Zion's Kolob Canyons!

I've made no secret of the fact that Zion is one of my favorite national parks. It has The Narrows and Angels Landing. It has the majestic steep red cliffs which can make you feel so small. And the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is nothing short of stunning. But there's a second section of Zion that most people don't know about. It's called Kolob Canyons and it's the northwest portion of Zion National Park.



Mr. UR saw this part of Zion on the map and we decided to see what it was all about. We arrived late on a weekday and I was a bit proud of us for remembering to keep our Zion admission receipt from the day before, but they were closing the visitor center for the day so it didn't really matter. We headed into this part of the park on it's characteristic red roads. It's a scenic 5 mile drive through the park.






The scenery was pretty enough and then you go around a curve and BAM!



Kolob Canyon!



It was Stunning with a capital S...The photos and my words can't do it justice.









According to the Zion National Park website "Here in the northwest corner of the park, narrow parallel box canyons are cut into the western edge of the Colorado Plateau forming majestic peaks and 2, 000 foot cliff walls." 



One of the things you can do at Kolob Canyons besides the scenic drive is hike. We found an easy one mile hike and set off to see what we could see. 


The path on the hike



Supposedly, you can see the Grand Canyon way off into the distance!








I zoomed in to see if I could see the Grand Canyon - no luck! But it's out there, somewhere!





The requisite selfie

We saw this AFTER our hike - thank goodness! And thank goodness we didn't run into any wildlife on our hike!



So check the signs - all the signs - if you are headed out to hike - this one was on a map/bulletin board that we didn't see until we returned.



If you're going to Zion National Park, enjoy all that it has to offer. And don't forget about the stunning scenery at the other part of Zion - Kolob Canyons! I'm so glad we stumbled upon it!

This post is part of a link-up with: Travel Photo Thursday at Budget Travelers Sandbox, The Weekend Wanderlust Travel Blog Party and Weekend Travel Inspiration at Reflections Enroute!










Comments

  1. Looks like a really beautiful park! I haven't made it to this one yet! #wkendtravelinspiration (www.caliglobetrotter.com)

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    1. So beautiful! I'd love to go back - too many on the list! Thanks for visiting, Lori!

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  2. Nice! I've been to Zion twice and haven't explored this part, so this is a good reason to go back!

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    1. Definitely a good reason to go back! Thanks for visiting The Unpaved Road!

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  3. I have knowledge about this part of the park but I have not been. I knew the area was stunning but not this stunning (great photos, by the way). I have to make it there one day and to the other part of Zion too (I have not been in 10 years). #wkendtravelinspiration

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    1. Thanks Ruth! Hope you make it back - and you're one of the few people that I've met that have heard of Kolob Canyon. I had never even heard of this part until our visit. Thanks for visiting The Unpaved Road!

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  4. The whole of Zion National Park looks spectacular. Although I've toured much of the U.S. southwest, I have not made it to the Mighty 5 yet. Zion and Bryce are high on my list. Hiking a box canyon with 2,000' high walls sounds like fun.

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    1. I haven't been to all 5 but the ones I've seen are truly spectacular. And I have to admit that the hike we did was not in the box canyon but parallel to it so our views were of the box canyon - and supposedly far off views of the Grand Canyon. We were there so late in the day that we just attempted the shortest hike we found. Just another reason to go back! Thanks for visiting, Rhonda!

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  5. I haven't been to Zion yet, but I will go someday! Thanks for linking up this week! #wkendtravelinspiration

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    1. Hope you make it - it's truly spectacular. Thanks for visiting, Jim!

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  7. So beautiful! This is definitely on my bucket list. We are headed to California in three weeks and that will be my first trip to the West coast. Zion and Grand Canyon are definitely on my list soon after that.

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    1. Enjoy! The West coast is so beautiful and has so much to offer - and I hope you make it to Zion and the Grand Canyon someday. Thanks for visiting!

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  8. We went to Zion National park over ten years ago and I still remember how amazing it was. Reminds me I need to go back.

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    1. It's an incredible place! Thanks for visiting The Unpaved Road!

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  9. On one of our visits to the States we were lucky to visit Yosemite, Zion and Kings Canyon and the certainly took my breathe away.

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    1. Breathtaking is a good word for all of them, isn't it? Thanks for visiting The Unpaved Road!

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  10. Zion is a stunning place! I knew basically nothing about it before our visit and basically walked around with my eyes wide open and jaw dropping the entire time. I know it was even more beautiful in person, but the pictures are still amazing!

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    1. Thanks! And I was exactly like you - I had no idea of the beauty sitting out in the middle of nowhere Utah. Amazing! Thanks for visiting!

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  11. Kolob Canyon looks absolutely beautiful! I saw the sign when we were in Zion. Looks like we missed out on gorgeous scenery. We're going to make sure to visit this next time. Beautiful photos!

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