Zion Canyon Backpacking Trip: West Rim Trail from Lava Point Trailhead -  9/27 – 10/1

 We drove to Zion National Park on Wednesday, September 27^th.  It’s a 7 hour drive, not including the change in time zone.  We were to meet up with our friends that evening, camp in the park, and then drive up to the trailhead to begin our trip the following morning.  The campsites at the park are very nice, although you will need to make advanced reservations.  Price was $10/night, and there was a two tent maximum per campsite. 

PLEASE NOTE:  We took the I-17 route to the East entrance of the camp.  As of 10/1/06, there is construction work in process near the East entrance, and there are significant traffic delays/road closures due to blasting.  The quickest route is to drive to Las Vegas and then take I-15 to Springdale.  Drive through Springdale to the entrance to Zion National Park.  You’ll need to visit the Visitors Center there anyway to pick up your permits.

After many fits and starts (including a malfunctioning computer at the permit desk), we were finally on our way to the trailhead.  You drive away from the park entrance and up an extremely windy road before reaching the sign for the trailhead.  The route is paved, with the exception of the last mile or so.  Although you CAN do the trip in a passenger vehicle, be advised the final descent to the trailhead is quite steep and bumpy. 

 Because of all the delays, it was almost noon when we started out from the trailhead.  You start out at an easy pace with a gradual descent through Horse Pasture Plateau.  At about the two mile point, there are some incredible views off to your right.

The first available place for water is in Potato Hollow (affectionately referred to by my southern husband as “Tater Hollar”) at mile marker 4.8.  It is a grassy, open area off to the left.  Water flows with varying availability and must be filtered.  Make sure to check the flow at the ranger station before departing. 

We stopped here for about an hour for a hot lunch.  Unfortunately, we didn’t realize we would hit a steep grade (steep for 25-35 lb packs, anyway) shortly after eating lunch.  I recommend refilling water here, and then having lunch after you crest the rim over Phantom Valley and heaps Canyon (~30 minutes from Potato Hollow).

The climb up from Potato Hollow

 At ~mile 6.5, you hit the trail junction for Telephone Canyon and the West Rim Trail.  We took the west Rim Trail, as we had reservations at Campsite #6, up on the rim at mile 8.7.  The views of the west rim are absolutely amazing along this area. 

At campsites 4-6, you are still ~0.75 miles from Cabin Spring (mile marker 9.25), the next available location for water.   (There are three campsites here, as well (sites 1-3), but I think the views are better from the plateau).  The water seeps up from the ground, with flow varying based upon the season, and must be filtered. The views, again, are amazing. 

The view of the Canyon from our campsite

The trail continues on toward Angel’s Landing from this point.  You go down a series of very long switchbacks on exposed sandstone.  As you continue down, you can see where the water from the spring runs over the side of the canyon.

As you continue on, you hike across large expanses of sandstone, with little relief from the heat.  It’s good to start this hike early in the morning to ensure you aren’t crossing these areas in the heat of the day.  Also, from the campsites on the plateau down to Walter’s Wiggles and back is ~13 miles.  You want to make sure you are leaving yourself plenty of daylight, especially if you are doing this hike in October.

	Angel’s Landing coming down from the plateau

Angel’s Landing and Walter’s Wiggles make all the exposed sandstone hiking worth it.   Not only will you find the only port-o-lets in the area, but the views are breathtaking.

Angel’s Landing involves a precarious hike along the edge of a rock outcropping.  The park service has put up chains and handrails along the more dangerous sections.  If you are afraid of heights, I would recommend waiting for the balance of your party from the base of the trail.

The view from atop Angel’s Landing	Alan out on the edge of Angel’s Landing.  I sure hope that tree is sturdy, because it’s a loooong way down!

 Heading off to the left after you leave Angel’s Landing is Walter’s Wiggles, a series of 21 steep switchbacks leading down to the river below.  Jay and I chose to descend the Wiggles because we knew the river below was the only water source until we got back to the spring by our campsite, and we didn’t have sufficient water to make it back..

The view from the top of Walter’s Wiggles	The view through Refrigerator Canyon from the base of the Wiggles

About 0.5 miles down is Refrigerator Canyon, which felt fabulous after the heat of the day. 

Hiking through Refrigerator Canyon	The river from Refrigerator Canyon

We finished our hike down to the river, enjoying the feel of the ice cold water on our feet.  We spent about 30 minutes here filtering more water for our packs and emergency bottle before heading back up for the return journey to camp.  We arrived at camp just before we lost daylight and hungry for dinner.

The view of Walter’s Wiggles from the River… WOW ~ they didn’t seem that steep when we were coming DOWN them!

We did this trip as a three day backpacking trip. 

Day 1: from the trailhead to the campsite.  Distance ~8.75 miles in approximately 5.5 hours. 

Day 2: campsite 6 to the river and back.  Distance ~13 miles in approximately 8 hours

Day 3: from campsite 6 back to the trailhead.  Distance ~8.75 miles in approximately 6.5 hours.  Everyone was tired, and the trail involves more uphill hiking this way.  One of our hikers was having some knee issues, so we slowed down the pace a bit.

Calorie burn for a 37-year old, 130 lb female:

Day 1: 2,000

Day 2: 2,900

Day 3: 1,700

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