Backpacking Recommendation: 47 Unforgettable Miles of Zion

Attention anyone interested in multi-day Zion National Park backpacking trips! Are you interested in trying a particular Zion route that you may not have heard of? Check out this recommendation. This hike suggestion traverses past multiple Zion landmarks and through a handful of name-brand trails. 47 miles in total, taking this path will allow you to experience one of the most incredible multi-day expeditions to be had inside the boundaries of Zion National Park. It’s a crying shame that more people don’t know about this hike; an issue that this article hopes to help cure.

This custom route (with no official name) runs north to south. Beginning at Lee Pass (take I-15 to Exit 40 and go about eight miles up Kolob Canyon Rd) and ending all the way at the trailheads of the East Rim, this stretch of land will have you wishing you had more photo memory space. Every section of the park on this Zion National Park backpacking route is flat-out incredible. The majority of the ground you cover is remote and isolated which adds to the magic. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to make this awesome hike a reality.

Day 1

Begin on the La Verkin Creek trail (in the Kolob Canyons section of the park) and continue through to the Hop Valley trail. This simple route will bring you to your first camp sight along La Verkin Creek. For the flattest, most comfortable campground, see if you can get site 12 or 13.

Day 2

On the second day, head to the West Rim Trail by way of Connector Trail and Wildcat Canyon Trail. During this section of the Zion National Park backpacking hike, you’ll reach elevations of over 7,000 ft which are the highest in Zion. Another fantastic section that you’ll cross through here is a location called Little Siberia which is an anomalous area that maintains its snowy landscape from the beginning of November all the way through May. There are many amazing viewpoints in this section that offer views of sandstone canyons full of red and white colorations. This will bring you to your campsite for night number two. The recommendations here are campsite #8 at mile 5 if you prefer to be near water or campsite #4 at mile 4 which is away from water but has better views.

Day 3

The third day of this Zion National Park backpacking trip will take you into Zion Canyon proper where along the way you’ll view huge sandstone descents and walk across some narrow, mild headache-inducing precipices. This is the point where you take a short and slight 0.8-mile detour to hike the famous Angel’s Landing. The key of Day 3 is to arrive at the Angel’s Landing trail earlier than 9 am, this way you avoid large crowds (depending of course on what time of year you’re hiking). However, even if you get there after 9, still go up. It’s worth it. Once you’ve scaled Zion National Park’s most famous landmark, keep on trekking to Echo Canyon where you’ll encounter unique red rock formations, a beautiful waterfall, a cool slot canyon (Jolly Gulch) which is when you’ll reach the East Rim Trail. This is where you’ll want to take a short, 1-mile detour to experience Hidden Canyon. It has some incredible sandstone cliff walls to see, panoramic views, lots of interesting paths, and beautiful tributaries of La Verkin Creek. Feel free to camp out for a fourth night at one of the campsites on this final route or simply call it quits on Day 3 by completing your Zion National Park backpacking journey when you get to UT 9 at the end of the East Rim trailhead.

Conclusion

If you enjoy overnight Zion National Park backpacking, this will be a trip you will not forget. Guaranteed.

Backpacking Recommendation: 47 Unforgettable Miles of Zion

Zion National Park Backpacking

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