locations that surround us.
If you are interested in helping with this project I would love to have your assistance! Please consider upvoting and resteemit so that others may experience these wondrous places as well.
Yehaw!!