fossil dinosaur tracks, and The Subway, a unique slot canyon.
Summer is a hot time to take this hike, though the shady confines of The Subway offer a modicum of relief on a hot day. Spring and fall are best for this trip.
Description: The well-worn trail (0.0; 5125) begins from the north end of the parking area behind the information signboard, beyond which we proceed generally east across the wooded, basalt-capped upland, soon crossing two dry forks of Grapevine Wash. The bench is thickly cloaked in a woodland of juniper and singleleaf pinyon, with an understory of shrub live oak, Utah serviceberry, cliffrose, yucca, and greenleaf manzanita.
Other paths join our route as we proceed, all of them leading to the rim ahead. Upon reaching the canyon rim (0.6; 5050) the basalt tread is replaced by red Kayenta Formation rocks, although they are much obscured by talus blocks fallen from the tall Navajo Sandstone cliffs above us to the north. Hiking with care, we descend the steep talus slope toward the canyon bottom. Numerous use trails, some cairned by past hikers, thread their way down the steep, slippery slope. Choose the path you are most comfortable with.
After 420 feet of descent, we reach the boulder-strewn banks of perennial Left Fork North Creek (0.2; 4630). Above us to the west, a thick basalt caprock bounds the north side of the canyon. Along parts of the cliff are vertical columns, formed as the lava cooled and subsequently shrunk.
It is an unusual sight on the Colorado Plateau to see volcanic rocks in juxtaposition with ancient sedimentary rocks. But in Quaternary and Tertiary times, a great quantity of volcanic material erupted onto the surface of Utah’s High Plateaus. In Zion, an abundance of basalt issued from vents and cinder cones, associated with fault zones in the western margin of the Park. From our canyon-bottom vantage point, we can gaze at a cross-section of 16 different basalt flows that emanated from vents near Spendlove Knoll in upper Cave Valley to the northwest, approximately 260,000 years ago. The flows filled our canyon to a depth of 500 feet, damming the creek and forming a lake. Later, after lake waters breached the dam, the Left Fork North Creek began cutting a new stream channel along the margins of the lava flows.
Once on the canyon floor, we are on our own and must seek the path of least resistance, boulder hopping our way up the canyon from one side of the small stream to the other. Occasional deeper pools in the stream harbor a few large cutthroat trout. Just short of Pine Spring Wash we cross the East Cougar Mountain fault, where Kayenta rocks abruptly give way to rocks of the Moenave Formation. Shortly beyond, Pine Spring Wash enters from the north (0.5; 4780), and shortly thereafter, Little Creek, a perennial stream, also enters from the north (0.2; 4830).
The Subway, Left Fork North Creek
Tall Navajo Sandstone cliffs soon begin to border the canyon to the north and south. Pay attention to a row of pinnacles on the skyline to the north, and as we pass beneath them, begin to look for large, tilted slabs of Kayenta mudstones above the north bank of the creek. A few large gray slabs display numerous fossil dinosaur tracks. These tracks and others like them in the Kayenta Formation are all that remain in the Zion region (since no fossil bones have yet been found) to remind us of the three-toed reptiles that roamed over muddy floodplains 200 million years ago.
Proceeding along the canyon among velvet ash, Fremont cottonwood, Gambel oak, and an occasional water birch, we eventually reach the first obstacle (2.0; 5280), where an undercut cliff and waterfall bars farther progress along the streambed. Search for a trail that bypasses the fall on the south side of the canyon. This trail leads us past seeplines and hanging gardens at the Kayenta-Navajo interface. Once above this waterfall, we continue along the path, bypassing another fall just above it, then quickly regain the streambed.
During periods of low runoff, much of the creek is funnelled into a small, narrow joint in the streambed. Abrasive stream waters will deepen this slot more rapidly than they will widen it. It is likely that The Subway and many of Zion’s other slot canyons formed under similar circumstances.
From here on we are forced to walk on the canyon floor, where the stream flows as a sheet over moss-covered slickrock, making footing treacherous. Following the canyon as it curves southeast, we soon reach the entrance to the aptly named Subway (0.4; 5360), a narrow, tunnel-like slot carved into the canyon bottom. This is a strange, empty hallway carved in stone, with only the echo of running water to keep us company. Above the tunnel, the canyon narrows into a mere slit between sandstone walls, then widens beyond, soaring 800 feet to the south canyon rim.
Hikers can proceed upstream, the route still confined to the canyon floor, but a waterfall bars farther progress a short distance beyond The Subway. Some experienced canyoneers follow a route down Russell Gulch from the Wildcat Canyon Trail (Trip 19), rappelling over the falls and hiking down the Left Fork to the trailhead on Kolob Terrace Road. (Those taking that route still must obtain a permit.)
Return the way you came.
Trip 18
Kolob Terrace Road to Hop Valley, La Verkin Creek
Distance: 13.8 miles, round trip
Low/High elevations: 5280’/6380’
Suited for: Dayhike or backpack
Difficulty: Moderate
Best season: April through October
Maps/Trailhead: 8,11/15
Hazards: Expect to encounter cattle on a private inholding in the upper parts of Hop Valley, and purify any water you obtain there.
Introduction: Following a highly scenic and less-used route to La Verkin Creek and Kolob Arch, this attractive trail leads through incomparable Hop Valley, a long, green meadow with a backdrop of soaring red cliffs. Three designated backcountry campsites are located in lower Hop Valley, with 21 more sites located along the La Verkin Creek Trail.
This trip is best taken as a backpack, but strong dayhikers can hike to Kolob Arch and back in one long day.
Description: The initial segment of the trail, to the 4WD road 1.6 miles ahead, was constructed in 1987, thus avoiding the roads formerly used to access Hop Valley. This trail heads generally north from the trailhead (0.0; 6380), descending at first, then rising gently beneath picturesque, pine-dotted knolls of Navajo Sandstone, lying at the foot of the Firepit Knoll cinder cone. Lava flows that issued from the cone have buried much of the sandstone in the area, as well as the valley through which we are presently hiking.
Our sandy trail meanders along the eastern margin of the valley, threading its way among Gambel oaks, sagebrush, prickly pear, and a host of seasonal wildflowers. Prominent landmarks include 7410’ Red Butte to the northwest and 7265’ Firepit Knoll, its brushy slopes rising above the trail to the east. To the north, a wall of sheer salmon-tinted cliffs rises above as-yet-invisible La Verkin Creek valley.
As we pass beneath the basalt-crowned rim north of Firepit Knoll, conspicuous Burnt Mountain soon meets our gaze on the distant northwest skyline. Typical of the mesas in Zion, its wooded crown contrasts with abruptly plunging cliffs. Upon reaching a hikers’ gate (1.6; 6342) we pass through a fenceline, entering a 400-acre private inholding, through which we will be hiking for the next 2.5 miles. Expect the possibility of encountering cattle beyond the gate, and as you pass through private land, respect landowner rights.
Our route presently follows a rough road that soon curves north past a field cleared of sagebrush. We quickly pass more such clearings before descending amid ponderosa pines and Gambel oaks to the crossing
