or disabled.
HIKING SEASONS
Utah’s five national parks are open year-round, though the availability of some services, such as shuttles, visitor centers, ranger-led programs, and campgrounds, will vary by season and from one park to another. Most of the hikes in this book are accessible and hikeable year-round. Even Bryce Canyon, with its high elevations and snowpack, can be enjoyed in winter on cross-country skis or snowshoes. In the arid desert of southern Utah, spring and fall often offer some of the most favorable hiking conditions. Regardless of when you plan to visit, it’s important to plan carefully. National-park websites and visitor centers can provide planning information and weather forecasts, but your safety and enjoyment will depend on your own good judgment, preparation, and constant awareness.
PARK REGULATIONS
Visit nps.gov for additional rules.
Campfires are prohibited except in front-country campgrounds, and wood gathering is not allowed.
All vehicles, including mountain bikes, are restricted to designated vehicle routes; off-route travel is not permitted.
Pets are not allowed on hiking trails.
Hunting is prohibited.
Do not use soap in or near water sources.
Watch wildlife from a distance, and never feed wild animals.
Swimming in potholes is not allowed unless the pothole is continually recharged by flowing water.
The destruction, defacement, disturbance, or removal of natural or historical objects is prohibited.
USING THIS BOOK
When you think of Utah, theme parks don’t generally come to mind. But Utah is home to five national parks—distinct parks with one common theme. That underlying and unifying theme is erosion. Each of Utah’s national parks—Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion—is a geologically themed wonderland where the subject is what happens to the earth’s surface as a result of wind and water and time. Those results are the fantastic canyons, arches, hoodoos (rock columns), sandstone fins, and spires that decorate these parks.
Utah’s national parks lie within a geographic region of the United States known as the Colorado Plateau, which spreads across 130,000 square miles of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. It’s an arid, high-elevation expanse that conspires against human settlement and showcases some of the most beautiful red-rock scenery and natural earth forms in the world. Ninety percent of the Colorado Plateau is drained by the Colorado River and its tributaries, and it has the highest concentration of National Park Service units in the country—10 national parks and 17 national monuments. Other national parks within the Colorado Plateau, though not in Utah, are the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and Petrified Forest National Parks, as well as Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
To understand the geology of the Colorado Plateau, all you need to know are three basic steps:
The area was thrust upward by forces within the earth.
Tectonic plates collided, causing layers of earth to crinkle and tilt.
Water cut and shaped the stone into canyons.
Simplified, yes, but everything you see in Utah’s national parks indicates these three steps. And the desert climate, with its attendant lack of vegetation, makes the geology so much more visible and accessible. Think about it: If the Colorado Plateau were as forested as the Pacific Northwest, these national parks wouldn’t exist because you would never notice the arches, hoodoos, slickrock, or magnificent sandstone monuments. So be thankful for the desert, which exposes this beautiful terrain and makes it so accessible for hikers.
As you visit Utah’s national parks and immerse yourself in their wonders, you’ll find new ways of looking at the land and uncover new ideas. Edward Abbey, that ever-quotable environmentalist of the Colorado Plateau, put it this way: “The land here is like a great book or a great symphony; it invites approaches toward comprehension on many levels, from all directions.” Like Abbey, you’ll find that each hike in this book offers something to learn, something new to ponder, or some riddle to answer. To enhance the learning and to make that knowledge accessible, I’ve included dozens of sidebars, photos, and interpretive aids—an added bonus, if you will—to bring the story of the land to life. These include information about the geology, history, flora, and fauna of the Colorado Plateau—facets that are common to all five national parks.
Utah’s national parks lie within desert environments, which only make the life-forms more interesting as species—both plants and animals—adapt to the harsh climate. You’ll find desert bighorn sheep that go most of the year without ever drinking water, bristlecone pines that live for thousands of years, or kangaroo rats that collect moisture with each outgoing breath. Deserts may look barren on the surface, but they are far from lifeless.
The parks featured here are open year-round, though some visitor centers and public facilities may be closed or have restricted hours during winter. Given their high elevation at or above 5,000 feet, the parks have great hiking during the peak summer season, even though other national parks in the desert Southwest will be scorchingly hot. Spring and fall are prime time for Utah’s national parks and offer what most hikers consider ideal temperatures for hiking, along with long days, spring wildflowers, and lighter crowds. Winter can be magical as an occasional dusting of powder makes the red rock of Arches or Zion all the more photogenic. Bryce Canyon has groomed cross-country ski trails, and wildlife viewing in Zion is exceptional.
STAYING SAFE
Every route in this book is safe in the sense that it is a designated public trail within a national park. Most of the hikes in this book are considered front-country trails as opposed to remote backcountry trails, and as such the trails are well maintained, regularly patrolled and hiked by park rangers, and heavily used by visitors who come to Utah’s national parks. Each year millions of people find fun, rewarding, healthy, and life-transforming experiences while hiking in national parks.
However, the inherent risks and dangers in hiking in a national park or any outdoor setting are real. Rocks fall, rattlesnakes bite, flash floods roar down canyons, and the desert sun can toast you like a bagel. No ranger, guidebook, or trailhead sign can possibly protect you from every hazard. Nothing can take the place of personal responsibility, individual preparation, sound judgment, and constant awareness when hiking in the outdoors. With all that in mind, let’s review some of the most common hazards you’ll experience while hiking in Utah’s national parks, along with the precautions and actions you should take in preparation for these hikes.
Even though most of these hikes are short, well known, well marked, and heavily used, you should be as mindful of precautions for these hikes as you would for any trail.
When visiting a national park, make the visitor center your first stop. Here you’ll receive updated weather and trail notifications. Experienced rangers who know the trails can assist you in selecting the routes best suited to your experience and abilities.
The greatest risk factor for hikers on many of the trails in this book is the extremely hot and dry summer weather, with summer temperatures regularly in excess of 100°F. In the heat, be sure to wear a wide-brimmed hat and long sleeves. Carry water, wear sunglasses, apply sunscreen and lip balm liberally, and, when possible, plan your outings to avoid hiking in the heat of the midday sun.
Heat exhaustion, or hyperthermia, occurs when the body loses more fluid than it takes in. That can happen very quickly in the desert’s high temperatures. Signs of heat exhaustion include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, headaches, pale appearance, stomach cramps, and cool clammy skin. If you or a member of your party experiences any of these signs, stop your hike immediately. Find a cool, shady area, and rest with your feet up. Drink fluids and eat something,