Zion National Park Part II: Kolob Canyons

There is a relatively-unknown, little-visited area of Zion National Park located in the northwest corner called Kolob Canyons. Kolob Canyons are a series of narrow finger canyons located about 40 minutes from where we were staying in Virgin, UT, and about an hour from the main entrance to Zion National Park.

There is a 5-mile scenic road with views of the canyons.

Along the road there are several pull-offs where you can get a closer look at some of the canyons. Notice the black streak to the right in the next photo. It is a small creek flowing down a hanging canyon along the side of the main canyon.

 

The formation in the next photo is where a large slab of rock broke off back in 1983. The slab broke off near the right end where the area at the base has less vegetation.

At the end of the scenic road is an overlook with a spectacular view of the row of canyons.

There are several hiking trails in this northern area of the park, but most of them are longer and more difficult than we wanted to tackle. There is one, however, that is only about an hour long, but it is considered to be a moderately difficult hike because of the relatively steep elevation change in a short distance. Timber Creek Overlook Trail goes along a ridge on the west side of the canyons.

Along the way, we saw numerous cacti and wildflowers.

At the top of the last hill at the end of the trail we got a view toward the south and the upper end of Zion Canyon.

The return hike was mostly downhill. Once we got back to the car, we headed back to the motor home by way of the Dairy Queen in nearby Hurricane, UT. The frozen treats tasted good on a hot day.

Our next outing will be to Zion Canyon, which is the main area of Zion National Park. Stay tuned.