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Backpacking - West Rim, Zion NP 10/16- 17/26

Writer: Emily Hacken
Emily Hacken
7 minutes ago
3 min read

Sample Itinerary:

Fri-

Carpooling – 6:00 am

Set up shuttle – 10:30 - 11:00 am

Trailhead – 11:00 am

Hiking in – 12:00 - 5:00 pm

Make camp – 5:00 - 6:00 pm


Sat-

Hike out – 8:00 am - 12:00 pm

Take shuttle back out – 12:00 - 1:00 pm

Drive home – 2:00 - 7:00 pm


Directions:


UPDATED Cost: $30 ($20 for shuttle + $10 permit) per person. Venmo Mt Mama's.  Note: Refund not likely if you drop.

Backcountry permit is required (we will secure)


NEW Parking Info (from the Wilderness Desk at the Visitor Center): There are many places that you could leave your car(s) parked for your Wilderness overnight trip, without getting a ticket again. The simplest is the main Zion Canyon Visitor Center parking lot. As you know, this lot fills up quickly in the morning and is normally maxed out by 8am or earlier. Parking at the VC lot is free for the duration of your visit to Zion. Make sure you are not parked in the adjacent oversized vehicle lot, and not in a 15-minute or handicap parking space. Additionally, there are a dozen or so parking spaces at road pull-outs along SR-9/Mount Carmel Highway after entering Zion National Park in the vicinity of the visitor center. You can park in one of these paved pull-outs for the duration of your trip for free as well. Just make sure it is a paved car-sized pull off, does not have any "no parking signs" and not just the side/shoulder of the road.


If none of the parking spaces within Zion National Park boundary are available, the only option is to park within the town of Springdale. There are many places, but most people park along the main road. This is paid parking and you would have to pay at the little self-serve kiosk for the duration of your absence from the vehicle. Alternatively , there are other actual parking lots in Springdale that are also paid parking, the largest of which is on Lion Blvd.


Activity:

Backpacking Zions West Rim Trail –14.2 miles one way to the Grotto with a shuttle set up. Top Down from Lava Point to the Grotto. Camping will be at a designated site along the way. This trail starts at the West Rim trailhead on Kolob Terrace Road, near Lava Point, and ends at the Grotto in Zion Canyon. For the first 6.5 miles, the trail traverses across high alpine elevation with sweeping views of the Wildcat Canyon area as you drop into Potato Hollow. Next, the trail climbs out of Potato Hollow before it splits into the Telephone Canyon Trail and the West Rim Trail.


The West Rim Trail follows along the rim with views of Phantom Valley and the canyons to the south. Telephone Canyon Trail provides a shortcut between Potato Hollow and Cabin Spring, or it creates a possible loop for hikers entering and exiting the same trailhead. At Cabin Spring, the trail begins a steep drop in elevation and descends 2,500 feet over 4.7 miles, ending at the Grotto.


Gear: 3-4 L water, snacks, dried dinner and breakfast, hiking shoes, shorts/T-shirt, long sleeve, hiking pants, fleece, rain jacket, sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, backpack, first aid kit, tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, water purifier, stove with fuel, mess kit, toiletries, headlamp


Day 1


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