Kaibab Gulch

This 800-foot-deep gorge provides a good look at some of the monument's oldest rocks. The mouth of Kaibab Gulch is located a short distance from the popular Buckskin Gulch Trailhead and is often overlooked by hikers. The House Rock Valley Road takes off from U.S. 89 and heads south about thirty-five miles east of Kanab. Drive south on this road about four miles and the gulch will be on the west side of the road just before the Buckskin Gulch area.

Of all the hikes in this book, Kaibab Gulch is at the lowest elevation, and it is the only canyon mentioned so far whose walls are made of limestone. The Kaibab Limestone that forms the canyon was named after Kaibab Gulch. Rock formations are often named after places where they are well exposed.

The Kaibab Limestone was deposited in an ancient ocean during the Permian period (270 million years ago). Marine fossils can be seen within this limestone. The distance between the sandstone nar¬rows of Buckskin Gulch and the limestone walls of Kaibab Gulch is small, but the canyons are markedly different.