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Kolob Canyons
There are two Kolob sections in Zion National Park; Kolob Canyons located 18-miles south of Cedar City and Kolob Terrace accessed from the town of Virgin, 12-miles from the south entrance of the main section of the park. Both Kolob sections can proudly boast of their magnificent mountains of red sandstone, however the two are as different from each other as they are from Zion Canyon or Zion’s east side. Kolob Canyons is a remote 30,000 acre block of the park which is located northwest of Zion Canyon. Its set at a higher elevation than the main park, in fact, it boasts of having the parks highest peak - Horse Ranch Mountain at 8726 feet and some of Zion’s youngest strata. Directions - To get to it from Cedar City, travel south on I-15 and take exit 40. From Zion’s main section, exit the park from Zion’s south entrance. Drive on SR-9 through the small towns of Springdale, Rockville and Virgin. Turn right at the stop light in La Verkin and travel through Toquerville to I-15. Take I-15 north and exit at the signed exit for Kolob Canyons. It will take about 90-minutes (40-miles) to travel from Zion’s south entrance to Kolob Canyons. Kolob Canyons is open year-round however the road can close due to snow. The 7-day Zion pass is good for all sections of Zion.Kolob Canyons Visitor Center: 435.586.9548 Open daily except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Kolob Hiking: A hiking guide to hiking in the Kolob sections of Zion National Park.
Wildlife - The wildlife in Kolob Canyons seems to be an exaggerated version of what you see in Zion Canyon. Rattlesnakes are surprisingly common along the Middle Fork of Taylor Creek, but as far as I know, no human has ever been bit along the trail. When I hiked it with my kids we saw several rattlers, but unless you are looking you will probably never notice them. In all my years of hiking in Zion Canyon I have only seen one rattlesnake at that was on the Riverside Walk Trail. It was a fat, sleepy one, curled up under a bench. Tourists were all around it taking photos. A ranger came and bagged it and took it to a new location before I got to the end of the path and returned to the same location. Timber Creek - Start this one-mile, round-trip hike, at the Kolob Canyons picnic area. It is a 100 foot ascent, following a ridge to a small peak. From the point you can see Timber Creek, Kolob Terrace and the Pine Valley mountains beyond Saint George. Plan on 30-minutes for the round-trip. Middle Fork of Taylor Creek - The popular Middle Fork of Taylor Creek Trail is a 5.4-mile round-trip hike, past two homestead cabins and ending at a beautiful double arch water-streaked alcove with hanging gardens. This is an easy to moderate hike without much elevation change, but there is some shallow stream crossing. It should take about 3-hours to complete the trail. North Fork of Taylor Creek - The North Fork of Taylor Creek is an un-maintained trail that begins at the heavily traveled Middle Fork of Taylor Creek Trailhead. It leaves the popular trail at the Larsen Cabin and goes to Pico Rosado, (Pink Spire, in Portuguese) a freestanding arch seen high on a cliff and then terminates between Horse Ranch Mountain and Tucupit Point. South Fork of Taylor Creek - The 2-mile round-trip to the South Fork of Taylor Creek, is an un-maintained trail that begins about 3-miles past the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center, on an unmarked path. The path leads into the canyon between Paria Point and Beatty Point. La Verkin Creek Trail – Kolob Arch – Begin at Lee’s Pass, following the La Verkin Creek Trail then take the spur to Kolob Arch. This can be done as a long day hike or as an overnight backpack. Campgrounds – Other than backpacking, there is no camping in the Kolob Canyons. Kanarraville has a nice campground that is nearby.
Zion National Park, UtahHistory of the Thunderbird |
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This is my new favorite quote:
"I don't know who Mary Cisneros is, but I mean zionnational-park.com It's a better site than the NPS's anyway." Written by the authors of the book: Favorite Hikes in and around Zion National Park |
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