can easily visualize the once-uninterrupted surface of the Markagunt Plateau, as the rim of the plateau opposite looks essentially the same as where we now stand, save for a greater abundance of tall pines.
To the south and southwest tower the bulky crags of Mountain of the Sun and Twin Brothers and the square-edged platform of mighty East Temple. Perched on ledges and shady niches below them are hanging forests of ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir. The green lawns and historic buildings of Zion Lodge, seeming to lie at our feet 2500 feet below, contrast its manicured grounds with the raw and magnificent workings of nature that dominate our senses.
We now have the choice of backtracking to the Cable Mountain Trail, following a faint trail south along the rim for more inspiring vistas, or following a well-worn path north along the rim for 0.5 mile. That path reveals a broader view of Zion Canyon, from Springdale, near the canyon’s mouth, to Angels Landing in its upper reaches. The viewpoint at the end of the trail on a shoulder of the Deertrap Mountain ridge offers a head-on view of monolithic Great White Throne, its nearly level, brushy crown punctuated by a host of Navajo Sandstone hoodoos.
The Cable Mountain Trail, following the course of an old wagon road that led from the plateau-top sawmill to the Draw Works, ascends gradually northwest from the Deertrap Mountain Trail junction for a little while among ponderosa pine and Gambel oak, then begins a steady descent for the remaining distance to the rim.
Enroute, scattered stumps attest to the extensive forest that thrived here prior to 1904, when timber harvesting began in earnest. Today, only scattered ponderosa pines grow on this part of the plateau, and most of them have grown up since the big trees were cut. Timber cutting disturbed the landscape and created sunny openings, and now the plateau is infested with greenleaf manzanita, alderleaf mountain mahogany, pinyon, juniper, and Gambel oak.
Upon entering a pinyon-juniper woodland growing on a northwest-facing slope, we negotiate a single switchback, from where we enjoy splendid vistas of hoodoocapped Great White Throne and the Draw Works on the rim of Cable Mountain, with the immense cliffs of Zion Canyon and the forested platforms above them forming the backdrop.
Below the switchback we stroll northwest over brush-choked slopes, concluding the hike at the headframe of the Draw Works (1.9; 6496). While absorbing the sublime vistas of the Big Bend of Zion Canyon, Angels Landing, Echo Canyon, towering cliffs, and seemingly endless plateaus thick with woodlands of pine and oak from our perch atop 1200’ cliffs, we can reflect on the ingenious operation of transporting much-needed lumber from the forest-rich plateau to the timberless land below.
The tenacious spirit of early Mormon settlers and the painstaking trial-and-error efforts of David Flanigan led to the realization of the prophecy of Brigham Young that “like a hawk flies,” a way would be discovered to transport lumber from the plateau down the great cliffs into Zion Canyon.
Trees felled and milled on the East Rim Plateau helped to build structures in communities along the Virgin River from Springdale to St. George. The original Zion Lodge was built with ponderosa pine lumber in the 1920s.
The headframe of the Draw Works that remains today, stabilized with cables and on the National Register of Historic Places, is the third such structure, the two before it having been consumed by fire. Do not damage or deface this historic structure in any way, and exercise caution when walking near the cliff edge.
While the time required to transport a load of lumber to the canyon bottom was only 2½ minutes, those planning to hike there will be on the trail for another three hours.
• • • • •
Upon returning to the trail junction below Stave Spring, hikers continuing to Weeping Rock will turn left and descend easily across a sagebrush-infested flat. A spur trail, actually an old road closed to vehicles, forks right (0.3; 6390), leading 0.5 mile to an obscure trailhead at the Park’s eastern boundary (see Trip 14).
Our route proceeds across a gently sloping basin, rimmed by low mesas clad in pinyon and juniper. As the draw steepens and curves northwest, we begin traversing a narrow wooded bench above a precipitous gorge and leaving any potential campsites behind until Echo Canyon, more than a mile ahead.
Pinyon-juniper woodlands dominate alongside the trail, but the shady cliffs above the canyon below us harbor hanging forests of ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir. Views extend down the cleft of Echo Canyon, past the Observation Point Trail to the cliffs abutting the west rim beyond.
The traverse suddenly terminates high above the floor of Echo Canyon (0.8; 6430), a slickrock-embraced chasm dotted with tall ponderosa pines and rimmed by wooded mesas. Now the rocky trail plunges steeply down the upper wall of a side canyon, amid a greater diversity of trees and shrubs, including Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, pinyon, juniper, cliffrose, greenleaf manzanita, and Utah serviceberry. Soon the trail leads us down a steep, rocky rib above an Echo Canyon tributary thick with pines and Douglas-firs. In autumn Gambel oaks and bigtooth maples splash their red and gold foliage across the landscape, contrasting with the white cliffs above and the somber green conifer forest.
After we enjoy down-canyon views, the descent briefly ends where we cross Echo Canyon’s dry wash (0.9; 5610), along which the descent continues. Numerous potential campsites can be found not only up-canyon but atop the numerous rocky, pine-studded knolls that rise north of the wash. The canyon is waterless, but the overwhelming quiet, sheer, crenulated cliffs, the green plateau above us, and tall pines combine to make the area sublimely attractive.
The trail ahead alternates between rock and sand, and although it descends, progress is fairly slow. After bending into three north-trending draws, our rough, undulating trail finally crosses slickrock where the route is indicated by cairns. Soon after sighting the Draw Works atop Cable Mountain’s mineral-streaked walls, we join the trail (1.0; 5580) climbing toward Observation Point and enter the front-country zone, which is closed to camping.
To complete the trek, follow the first part of Trip 10 in reverse, hiking the final 1.9 miles to the Weeping Rock parking area.
Trip 14
East Boundary to Echo Canyon Trail
Distance: 0.5 mile, one way, to Echo Canyon Trail
Low/High elevations: 6390’/6450’
Suited for: Dayhike when combined with East Rim trails (see Trip 13)
Difficulty: Easy
Best season: May through October
Map/Trailhead: 4/11
Hazards: Negligible
Introduction: This seldom-trod spur trail offers quick access to the Stave Spring environs, allowing jaunts to Cable and Deertrap mountains to be completed in less than a day. Although the drive to the trailhead can be confusing, the easy access to the backcountry of Zion more than compensates for the extra time required behind the wheel.
Description: Beginning at a gate on the Park’s eastern boundary (0.0; 6450), we follow a long-closed road gently downhill under a canopy of ponderosa pine. Crossing to the south side of the draw, we descend almost imperceptibly among scattered Gambel oaks, soon passing an outcrop of the Temple Cap Formation on the right.
Shortly thereafter we break into the open, cross a sagebrush-clad flat, and gently descend to meet the Echo Canyon Trail (0.5; 6390),
