Your cart is currently empty!
Taylor Creek Trail
—
by
The Taylor Creek Trail in the lesser visited Kolob Canyons of Zion National Park follows the Middle Fork Taylor Creek up to the beautiful Double Arch Alcove. Along the way, you pass two cabins, the Larson Cabin and the Fife Cabin as you cross the creek numerous times. Short, mostly level walk with some great topography and history make for a nice hike in Zion National Park
We parked at the parking lot for the Taylor Creek Trail and dropped down along Taylor Creek. While we encountered a few people, it paled in comparison to other parts of Zion which made for a nice hike. We followed the creek up which, at the beginning, offers little shade. The trail turns up the Middle Fork of Taylor Creek and we cross numerous times on our way up. During our trip, we were able to jump, skip, and hop over the creek and not get our feet wet. Recent rain or spring runoff might change that, but most likely, you can hike it without getting your feet wet.
Two historic cabins, the Larson Cabin and the Fife Cabin, are along the trail giving you a window into Zion National Park’s past before it became a national park. These old buildings are wonderful little bonuses along the trail.
As we worked our way up the creek, we began to really get into the canyon. The red rock walls began to tower over us. The vegetation changed to be more lush and it was much cooler. Forest birds flitted in the bushes, climbed up and trees, and scampered over rocks. Eventually we made it to the Double Arch Alcove.
One arch is higher up. It isn’t a free-standing arch just yet. Eventually, it looks to be similar in shape to the Kolob Arch. Since it is not as high up, it seems cooler with its proximity. Below this arch is the alcove. It’s an echo-y place with vegetation climbing up its walls. Both are carved from the bright, red sandstone and are extremely beautiful. We had periods of sharing the arch and having it all to ourselves. Great trail for the whole family.
Comments
4 responses to “Taylor Creek Trail”
-
Hi. Thanks for the pre-view. I’m thinking of doing this hike late December or early January. Any guess what kind of weather to expect?
-
I’ve never been there during that time of year. I would be prepared for freezing temperatures and potentially some snow and ice depending. You can find more general info at: https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/weather.htm. I’ll ping a couple of friends who hike there during that time and see what they have to say.
-
Thanks, I was concerned about the snow & creek water levels along Taylor Creek
-
-
There is some elevation at the Kolob so it will be Brisk. Snow will be iffy, but probably a certainty. Once I tried to go up an unofficial trail one canyon to the south of Taylor Creek and was thigh deep in the stuff before I knew it. My guess though is that, IF the Kolob section of Zion is open this official trail will be passable and beautiful. If the Kolob gets dumped on they will shut down that area temporarily because they don’t have the means to get/keep the road open efficiently. Weather in Cedar City might be a good gauge of accumulated snow in the Kolob. I hope it works out for you. The Kolob in snow is really spectacular.
-
Leave a Reply