Kolob Canyons – Zion National Park

Zion National Park is one of the most visited parks and it’s definitely one of my favorites. I’ve actually visited Zion about a half dozen times. They’ve all been to the valley and the main portion of the park. On this road trip, I visited the Kolob Canyons area of the park. The entrance is of Highway 15 and not connected to the valley and the rest of the park.

Zion is famous for its amazing hiking trails and Kolob Canyons doesn’t  disappoint. I decided to hike the Taylor Creek Trail which is fairly close to the park entrance. Unfortunately, the parking lot is very small for this popular hike. I had to park at a turnout further up the road. The trail is flat except for a set of steps at the very start of the hike.

The trail will take you through the forest and the leaves were turning to match the season. The trees were all decked out in there Autumn colors. The route also follows creek and sometimes the trail is the creek.

It’s hard to keep your eyes on the trail with the amazing flora all around you and if you tilt your head up just a little bit, you’ll discover an amazing view of the near by monoliths. There’s no where to look without being captivated. It’s a walk in an enchanted forest.

The trail ends at Double Arch Alcove, more commonly referred to as a cave. It is a beautiful site in its own right, wedged in a wonderful rock formation. Personally, the path was definitely the highlight of this hike in comparison to the finish. The hike is listed as a five mile up and back but I measured at seven miles so be for warned.

I made it back to my car and I drove further up Kolob Canyon Road to the very end and the Kolob Canyon Viewpoint. This is a great spot to view the amazing landscape of the park. It’s also the trailhead to the Timber Creek Overlook Trail. This is a short two mile up and back trail. In this case, the destination definitely out weighs the path. The trail is rocky but flat and very easy as it wanders through the pine trees.

You’ll definitely know when you’ve reached the end as the trail opens up on to a rocky point with large boulders scattered around a steep hillside. It’s an amazing view with the high rock formations to the left and the valley in front of the view point. They say you can see the peaks of the Grand Canyon from here on a clear day. Unfortunately, It wasn’t one of those days but it was still a spectacular vantage point.

Kolob Canyons is definitely worth a visit and I am so happy that I finally got the chance to see it. It’s landscape is different from the valley, the main portion of the park. This region is a forest in comparison to the desert terrain of the valley. Zion has never disappointed me in all my visits and this one was no different.