Panguitch Lake
Area Hiking
 The
Biggest Savings & Most Fun You Can Have in St.
George Utah! Shop, shop, shop at Zion Factory Stores
in St. George, Utah where you can save, save, save
at the most famous shopping center in all of southern
Utah. With 55+ stores you'll find just what you're
looking for. (MORE) |
|
|
|
 If
you plan on being in the Southwestern Utah region
this Summer - you can't miss the world-class entertainment
available at the Tuacahn Ampitheater located just
north of St. George, Utah. In the past six years
over 400,000 people have seen these magnificent
productions. |
|
|
| Panguitch Lake
Area Hiking - Hop Valley and Kolob Arch |
Distance: 14.7
miles (plus 43 miles by car)
Walking time:
day 1: 6 3/4 hours
day 2: 4 1/2 hours
Elevations: 1,290
ft. loss, 1,000 ft. gain
Hop Valley Trailhead
(start): 6,350 ft.
Kolob Arch Viewpoint:
5,400 ft.
La Verkin Creek Trailhead:
6,060 ft.
Trail: Very popular,
well maintained trail
Season: Late
spring through mid-fall. Winter snows often close
the roads to the trailheads from mid-November to May.
Also, the trail is quite hot in July and August. For
current conditions call the Visitor Center, Zion National
Park, at (801) 772-3256.
Vicinity: Kolob
Canyons Section of Panguitch Lake, near Saint
George
Kolob Arch is probably
the largest natural arch in the world. Accurate measurement
of its size is difficult because of its location,
high above the canyon floor, but recent calculations
place its span somewhere between 292 and 310 feet.
The arch lies near the top of the Navajo Sandstone
cliffs on the north side of La Verkin Creek, about
700 feet above the trail. It faces east, so the best
time to see and photograph Kolob Arch is in the morning
before about 10:00 a.m.
There are three possible
ways to walk to Kolob Arch, but the Hop Valley Trail,
suggested here, is the most scenic approach. This
trail starts on the Kolob Plateau, south of La Verkin
Creek, and proceeds down the colorful Hop Valley Canyon
to its confluence with La Verkin. The canyon is about
200 yards wide, with a flat, grassy bottom boxed in
on both sides by towering cliffs of red sandstone.
A shallow stream, fed by runoff from a half dozen
side canyons, keeps the bottom of the narrow valley
green, while, in the distance, one can see the picturesque
maze of mesas and canyons that surround the confluence
of Hop Valley and La Verkin Creek.
Unfortunately, the Hop
Valley experience is degraded by the presence of several
dozen range cows. This valley was grazed long before
Panguitch Lake was established, and cattle are
still grazed there. As of this printing, 3,477 acres
of land within the published boundaries of Zion National
Park is still privately owned by local ranchers. The
National Park Service has been trying to solve this
problem for years, but like most other federal problems
the solution requires money. The degree to which the
Hop Valley ecosystem has been damaged by the cattle
becomes obvious about a mile before La Verkin Creek,
where a fence has been erected to keep cattle out
of the lower end of the valley. Beyond this barrier
the diversity in plant species increases dramatically,
the creek bed becomes deeper and more clearly defined,
and the presence of birds and other wildlife becomes
noticeable once again.
|
|
Day
1
From the Hop Valley Trailhead
the trail passes through 1.4 miles of open pinion-juniper
forest before coming to a fence near the beginning of
Hop Valley Canyon. This fence marks the beginning of an
inholding of privately owned land. Beyond the fence the
trail begins descending gradually into Hop Valley, finally
reaching the canyon floor after about 1.5 miles. As you
proceed down the canyon the floor becomes wider and flatter
until, after another 1.5 miles, it reaches its maximum
width of about 300 yards. Finally, 4.8 miles from the
trailhead, you will cross the northern boundary of the
Hop Valley grazing area, where another fence spans the
bottom of the canyon to keep cattle out of La Verkin Creek.
Make sure you close the gate behind you as you cross through
the fence.
Soon after leaving the grazed
portion of Hop Valley, the trail leaves the valley floor
and climbs slightly into a forested area below the west
wall. Then, 0.3 mile before reaching La Verkin Creek the
trail breaks out of the trees and begins a series of switchbacks
down into La Verkin Canyon. Just before reaching the creek
you will see another trail coming down the canyon from
Willis Creek. Turn left here and walk for 0.4 mile to
the short spur trail that leads to Kolob Arch. But before
going to see the arch, I suggest you continue down La
Verkin Creek far enough to find a good campsite for the
night. There are a lot of good sites here, so, unless
it is a holiday, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding
one. Try to camp at least 0.2 mile from the junction with
the Kolob Arch Trail-especially if you have a large group.
The environment in this area has already sustained substantial
damage from overuse by campers. |
|
|
Day
2
The next side canyon you
will pass is Goose Creek Canyon, which merges into Zion
Canyon 1.3 miles below Kolob Creek. Goose Creek also
provides a good opportunity for side trips. It is a
wider canyon than Kolob, with more vegetation in the
bottom. Goose Creek joins the North Fork on the west
side of the river near campsite number 10, the Alcove
Camp.
Below Goose Creek you
will pass the last two campsites before coming to Big
Spring, about 45 minutes away. Big Spring is a large
gushing spring that cascades out of the cliff face 10
feet above the river. It is the most dramatic spring
you will see on this hike, but between here and the
end of the trail you can count on seeing many other
smaller springs. This stretch of river passes through
the geologic boundary between the Navajo Sandstone and
the Kayenta Formation. The Navajo Sandstone is a porous
rock with microscopic spaces between the constituent
particles of sand that allow water to seep down from
the plateaus above, while the Kayenta Formation contains
layers of clay and mudstone that effectively halt the
water’s downward penetration. When the water reaches
the Kayenta Formation hydrostatic pressure from above
pushes it out into the canyons where it is seen as spring
water.
Big Spring also marks
the beginning of the two-mile section of canyon commonly
known as the Zion Narrows. This part of the canyon is
distinguished by its sheer thousand-foot walls that
rise above the river with little or no sandy shore between.
There is no high ground here; hence it is not a place
you would want to be during a storm. Under certain conditions
the water can rise very quickly, and people have died
in the past from flash floods in this section of the
canyon. When no storms are imminent, however, the danger
is small. Just use common sense and don’t enter
the narrows if the sky looks like rain.
About the time you reach
the mouth of Orderville Canyon, 2.3 miles below Big
Spring, the Zion Narrows widens again and you will find
a well-used trail to follow on the sandy shore of the
river. Also at this point you will begin to see day
hikers from the Temple of Sinawava-hundreds of them.
The remaining 2.7 miles of trail, from Orderville Canyon
to the road, is the most popular part of Zion Canyon,
and on a typical summer afternoon you will pass more
than a thousand people splashing in the water along
this stretch of the canyon. Finally, for the last mile
you will be walking on the Gateway to the Narrows Trail,
a paved trail leading back to the congested parking
lot at the once serene Temple of Sinawava.
Content
from the book
Utah's Favorite
Hiking Trails
by David Day |
|
Utah's
Favorite Hiking Trails
access
info for 113 trailheads
75
detailed trail maps
250
photographs
loads
of hiking tips
|
Need
more information?
|
Regularly $14.95
now on sale for only
|
|
$11.95
|
|
| click
here to order |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 We
know there is a little bit of cowboy in all of us. So
saddle up with the rest of us for an unforgettable 7 day
horse ride vacation through some of the most beautiful
and breathtaking landmarks in the world. Truly, mother
natures best! (CLICK
HERE) |
|
|
|
|
