Initial View: After leaving the visitors center, visitors travel a short distance before rounding a bend in the road giving them their initial view of the Kolob Canyons. The first of several stops allow one to get out of the car and ‘take in’ this magnificent view. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Red and Orange: Another vantagepoint gives visitors a view of the brilliant red and orange canyon walls that rise from the valley floor. Many of the cliffs in Kolob Canyons are 2,000 feet high. The light green spring growth accent the red walls and darker green conifer trees in this view. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Pastel Canyon Walls: The reflective light in this canyon created soft, pastel colored walls at the time of day that we visited the park in April. The sunlight and reflective light is continually moving and changing throughout the day which continually change the view all day long. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
Kolob Canyons is a hidden gem in Zion National Park that is often overlooked and not seen by a majority of Zion visitors. While the scenery is spectacular, just as Zion Canyon, this area is in the far northwest corner of the National Park and more than an hour drive from the main entrance to Zion National Park.
The Kolob Canyons area is not accessible by vehicle from Zion Canyon where thousands of visitors flock to every year. To access Kolob Canyons area of the park, it is a 40 mile drive from the park’s main entrance in Springdale, Utah.
The Kolob Canyons section of Zion is accessible from Interstate 15 about 17 mile south of Cedar City, Utah. The Kolob Visitors Center is just off of the Interstate and is the first stop that all visitors should take when visiting this area of Zion.
Kolob Canyons consists of a single road, Kolob Canyon Scenic Drive, which is five miles long. The drive ends at the Kolob Canyons Viewpoint and the return trip is out the same scenic road.
Kolob Canyons consists of five narrow valleys that create five parallel box canyons which are also referred to as finger canyons. The red Navajo sandstone cliffs soar 2,000 feet from the floor of the canyon creating a breath taking landscape and vistas.
In addition to the five mile scenic drive, Kolob Canyons boasts over 20 miles of hiking trails. These trails allow visitors to explore the back country of this section of Zion National Park. Kolob Arch, Double Arch Alcove and the Larson Homestead are a few back country sites in addition to the magnificent scenery throughout the area.
There is no camping facilities within the park at Kolob Canyons but there are campsites and lodging in nearby Cedar City, Utah. The only camping allowed in Kolob Canyons is back country hikers who backpack and carry all needed gear for camping. Permits for back country hiking are required and available at the visitors center.
Most visitors to Kolob Canyons drive the scenic drive and enjoy the spectacular scenery from viewpoints and shorter hikes along the drive. The curvy five mile drive leads visitors has ample pull offs for visitors to get out and view the sites along the roadway. At the end of the five mile drive at the Kolob Canyon Viewpoint, there is a larger parking area and picnic tables for visitors to use as they take in the magnificent views.
The real joy to visiting this section of Zion National Park is the quiet and peaceful atmosphere compared to the crowded and bustling main area of the park. At Kolob Canyons, visitors can enjoy the park without taking a shuttle bus which is required in Zion Canyon, the park’s primary entrance point. Except of weekends or holidays, visitors at Kolob Canyon may often have a viewpoint to themselves with no one else around making the visit more peaceful and enjoyable.
Visitors to southwest Utah should make every effort to visit Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah as well as the hidden gem of Kolob Canyons in the northwest corner of the park. Kolob Canyons is also a great 10 mile round trip detour for travelers on Interstate 15 passing through this portion of the state. Kolob Canyons area of Zion National Park is a gem and should not be missed.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Finger Canyons: Kolob Canyons are made up of five finger canyons, a series of deep and narrow canyons with a ‘finger’ between each of the canyons. The Navajo sandstone canyon walls in this view stand out with the blue sky and wispy clouds overhead. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Kolob Canyon Viewpoint: At the end of the 5-mile Kolob Canyons Scenic Drive is the Kolob Canyon Viewpoint. A larger parking area allows visitors to gather and enjoy the spectacular landscape of the canyons. The elevation has risen, and temperatures will be cooler giving visitors relief from the hot days in the summer months. There are picnic tables and the Timber Creek Overlook Trail at this stop on the drive. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com