Kolob Canyon – Visitor’s Center

Well the visitors center is nice enough but the point is Kolob Canyon– which is a part of Zion not accessible from the main park. It’s about 20 minutes from Cedar City. It’s a really a spectacular red rock canyon. If you go by, go !

It’s a visitors center. The ranger seemed like he had better things to do when I asked him questions about recommendations, but when my husband made a joke, he seemed to come around.

Clean & accommodating & knowledgable staff made this facility a great stop for information & restroom stop.

My sister and I were not sure if we were going to come here after our day trip to Zion, as it would add over an hour to our already 5+ hour driving day. After much deliberation, we finally figured we might not be back to the area for a long time, if ever, and took the plunge. Boy, am I glad we did.
This is about a 45 minute drive from the main Zion NP entrance, plus about 15 minutes to drive from the visitor center to the end of the road. There are 2 hiking trails that we, unfortunately, could not go on because we A) did not have proper equipment and time, and B) did have a dog (they are not allowed on the trails). But even just from the car and the turn outs, the views were incredible! I could not believe it! The lighting was perfect and we got some great pictures to bring home and I hope to have some of them printed to hang in my home. Seriously, the scenery is so beautiful it even makes a super lame photographer like me feel like a pro!
As a plus, this is part of Zion NP so you don’t have to pay another admission fee. A wonderful addendum to a Zion trip indeed.

This is a great addition to any road trip in the Cedar City/​St. George area. It is FAR less crowded than the main Zion NP but it still has just as stunning views.
It is relatively easy access off the I-​15. And since it is a short 5-​mile scenic drive, it doesn’t require a lot of time added to your trip. Of course, you could make it longer by adding in some hiking. We did not have the time to do any on this particular trip. We were just there for the drive this time. However, after seeing the area, we definitely want to come back and explore more.

So glad we took the little excersion and drove up here to see the sights. It’s a lovely drive and just as magificent as Zion. Hills are alive and full of color. If you make it mid day and as the time changes, it will take your breath away. There is a secnic area with plenty of parking to take pictures but feel free to stop mid way in areas to park and take it at all angles. I loved it so much!
Thank you Utah for being so beautiful!

The Kolob Canyon area is a remote part of Zion National Park reached through a separate entrance along I-​15. The red rock mesas here stand out in stark relief to the rich green forests below and the brilliant blue skies above.
I found the rangers at the visitors center to be unhelpful. As serious hikers we asked them for suggestions and they steered us toward a short nature trail. I inquired about the longer Taylor Creek/​Double Arch trail that looked interesting, but they downplayed it and gave misleading information about it. I chose to ignore their static, read the map myself, and took the hike I wanted. I’m glad I did because I had a great trip.

The visitor center itself has one exhibit. Pay your fee at the information desk and proceed up the road.
Another Zion awaits you. Tall red cliffs and spires with a beauty all of their own will entrance you. The best hours to enjoy these are the afternoon when the light hits the face of the rock.
Expect to find much of what you love in the main Zion except in a more rugged setting. The longest natural bridge in the world (if you ask the Zion rangers who use a different method for measurement than the ones at Arches National Park) lies at the end of an 8 mile trail. But there are plenty of pullouts for the car-​bound and a short trail at the end of the highway for those who want to climb high and see the surrounding countryside.
I’ll be back here.

A bit of a drive NE from Zion’s main campground lies Kolob Canyon. One popular trail leads to one of the tallest free-​standing natural arches, a trail that we ended up not taking. Instead, we chose to find this supposed «waterfall» that a ranger at the visitor’s center had recommended.
This was in mid 2006. Backpacking with our gear, we soon found that our campsite was quite far, many times needing to stop and check if we had missed it (some campgrounds were somewhat hidden and so were there posted signs). Fortunately we found it towards just after noon time and rested up and unloaded our gear. After an hour or two just basking in the sun, we decide to make the most of our spur of the moment trip and decide to hike out to the waterfall. The trail was somewhat hidden and hard to follow, as we had run into a few dead ends requiring a few U-​Turns. The hike varied from moderate to oh snap! as the light from the afternoon sun began to descend. We were somewhat caught in what SEEMED to be the middle or ¾th the way to the waterfall (with no exact way to tell), and we ended up pushing through after spending all the time and effort to make it that far. Much of the trail from that point seemed to be treading and crossing through some water and pebbles until we finally turned the corner of the beaten path. We could hear the distant falls becoming louder and louder with every step and pace quickened to match the sound. We eventually came face to face with a 35−50ft tall waterfall that came crashing down to where we stood. Suffice it to say, the sight appeared to be well worth the hours of hiking that we had done that entire day. We filled our camelbaks and snapped a few pics and headed back out towards our campsite. The sky was darkening quickly as we began to push back and we soon found ourselves in the pitch dark by around that «midpoint» area. Being in the dark with sounds of only the crashing and flowing of the river along the trail, we realized that finding our campsite would be much more difficult than we had hoped for. We used our flashlights and made haste zigzagging across shallower sections of the river back towards the general direction of our site. I was usually in the lead, but at times the trail would appear to go one way, then the next, so leaders would shift occasionally… all until we hit a fork in the road.
I noticed something strange as we veered further away from the dirt path and foliage that we had encountered much of our way towards the waterfall, onto a much more beach-​like sandy path with my cousin John in the lead. It appeared that he knew where he was going, but I questioned him anyways and he responded that he was pretty sure it was this way. After going a little further, the noise of the river had virtually disappeared and I knew that this wasn’t the path that we had taken, so I questioned him again and this time made a firm decision to head back towards the river (which we were familiar with up to that point) and follow it back towards where our campsite should be. At the very least we’d be in somewhat familiar territory, as the campsites are generally located near the river. Despite his slight hesitation, we make quick ground and soon hear the rushing rapids again. Eventually we run into more and more familiar ground and come across a tent (which turned out to be our neighboring campsite) and make it back to camp, exhausted and very much relieved to not be wandering around lost in the dark.
Some important lessons we learned during that trip was to be aware of your surroundings, to not ASSUME anything, and to speak up when you start having doubts! If I hadn’t spoke up during that time, we’d very likely be standing in front of the tallest free-​standing natural arch and unaware of it (being in the pitch dark)! That little adventure was definitely scary and invigorating in retrospect, but could’ve turned out a lot worse. So be safe and take calculated risks! Oh and make sure you bring a flashlight! In a valley like we were in, things get dark VERY fast and if you’re not prepared, you can very easily make some wrong turns. Make sure they have batteries and are working!
btw…still haven’t found any cute co-​eds during our camping expeditions, any takers? ;)