Grand Canyon, Zion area hikes and sights

 Important NOTES up top

1. Candy cliffs drive from east not West --We re in the rockies says: East approach not west. West has sharp decline.
2. Zion's Observation Pt. https://theworldtravelguy.com/observation-point-zion-trail/ -> Gotta do East trail (easier anyhow, nice).
3. Petroglyphs to pools is BETWEEN Many Pools and Keyhole Canyon on google maps. https://www.10adventures.com/hikes/zion-national-park/petroglyph-pools-trail/ shows details and has this MAP link: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=37.22464,-112.90906
1. This map shows going N after get out of car/under road: https://hikestgeorge.com/hiking-trails/secret-petroglyphs-canyon-zion-national-park/
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Page area plus more (below is prior to Oct 27th, 2024 notes)

• Wahweap overlook (vast desert n faraway canyons, some buildings) (entering Page?)
• Wire pass (permit unlimited ) to Buckskin Gulch SLOT canyon (3mi in, 3 mi out… easy but long and best scenery). See WereintheRockies.com site. Other ppl say, You start with a 45 minute drive on a rough road. But once you get to the trailhead there is a huge parking lot. $6 a person for permits.
• https://www.crazyfamilyadventure.com/grand-staircase-escalante/#Hwy_12
• The new wave
• South Coyote Buttes 4-12 mi up to you, (easy permit to get), as good as The Wave, but 4x4 needed for 2.5 mi sand road. https://nomadsinnature.com/blog/skip-the-wave-hike-south-coyote-buttes
• Lone Rock, N. of Page.
• Old Paria - Old Paria Mesa is a big weird cool hunk of a rock, reddish, sitting next to highway as you drive by. 
  
  
  
• SKIP Grand Staircase Escalante - ??? isn't it a HUGE area, how do you "do this"... not a trail. View from afar? Signs on roads. One part showed the Toadstool hoodoos, heh. One guy explained to get the heart, it's a 20 or 40 mi scary dirt road.  
  
  
  
• Kodachrome basin park… only close to BRYCE, otherwise cant.
• Willis Creek SLOT canyon, near Kodachrome. 
• SKIP IF NO TIME. Coral pink sandunes
• Moqui cave museum and sand caves - the manmade sand caves, rly impressive though. 
• Cathedral Wash, Cathedral Rock, Balance Rock, Paria Beach & then Lee’s Ferry (bcuz every pull out is great. ) SW of Page, you'll hit Navajo Bridge also. 
• White Rocks betw Kanab & Page. 100 Toadstools, wow. 4-10 miles up to you. It's the circle. "It’s as if world-renowned animator Dr. Suess met 1960s-era psychedelic rock star Jerry Garcia, on the classic TV show The Twilight Zone" https://www.backroadswest.com/blog/white-rocks-grand-staircase-escalante/
• Toadstool Hoodoos trail, leaving Page halfway to Kanab.

 BRYCE CANYON, see this to pick a hike https://thethoroughtripper.com/best-hikes-in-bryce-canyon/#Is_it_a_Queen_or_a_Wizard. Basically, either the Queen + Navajo combo hike (moderate 3 mi. 652 ft gain at end of queen) or Mossy Cave (easier 1 mi.). 

• Belly of dragon, entering Zion from east. Manmade but fun. 
• SKIP, too far: Red canyon (AKA peekaboo slot) -in the backcountry of Utah’s southern desert so it's hard to get to with pros and cons for each option including experience, time constraints, and cost.
• Best friends animal sanctuary
• East Zion
• SKIP Glen canyon dam, no time. 
• SKIP-Vermillion cliffs and White Pocket. Would LOVE to, but... hours driving on bumpy sand road, getting stuck, no bathroom, etc. 
• GOT IT. -Antelope Canyon X
• Emerald pool lower, easy, magestic views of cliffs n mtns.
• …
• ABOVE HERE IS mostly THE DUDE'S LIST

 

Zion east side i think specifically

• The Hobbit Hole (drive from east?)
• Checkerboard from east.
• Belly of Dragon
• https://theworldtravelguy.com/observation-point-zion-trail/
• Observation pt… Gotta do East trail (easier anyhow, nice)

 

St. George / Zion area more

• Grafton ghost town leaving ZION to St. George (but... Kanab, the 100+ Hollywood westerns thing).
• Petroglyphs EASIEST in neighborhood. Bloomington Petroglyph park.
• Candy cliffs at sunset best, from east road maybe Leeds, Utah (west rd too steep) any car
• Snow canyon’s Jenny's SLOT canyon (easy 0.48 mi for roundtrip)
• Snow canyons Petrified Dunes!!
• Snow canyons white rock amphitheater (take the short trail) (like candy cliffs but no pink swirls).
• Snow canyon volcano / lava tubes. Probably don't walk up volcano, too much loose gravel and steep means you will fall on big jagged rocks. https://thethoroughtripper.com/cinder-cone-trail-snow-canyon/#Trailhead_Basics 
• Snow canyon Overlook via a Hidden trail (horse trail, near Snow canyon trail rides trail, south of their stables) (SW of red mtn trail) that has the best super view!
• Pioneer park has “the crack”, a short SLOT canyon right there. Busy.
• Pioneer park’s ARCHES, 2 medium, other small. See from parking, look up.
• Pioneer park has a TON of easy red rock crazies, like rt by parking. Eventually Dixie Rock.
• Desert garden by pioneer park. Free 

-=-=-=-=-=-= ORIG LIST Right below HERE

Zion & nearby hikes

 Canyon overlook trail (1mi). *** best views

• ***Hobbit Hole (lower clear creek). 1.3 mi, 147 ft gain. Rocky.
• Dry hike next to narrows.
• Emerald pools (for the crazy cliff walls)
• Grotto trail ( mile hike nxt to rd)(downhill from grotto to lodge)
• Pa’Rus trail. Paved.

 Outside main canyon- drive self.

1. Willis creek narrows slot canyon. Easy get to.
2. Checkerboard mesa***great. East east.
3. Zion jeep tour
4. Cedar Breaks Ntl Monument (is Bryce Canyon junior, super cool)
5. Snow canyon state oark, is 1 hr away. No snow. Lava tube! Slick rock! Petrified sand dune!
6. TOO FAR - Valley of fire , closer to vegas. Suoer cool looking.
7. Grafton ghost town, Hollywood movies, Butch Cassidy n Sundance kid. . (Kanab town had 100 western movies).

 -=-=-=-=-=-=

MORE NOTES 

Hobbit Hole near Zion
Via https://www.alltrails.com/en-gb/trail/us/utah/lower-clear-creek-the-hobbit-hole--2

This is a gem! Parking on the highway is limited east of the canyon overlook trail. Download the trail map before you go. No signs to mark your start but you know you are on the right trail… drop off the north side of highway down some slick rock and sand and look for the cool rock water underpass that goes under the highway. Travel south onto and along the trail. Enjoy some amazing slot canyon trails all to yourself! There is an old creek bed that goes off to the east that you can explore as deep as you wish. Moderate easy trail. Can be as short or long as you wish but if you love the canyons and slots— must try this. Family friendly if you have small ones :-)

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If you stay on the trail marked on All Trails, completely dry (no standing water). There was a branch that still had standing water but that wasn’t the trail mapped…so you don’t have to get wet if you don’t want. Had it completely to ourselves. Just beware of the open area as it could get very hot in direct sun. **tip: as mentioned previously, the slot canyon is near the beginning—so if you want a fun, interesting, short trail…follow the trail through the slot canyon and turn around at the “hobbit hole” arch.

The hobbit hole is a low arch at the end of the first slot canyon. Fun for kids but easy for adults to get through too. We went to the second slot canyon, which had stagnant water in it and planned to turn around. Then we saw hikers coming from a side trail, which we then took and hung out under a spacious rock ledge for about 30 minutes. Great hike for a hot day, with reluctant hikers, or for slot canyon lovers.