Zion wasn't on my agenda, but I received an annual park pass as a gift, so I took off work the Wednesday before Memorial Day weekend and decided to make an effort to get to Kolob Arch. Those plans were somewhat foiled when I arrived at the Kolob Visitor Center before it opened and was told by the Ranger hoisting Old Glory to just go in. No pass required [insert eye-rolling emoji here].
The Lee Pass trailhead sits just above 6,000 feet and when I arrived, it was in the mid-40s, bright and clear. Perfect day for a romp in the backcountry. Right out of the chute, the trail begins the long descent to La Verkin Creek. Over the first mile and one half or so, you lose ~1,000 feet of elevation meaning that on your out, after hiking roughly 14 miles, you'll be climbing. It didn't suck too badly actually, but it was a lot easier going in.
Anyway, the trail descend a minor ridge to Timber Creek and then flattens for maybe a half mile. Then the trail drops perhaps a couple of hundred feet more until you hit La Verkin Creek. The creek was still flowing nicely so I stopped briefly to appreciate the sublime scenery and the toads sunning themselves on the rocks creekside. I also got an up-close look at the cyanobacteria that is prevalent in all the creeks in Zion. Word is that you are not supposed to dunk your head in the creek when the bacteria is present, filter water from the creek, or let you dogs swim in the creek. They can die. There is a series of 12 backpacking camps along the trail which you can reserve in advance. Just beyond campground 7, a spring crosses the trail. I was told by some backpackers that the Ranger told them it was save to filter water from this spring.
As I strode along, I kept thinking about that damn climb out and almost turned and started back. But then I realized that I might never be in this spot again, and that i'd kick myself if I didn't go all the way, so I continued on.
At roughly mile 7ish, a spur trail (signed) departs to the north. This is where you want to go. The trail, which is approximately half-mile, is more rocky and rugged than the main trail, and it dips into the creek bed, then climbs back up the right side of the hill until you finally reach a clearing where you can see Kolob Arch. Candidly, the views of the arch from this vantage point are not as good as I would have expected, and it appears that folks have continued past this point cross country (presumably to get a better look), but I was satisfied with stopping here.
After 15 minutes or so, I started back which was uneventful. On the way out, I crossed paths with a couple of groups coming in and others who were setting up camp. The resources I looked at said give yourself 8 hours to complete the hike, but I got back to the trailhead just over 6 hours after I started. While i was rehydrating at the parking lot, a guy, his wife, and daughter stopped to ask me about the views from the trail. They spoke French mostly, but enough English to converse. Turns out they were from the Ivory Coast in Africa and were touring the park. I instantly became the guy's best friend and he insisted that his wife take several pictures of us with arms around each other. I'm not much for sentimentality, but it was cute.
There you have it. My soft under-belly.
Pics.
