One of the coolest adventures I’ve ever done! I finally stumbled upon Backcountry Found after calling multiple companies in the area and none of them were running Buckskin hikes due to slow season. There were no groups going out I could join, and the other companies were quoting me an insane price to go solo. I wrote to Backcountry Found and they said it would be no problem to take me by myself at their standard price, which was very reasonable compared to other companies as well! They were great to communicate with and my guide Wagner called me the night before to go over all details.
I’m pretty confident in my athletic abilities, but am not a super experienced hiker. I was legitimately nervous about the rock scramble, but after reading other reviews I felt like I could do it. Wagner is probably one of the best guides I’ve ever had. His manner put me very at ease when tackling the scramble into the canyon, and he showed me handhold by handhold and foothold by foothold exactly how to execute each step to get me to the bottom safely. He really seems to be an expert hiker, especially in this area, and knows Buckskin Gulch inside and out. I felt extremely safe with him guiding me. A super cool part of the rock scramble is that the Middle Route is actually marked by ancient footholds created by indigenous people and petroglyphs guiding you down into the canyon, so you are literally following in the footsteps of the canyon’s ancestors who executed the same route time and time again over the years. So much cooler than simply hiking into the canyon! I would say that as long as you don’t have major mobility issues, have good shoes with tread, and you follow Wagner’s directions, you will be fine on this part of the hike. Successfully executing the scramble will give you such a huge sense of accomplishment!
I would highly recommend Backcountry Found because of this amazing guided experience. Yes, you can do Buckskin on your own, but the usual trafficked routes lead you into huge puddles of mud and water where most people have to abandon the hike and don’t see much. This was an amazing full day adventure; the rock scramble Middle Route drops you off right in the middle of the canyon so you see the best (and driest) parts to hike and as much of the muddier, but photogenic, first section of the canyon as you wish to explore. Since the groups are so small, or private, you can really do as much or little as you want to do and completely customize your experience. Wagner did an amazing job at teaching me about geologic formations and the cultural history of the area; we saw so many cool petroglyphs and ancient artifacts that I would never, ever have noticed myself! He also has a lot of photography experience and took some great shots of me, and I was able to get some cool photos of the canyon myself.
I would definitely not have appreciated this hike so much if I had simply gone myself on the standard route. In addition, this route is extremely infrequently trafficked; we only saw 2 other people on the trail and absolutely no one in the canyon the whole day. It is such a must do for nature and adventure lovers. I would absolutely love to hike with Backcountry Found again and you should as well! Ask for Wagner as your guide!