Zion National Park

This is my favorite hike of all times.  After hiking just about everything in Zion and nearby and doing this one several times using different ways in and out, I can say without a doubt that Parunuweap is my favorite hike!

After having done the entire river from near Mineral Gulch all the
way to Springdale in about 1991 with a group of young Boy Scouts, and
then hiking to Labrynth Falls yesterday, I would recommend this hike
to anyone who is fit!

I remember that the whole 25 mile day done in 1991 was a rush job and
yesterday being very casual, was much more enabling. Had we had rope
we would have ventured “underneath” Labrynth, but it becomes a bit
dicey beyond the top of Labrynth..

I do recall several archaelogical sites that we briefly encountered
below the falls in 1991, and due to timing didn’t have much time to
really absorb their magnitude.

Overall, I would HIGHLY recommend the hike from Checkerboard Mesa to
Labrynth Falls! Even if I say that the “Parunuweap Narrows” are
better than the VRG Narrows in Zion, it wouldn’t matter because one
has to work hard to view them. The remote feeling, the beauty and the
rarely visited area is the best by far, in and around Zion. Not that
I’ve seen them all, but I’ve seen a fair portion, and maybe I’m
biased, but yesterday, a holiday weekend, we saw not a nary person
except some sunflower seed hulls the entire day. To me….thats what
makes a day……One million visitors….not in the East Fork!

 – Bo

Like Red Hollow, Spring Hollow is a hidden treasure, located on the east side of Zion National Park. This one is not a narrow slot, but it has its own beauty. When the water is running there is a wonderful waterfall at the end as well as a double fall up high that is seen during the hike.

“This is the most incredible slot canyon I have ever seen. What a great, I mean really great, easy to access, unbelievably awesome slot canyon. I’m ready to get back in there. The water coming thru made it even more awesome than I can imagine. Gave it the feel of hiking Kolob Creek in Zion Park, without having to spend the entire day working at it.”
- Bo Beck

This is a great little slot adventure, that is idea when the water is running. Since the water is from snow melt early spring is the best time of year to go. If steeming your way through a narrow slot is fun, then this canyon will give it in spades with little effort to get to the canyon itself. There are no access issues which makes it all the better and there are no permits needed since this is outside of the parks.

http://www.zionnational-park.com/east-zion-red-hollow.htm

This was a great trip! I felt very safe today since I got the chance to hike and canyoneer with two Search and Rescue men from Kane County and a Search and Rescue Vetran from Zion National Park. Bo and I met for breakfast at the Thunderbird and we met up with Mark and Dean at 9am. Although the forcast called for some light scattered showers it had been raining all night and it only let up a short time the entire day we hiked. First questions was where were we going, and Mark got a smile on his face and said how about Red Cave. Since it was raining that was a good idea. We did not want to let the slot have time to flood. After talking to my brother we decided the best way to go was through Tait Lane in Mount Carmel. Although there is a wild 4WD road that is entered through his yard there is now a locked gate past his house on anothers property. We did not see anyone to stop and ask if we could go so we drove slowly and made sure to shut the gate behind us. The road pretty much leads to the slot and Dean knows the 4WD areas well so we easily made it to Upper Red Cave. We stopped and checked out the entrance but with the cold temperature outside, the rain and the fact we would have to get pretty wet at the start of the slot we decided to go and check out Lower Red Cave. We were in luck and found that slot to be totally dry and it was sand filled to my delight. I had been through the slot earlier in the Summer with Shane Burrows and the boulder obstacles were not easy at that time. Today on the otherhand, they were a breeze. Right at the start of the slot is a rope obstacle. Climb this frayed ancient rope at your own risk! The climb seems easy for the men, but I had to take the alternate route and go around the right side of the slot and hike up the mountain side and find a way down. Bo, the gentleman he his went with me and found us a nice spot to enter the slot. We got down and did not find Mark and Dean anywhere so we hiked back to the rope area to find them just 15 ft past the rope obstacle at another fun obstacle. After a quick look at it, and the face that we did not bring any rope, the guys decided that they too would go out and hike up the mountain side and drop into the slot.

The rest of the slot was easy with sand laid down high in the last flash flood. I have no doubt with all the rain we are having this week that the slot will be flooding again soon and each time the characteristics of the slot change. We made our way through the beautiful and skinny slot, past the window and the open area into another nice slot section. When we got to the end we were cold enough we turned around and went back rather than hiking over to the upper section and going in that from the back and having to hike back to the Rover all wet.

This was an outstanding day with awesome friends!

Thanks Bo, Dean and Mark!