The desert hills of southwestern Utah run from the border with Arizona right up to the first peaks of Zion National Park. There are some trails through these hills outside of the park that are too hot to hike, except in shoulder season or in winter. In late fall, we hiked a couple of them while on a trip to …Continue reading…
Between Zion National Park and the Vermillion Cliffs to the east is an area of hills, terraces, and buttes. The Sand Hills are found in that area, with Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park as the centerpiece. Driving east through Zion, we arrive at Mt. Carmel Junction. From there, drive 6 km south to the signed turn to the park. …Continue reading…
Most hikers that come to Zion National Park hike the designated, signed trails that start in Zion Valley. Many of these hikes are memorable ones worth facing the ever-increasing crowds, but there are many more areas to hike in Zion, most of which see little traffic. The east side of Zion past the tunnel has remarkable scenery, but has limited …Continue reading…
In Zion National Park, we can hike on designated trails, scramble across the slickrock, or we can canyoneer on technical (or non-technical) routes. Technical routes require equipment to get down the drop-offs when going down a canyon route from top to bottom. We picked Fat Man’s Misery and the Subway on our last trip to the area. Fat Man’s starts …Continue reading…
The Many Pools route is not a designated trail in Zion National Park, but it is an interesting route that is easy to follow. The start is at a pullout on the East Zion Road about 0.8 miles east of the small tunnel. Walk along the road and look for an informal trail dropping into the drainage/wash on the north …Continue reading…
The route down The Narrows from the top is a 15.4 mile trek in the Virgin River Canyon to Zion Canyon. A backcountry permit is needed to do the route and hikers should expect to take from 8 to 10 hours. At least half of the hike is wading in the river on slippery rocks. An early …Continue reading…
Moab, Utah lies at the bottom of a fault in the Colorado Plateau. Red cliffs, buttes, and hills rise up on every side. On the west side are cliffs that stand 1500 to 1800 feet above the town. This is the Behind the Rocks Wilderness Area. There are no trails or tracks that go over these cliffs from …Continue reading…
The Navajo sandstone buttes, mesas, hills, and mountains of the southern Colorado Plateau are really hardened sand dunes, weathered into slickrock slopes awaiting our exploration. There are trails in canyons and washes, but to hike to higher elevations is often a scramble on a series of sandstone steps or slickrock ledges. The ledges are really just layers of sandstone, often …Continue reading…
In Zion National Park, many of the best routes are not trails. They follow canyons or are traverses across the upper slickrock slopes. The Many Pools route has a few cairns and some footprints in sandy washes, but it is an intuitive route – just follow the potholes and pour-offs. In this dry desert country, rain is infrequent, but when …Continue reading…
The road from the east into Zion National Park is stunning. Some drivers rush through this narrow,w inding road and then through the tunnel, but if you go for the scenery, take your time and make a few stops along the way. There isn't much parking so just look for pull-outs where they appear. The one designated trail is the …Continue reading…
In my last trip to Zion, I camped at the Watchman Campground, right at the entrance, next to the Virgin River. After a long day of hiking, I sat in a camp chair with a glass of wine and enjoyed the sunset. The Watchman lies to the south. Each direction has its own special view. The West Temple overshadows the …Continue reading…
Each time we return to Zion National Park, we try to pick new routes. The main trails are all worth doing over, but some of the extended routes, scamble routes, and side canyons are also exciting destinations. On this last trip, I scrambled up Checkerboard Mesa and also hiked the West Rim Trail. Many people hike the West Rim from …Continue reading…
In British Columbia, we mostly hike ridges to high points, In Utah, many hikes are through canyons, especially on the Colorado Plateau. In Zion National Park, there are hundreds of canyons to explore and a few of them having regular hiking trails in them. One of the more unusual ones is Hidden Canyon. The trailhead and the first kilometre follows …Continue reading…
This was our first hike in Zion National Park. It was 98 degrees (F) and I had a fever from a cold that had hit me the night before. I took some analgesic and then chose a steep hike. I sweated and puffed on the switchbacks, but on every stage, I was blown away by the unique trail and scenery. …Continue reading…
In the northwest corner of Zion National Park is an area of easy access to a cluster of hiking trails in canyons. Highway 15 connects St. George and Cedar City. A signed pulloff goes to a National Park entrance (pass required) and a road winds up through the hills, with several designated parking areas at viewpoints and trailheads. Two hikes …Continue reading…
The Narrows is one of the most famous "hikes" on the continent. For day-hikers, it starts at the end of the road. The Zion Canyon bus stops at the Temple of the Sinawava. A trail continues on in the narrowing canyon. At the end of the paved trail, any further progress is in the Virgin River. About 2/3 of the …Continue reading…