Kolob Canyons — Local services in Cedar Highlands

We visited the Kolob Canyons section of the park one day and hiked to Kolob Arch. It's about an hour drive from Springdale. Unlike the main Zion Canyon, the Kolob section is much less crowded. On an 7-hour, 14-mile hike, we only saw three other people, so it was kind of a relief after visiting more popular areas. Although the hike is long, it's pretty easy for most of the way. The first part is rather steep downhill, so the very end if uphill. Besides that, it's a very pleasant hike. From Lee Pass, the trail descends about three miles along Timber Creek (dry when we hiked) and then turns left and follows La Verkin Creek upstream. There are a number of backcountry campsites all along the trail if you want to make an overnight trip, but all camping in the park requires a permit. In just under 7 miles, a spur trail to the left leads about a half-mile to a viewpoint of the arch. This area is part of Zion Wilderness, so no blazes, but there are signs at trail junctions. The Kolob Arch Trail ends at a viewpoint of the arch, but we found a better spot by climbing up some rocks. The arch is huge - even viewing from a distance. It's tucked away in a small canyon and I guess that protects it...

This is such a great addition to Zion National Park. Zion has two parts, the huge, heavily populated side (totally worth going to) and this side. You can really get a great appreciation of the landscape in a short amount of time here. It is also much easier to get to, since it is just an exit off the highway and you are there. We went to the other side of Zion one day, and visited this one on the way back from Bryce Canyon NP. We didn't do any trails, but this would definitely be the way to go if you are short on time, or if have small children. We loved Zion, but the easier trails we were sticking too were heavily populated and are used as a connector trail to get to some of the harder and more popular ones. So we felt like we were in others way going at our small children walking pace. Kolob would have probably been a better place to family hike. The drive alone is spectacular. At the top there is a nice infographic with the elevations of the mountains listed. It's pretty humbling to see the thousand feet differences in the mountains right in front of you, giving you a better idea just how huge...

This is the northern section of Zion. However, it is about an hour away from the main entrance. The best part is it is just as scenic and is NOT crowded! We included it on our plans as we were driving from Bryce back to Las Vegas. The road is a very short drive to the end and there is a one mile hike that ends in a very scenic view of the entire canyon! Definitely worth the extra hike. There is also a very nice shaded picnic area at the end of the road with latrines. We spent about two hours which allowed us just enough time to see it. There are several hiking trails that are available if you really wanted to experience the area. I am glad...