12 October 2020 Wildcat Canyon Trailhead to Northgate Peaks and back (4 miles, +500/-500 feet). Today was definitely my favorite day of our short trip to Zion. We hiked to the Northgate Peaks through a lovely ponderosa forest and had great views of Russell Gulch, the Left Fork, Pine Valley Peak, and the eponymous domes…
Category: Zion
West Rim Quickie
11 October 2020 West Rim Trail to Left Fork Canyon and back (5 miles, +500/-500 feet). Given the difficulty we had yesterday, we decided to go up in altitude for cooler weather and find a day hike that was pretty flat. The West Rim Trail was perfect. We hiked it until we had a nice…
Coalpits Wash
10 October 2020 Coalpits Wash (5 miles, +800/-800 feet). Like most people these days, my buddy Jay who is also a professor has been going a little stir crazy, cooped up due to COVID. When I suggested we do a small backpacking trip he jumped at the chance. We are both busy with teaching and…
Day 4: Hopping to the End
Northgate Peaks Trail to Lee Pass Trailhead (18.2 miles, +1,100/-1,700 feet). This morning we were a little leery of what lay before us. The next section of the hike was on the “Connector” trail. It sounded about as glamorous as an urban highway interchange. But even this part of the route was beautiful, and in…
Day 3: The Spectacular West Rim
Cabin Spring to the Northgate Peaks Trail (16.7 miles, +1,500/-1,500 feet). All the frustration I felt with the crowds in Zion Canyon melted away this morning with the sunrise. I never knew that the beauty of the main canyon spills over the countryside into countless gorges and landscapes. And the West Rim Trail puts you…
Day 2: The Maddening Crowd
Top of Echo Canyon to Cabin Spring (11.0 miles, +3,000/-2,500 feet). I love all the scenery in Zion Canyon, and I love the fact that it is accessible to all different kinds of people. But when I’m in a frame of mind to go into the backcountry, it can be shockingly repulsive to deal with all…
Day 1: A Tranquil Beginning
East Entrance Trailhead to Top of Echo Canyon (6.6 miles, +1,000/-400 feet). We met ChiaGlyph, who was driving in from Denver, at the Kolob Canyon Visitor Center. We got our permit and then dropped a car at the Kolob Canyon trailhead where we will return at the end of our hike. We then shuttled to…
The JimmyJam Hiking Club 