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Trips and Trails

WEST RIM TRAIL---ZION NATIONAL PARK

North Trailhead: 48 miles east of St. George off Kolob Reservoir Road.

 

South Trailhead: Grotto Picnic Area on The Zion Canyon Scenic Drive in Zion Park.

 

Shuttle information: $39.00 per person; zionadventures.com

                                         Gearup; Zion Outdoor

                                                         868 Zion Park Blvd.,

                                                         Springdale, Utah; (435) 792-0630

                                                         zionoutdoor.com

A permit is required for any back-country camping anywhere in Zion National Park. Contact: (435) 772-3256

                                                       nps.gov/zion   

WEST RIM TRAIL

Score a unique perspective of half-mile deep Zion Canyon on this big view shuttle hike.

Pack in a gallon of water per person, and depart from the West Rim Trailhead near 7,890-foot Lava Point. (shuttle information above). Either trailhead can be used for a car-drop-off point to provide transportation at the end of the hike, so as to avoid the expense of a shuttle service. 

 

This sign is the trailhead starting from The Grotto along Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. The trail going up from here is more like 15 miles (in my opinion) to Lava Point. The trail from this direction is mostly an up-hill climb, with a strenuous hike up to Scout Lookout towards Angel's Landing. For that reason, I will give trail information and pics starting from Lava Point and working our way down from there. 

Lava Point is a primitive campground, with only a restroom for services. There is no charge to camp here, and there is no water avaliable, so be sure to bring enough to get you thru the hike.

The West Rim Trail can be seen running through the picture above from Lava Point Lookout. The two pictures to the right show the Wildcat Canyon Trail as it comes across to meet the West Rim Trailhead.

My campsite for the night. Sleepin out under the stars, makes me feel right at home :) Making camp here gave me a rimside view of white-walled 7,060-foot Castle Dome beyond my front door.

 

 

Hike 3 miles south through pines to a teaser glimpse of white-crowned, 7,140-foot South Guardian Angel, which emerges to the west.

The trail slowly descends as it heads east. You will drop 600 feet in .9 miles to replenish all water at Cabin Springs.

Switchback below the rim into a cloistered side canyon (aka Little Siberia), to a steep .5 mile ascent where the sandy trail transitions to slickrock.

My buddy at Scout Lookout, the junction of The West Rim Trail and Angel's Landing. 

From Rocky, Scout Lookout, if you have an extra 1-2 hours and a good amount of energy left, detour .5 mile along a knife-edged spine (hold on to a provided safety chain) to 5,790- foot Angel's Landing for a panorama of the inner canyon. 

For more information and pics of The Angel's Landing Trail, go to the trails tab above and click the sub-page for Angel's Landing ZNP.

WALTER'S WIGGLES 

Heading down Walter's Wiggles on the Angel's Landing--West Rim Trail to the Canyon Floor and The Virgin River Below.

I am sitting on the ledge above, getting ready to head down to the River and the end of my hike on the West Rim Trail.

Coming out of Refrigerator Canyon, cross the bridge and head down to the final set of switchbacks to reach the River bank and the Grotto Trailhead.

Hopefully you will have a vehicle waiting for you at the trailhead. It would be a long hard day, if you decide to hike the trail in a day. I have done it as an overnighter, and also as a day hike.  I would do it again in a heartbeat, just for the views alone....

I found a good spot to spend the night, but not a very comfortable one. I spent the entire night just trying to stay warm enough to get a few hours sleep, but seemed like I spent more time awake and shivering than I did sleeping.

When the sun finally started to show itself the next morning, I did nothing but thank God for the light and the fact that I had made it thru another cold night of shivering and trying to stay warm. I decided that day that I was not going to go anywhere. I was going to sit there and wait for any sign of people or maybe the sound of a chopper. Besides, I was too beat up and exhausted from bushwhacking and not getting any sleep. Finally around 10am that morning, I hear the faint sound of a chopper. Getting louder by the second, I knew they were out there for a reason and was hoping that reason was me.. Growing louder and getting closer, I see him coming over the ridge behind me and almost lost it with joy. I jumped up, grabbed my red bandana and started waving it hoping that they would spot me down below. They flew right over me and kept on going. Hopes were shattered just for a few seconds until I see them make a U turn and fly back to my location. When they got to me, they stopped and hovered above for a couple minutes, and then flew away. Not knowing what was going to happen next or what their plans were, I tried to relax and stay calm until the 2nd stage of the rescue took place. It was about 4 hours later that I heard someone yelling in the distance. They had finally arrived at my location. I yelled back again and again. They had come to my rescue :) 

I find out later the story behind the rescue effort and the chopper coming and going. As they were hovering above me , they were getting a GPS track on my location. They then flew back to the trailhead and put together a hiking team to hike up to my location. I can't thank WCSAR for their expertise and their concern about the condition I was in when they found me.      

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it. It was an experience that I will never forget and one that I hope I never have to go thru again

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