Zion National Park

Today Bo and I headed to the top of Checkerboard Mesa. We had exited this way once last winter when the wash was snow filled. Bo had done the climbing route up Checkerboard Mesa before however and knew this route. We started about 10 and it was still shady on the side of the mountain we were hiking on. This made for a nice and easy trek up the mountainside. There are a couple of chimneys that you would have to hike around in the dirt, but besides that its a nice hike through the wash to the ledge where bushwacking is required to get to the top of Checkerboard Mesa.

The hike through the Left Fork of North Creek involves route finding, swimming ice cold pools and navigating through obstacles which often require the use of a rope. Today we took the kids! My 12 year old daughter and Bo’s 20 year old son. This make the trip quite special. The kids laughed and spread their joy. We also invited a few other friends including Reid from the yahoo hiking group and his hiking buddy along with some of Bo’s co-workers.

Hiking in Zion National Park - East Temple Mesa

Here is a route that is off the beaten path. The route begins at the well known Canyon Overlook Trail and runs through the saddle by Zion’s East Temple and exits at Upper Pine Creek. Be prepared for slickrock scrambling since the start of this hike is rather steep and up the side of the mountain. The route is 2.25 miles long and once on top its a easy hike down, until hitting the slope going into Upper Pine Creek. At this point those sticky rubber shoes are crucial.

Hidden Arch is a short little hike to a jug handle arch located on the east side of Zion National Park. Park your car at the Checkerboard Mesa parking lot. Look over the end of the wall for the beaten path. Its not a marked trail. Remember to stay on the path so the park does not close trails like this.

After you are in the creekbed, turn left. The water course will split. Take the fork on the right and hike up that for about 3/4 mile. Stay close to the mountainside. You can see the arch after you actually hike a bit past it.

Hidden Arch

Two Pines Arch

Bo and I headed out to find one of the elusive natural arches in Zion National Park. We had heard about this arch and that it could actually be seen from the road. This is true, but it helps to hike there so you know were you a the road. Look for the slot or wash by the yellow road sign. Once down in the wash hike for about 150 yards. Hike in the wash to the arch.

Detailed directions and photos
Two Pine Arch

Keyhole Canyon is a tight slot canyon that is found in the heart of Zion National Park just off the Zion Mt. Carmel (highway9) Highway. Unlike many of the slot canyons in Zion this one has a quick hike leading to the entrance. Due to this and the easier rappels, Keyhole Canyon is usually considered the beginners slot canyon in Zion. The whole adventure is only a half mile and it takes about 2 hours to complete. Keyhole is cold and there are cold water swims. Although some people do brave keyhole without a wetsuit, its an uncomfortable and rushed trip

Orderville Canyon is a tributary of the Zion Narrows and the canyon that most opt for after they graduate from the Zion Narrows. Many actually get a taste of the Orderville Narrows when they are hiking the Zion Narrows and notice the off shoot. However the park only allows hikers to go to the first waterfall. Going past this without the proper gear and knowledge can be hazardous to your health. Often people end up jumping and this results in injuries.

Orderville Canyon Trail
Its nice to have a four wheel drive to get to the trailhead for Orderville Canyon, but if the weather is nice a 2WD can make it. Follow the trail description from the link below and enjoy. Orderville Canyon is one of the most dramatic slot canyon adventures in Zion National Park and the best part is that almost anyone in good condition can enjoy this hike without having to have technical canyoneering skills and rope management skills.

The Zion Narrows Trail is the one trail that just about everyone that knows of Zion National Park has heard of. We got to play in the narrows a couple of times this year, but did not do the entire hike from Chamberlains Ranch. We will have to put that on our todo list for this spring. We did go through from Mystery Springs to the Temple of Sinewava while the upper narrows was closed. Its was flowing heavy and it was a swimmer even in the short section we went through. Later in the season we again got to exit out the narrows when we did Orderville Canyon. The Narrows deserves its name as one of the most incredible hikes anywhere.

Zion Narrows

This weekend we hiked the West Rim in Zion National Park. The hike is usually done as a backpack, but we opted to do it as a quick day hike instead. My hiking partners for the day were Bo Beck and Tim Tabor. We started early and got our car shuttle started. We parked one vehicle at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center and another at the Kolob Terrace where the trailhead for the West Rim is located. The trail begins with a even to gradual up and down hike through the forested path of the West Rim from Lava Falls. After Pototo Hollow the trail steepens as it reaches to Scouts Outlook. If you have never hiked out to Angels Landing don’t miss this chance. After Angels landing the last couple of miles is a downhill trek into Zion Canyon. If the shuttle is running jump on and catch a ride back to your vehicle. If you hike this after the shuttles shut down for the season be sure to park at the Grotto instead of the visitor center.

I had done Echo Canyon before in 2004 at the end of a six year long drought and my 3 year old son, my husband and I just walked a large section of it. This time through we swam and made our way through cold pools of water and there were some fun raps and downclimbs. We wore our wetsuits and were again comfortable. The water was not as cold as Das Boot (we did this the day after doing Das Boot) but we were glad we had on suits. It was darker in Echo Canyon, and although I did not realize it at the time, it was clear when I looked back at my photos. Echo Canyon, like Das Boot, is a narrow wet canyon with a lot of fun downclimbs. To find it hike up from Weeping Rock past the entrance to the East Rim Trail or Hike up from the East Rim Trail and go up a ways toward Observation Point. The complete trail description is on my website. http://www.zionnational-park.com This canyon I give another thumbs up!