Zion NP in Dec
 

I am planning on visit Zion NP in late Dec and would like to get some advice. The plan is to do some scenic drive and short hikes in a day.

The park appears to be divided into 3 sections.

From NPS website, road at Wildcat Canyon and beyond is not plowed. So there is not much I can do in this part.

How is Kolob Canyon in the winter? How much time do I need to spend there?

What about Temple of Sinawava? It seems to be the major part of the park. Should I skip Kolob and focus on Sinawava?

Thanks!

It sounds like maybe you are just planning one day there? If yes, I think you would want to focus on the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive area (Temple of Sinawava is at the end of this). In December the shuttles are no longer running but the park won't be packed like it is in summer so you should be able to find a parking at pretty much any trailhead. There are many trails accessible from this drive. I was just there in November and stuck to the 2 miles or less trails because I only had one day and I wanted to hike in several areas that day. You can click on my screen name to see the trip report if you want. Also I thought a gorgeous part of the park is the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway which goes from just near the Springdale entrance to the east entrance of the park. The views were even more spectacular than on the scenic drive but I don't remember a lot of places to park or trailheads but it would be worth the drive if nothing else. I can't help you with the Kolob Canyons question but if you are only there for one day I think there is plenty other stuff to keep you busy.

Hi agian Cheerful,

The Kolob Canyons section of the park requires about an hour drive. You have to backtrack to I-15 and drive north a few miles to enter that section. It's spectacular scenery, but with only 1 day, you won't have time. Just concentrate on the valley and see the views from Hwy 9 going out the east entrance on the way to Bryce.

There is a nice short hike called the Canyon Overlook trail. The trailhead is on the east side of the tunnel. Great views!

Thanks for the information to all the questions I posted.

We will go from Zion to Bryce via Zion-Mount Carmel Highway, if the weather allows us.

We are thinking of taking a detour to Page to see the horseshoe bend on the way. The picture looks spectacular. Any comment on the drive there (road, time, etc)?

Thanks!

for what it's worth: went hiking in zion just after christmas 2003. all the trails were iced over...very dangerous!...i was slipping and sliding most of the day. you might want to invest in some hiking boot spikes.

Thanks for the info. I don't enjoy winter hiker that much. I guess I will have 2 plans. If weather is not good, I might do mostly scenic drive and probably go to Kolob Canyon as well. Dayle is saying the view is great. :)

Quick report. Most of trails are closed due to ice. However, Canyon overlook was open and easy to hike. Thanks for the info

I was hiking in the St. George, Utah (Snow Canyon and various other hiking trails, etc.) area for a week in mid-Dec. It was wonderful hiking weather there (cold at night, in the 30s, but up to high 50s and sunny during the day, perfect for peeling of the layers- and no ice or snow), but it is 40 min. from Zion. Two days it rained in St. George and both of those days we heard it snowed/iced in Zion. We had hoped to hike at least one day in Kolob Canyon at Zion (since we had hiked it two years ago in Oct. and loved that area) but did not get to do so.

I was surprised at the variation in terrain and geology around St. George. We could hike three different geological zones in one hike. Much better hiking than I expected.

One question: Are you saying Kolob Canyon hiking was also closed due to snow/ice?

Kolob Canyon is much higher altitude that the Zion Canyon floor. Guaranteed there will be snow up there and no hiking.

Kolob Canyons trail was actually open but fully covered in the snow. We got there late in the afternoon so we gave it up after 10 min. I think if the area is open and sun can reach it, it would be fine. The problem was those places in the shade all the time. I've hiked in snow elsewhere. Ice was the trouble.