Paria Badlands

The Paria Badlands are located between Kanab, Utah and Page, Arizona. It takes less than an hour to fully see, and is an excellent side trip on your way to or from other hikes nearby.

Hike Details

There really is no hiking trail at the Paria Badlands. Basically, this is a way to wind down, after some of the other hikes in the surrounding areas. While it requires no hiking, this isn’t a place to dismiss. The views are impressive and you don’t even need to take more than a couple of steps outside of your car to see some beautiful views.

How to get there:

From Kanab, Utah, take US-89 east for approximately 32.5 miles. There will be a sign that reads “Old Pahreah Townsite.” Turn left into the large, round gravel parking area, and you will see some plaques and large stone landmarks.If coming from Page, Arizona, take US-89 for 40.5 miles. You will see a sign for “Old Pahreah Townsite.” Turn right here into the gravel parking area where you will see some of the plaques and landmarks. They tell more about the history of the area. After reading the plaques head north on the dirty road for 4.8 miles, you will come to the first and in my opinion, the best spot for pictures of the Paria Badlands. This road will eventually lead you to the Old Paria cemetery which contains about 20 graves. Near the cemetery and parking area, on the south side of the Paria River was the old movie set where several films were shot from the 1940’s through the 1970’s, most notably The Outlaw Josey Wales, which starred Clint Eastwood. In August 2006, the replica buildings were burned to the ground by an arsonist.

Views of the Chinle formation in the Paria Badlands

If you continue down the dirt road past the small cemetery, you will come to the banks of the Paria River, where the road ends. The river banks at this point are nearly one hundred feet wide. If you wish, you can cross the Paria River, which is usually just about ten or twelve feet wide and less than calf deep. The remains of the Pahreah townsite are found on the other side of the Paria River. There isn’t much left at the old townsite, just some stones, and pieces of collapsed roofs remain along with old rusted tin cans, etc. The town of Pahreah was settled and established in 1869, but within about 40 years, the settlement was abandoned due to the constant flooding of the Paria River, the remoteness of the area, and the scarcity of wood.

View of the colorful rock layers of the Paria Badlands

View from the road leading to the old Pahreah townsite