On our way to vegas we had a couple extra days before we really needed to be there. We decided to explore Zion a bit. This was my third time there, but I still haven’t done Angels Landing or The Narrows. Our plan was to do at least one of those. We got there, mid September, and it was SO busy, we would have had to park outside of the park and take a shuttle in. We just weren’t having it.
We stopped for lunch and looked at the park map for a bit before deciding to see what was down Kolob Terrace Road, the other part of Zion. I had seen it on the map before, but it never really crossed my mind to actually go down it. Weird, right? Boy, am I glad we did this. I absolutely loved it.
The road is winding, taking you up the hillside. The road is lined with wildflowers and trees, brightening the drive up. Every now and then you get a peek of the valley below. There are a number of hiking trails along here, including the famous Subway. That’s one that you need a permit for, though, so plan ahead if you want to do that. If not, there are plenty of other places to see.
Our first stop was Wildcat Canyon. The whole trail is sort of long, but I don’t know exact numbers. We followed this for a ways, mostly along an open field, under pine trees, through a patch of ferns, then opening up a bit with a view over canyons to the left. This is were we stuck to our true form and went off trail a bit for a better view. We couldn’t have been there on a better day. The weather was perfect. After lingering at the cliff edge for a bit, overlooking part of the Subway trail, we headed back to see what else the road had to offer.
The road ends at Kolob Reservoir and actually has quite a few homes and ranches along the length of it. We got out quick at the reservoir and it was pretty cold, compared to what we were used to. We hopped back in and headed back for the Lava Point Overlook. This was down a little dirt road and had a little picnic area near the overlook. The view was wonderful and let you see a good portion of the rest of the park.
If you have the time, I would definitely take a drive down here, even if you don’t do any hikes. And if you do want to hike, you can always just do part of a trail instead of the whole thing, like we did in Wildcat Canyon.
Have you been in this area at all? What did you think of it? Do you want to go? What is your favorite thing in Zion?