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Submission
The Paria Contact Station is a seasonally staffed information center primarily focused on assisting guests visiting the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, and nearby sites within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The station also serves as a pickup location for Paria Canyon Overnight permits. Drinking water is available year-round in the parking area.
The front desk and exterior bathroom meet ADA accessibility standards.
Nice campground, easy to get to. 2 miles of rumbly washboard gravel road, and 2 big dips, but we made it with our 26 ft RV. $5/night. ATT cell service, no verizon service. No water. Wide open spaces, sites are spread apart but it's all open.
Most people hike along the river bed here on Paria River. But if you're not interested in getting your feet wet on a cold/rainy day, there is a high road along the ridge that offers some rather spectacular views as well. Use a hiking pole to help you wade through loose sand especially in the beginning of the trail. Along some of the ridge I would not recommend if it gets rainy as gravel can become loose and slippery. We hiked past the power lines and my watch measured about 6.5 miles which we leisurely did in 3 hrs.
One of the best hikes on our vacation. My 8 and 10 year old boys loved it. You will absolutely get wet!!! We went in March and actually walked 6.5 miles barefoot. They loved every second and I practically had to drag then back to the car. They kept asking for 5 more minutes. Many places to stop and explore. Not overly crowded. Took my dog, and she loved it. Everyone we meet in the trail that day was very friendly :-)
Great camping location. There are 3 out of the 10 sites that are not close to the parking lot that you will need to walk 50-100 yards from the lot. There are fire rings for each site, and one restroom for the location.
Very clean and beautiful sites. Lot of trails for exploring. Next to the Paria River, which had water running 2-3 feet, perfect for soaking and cooling off. Sunrise and sunsets were amazing. The night sky shows were outstanding.
