zion canyon

[tba]

I'm thinking about planning a backpacking trip in Zion for March. Good time or bad time? Coming from east coast, so gotta plan in advance. Any help/advice/tips much 'preciated.

Tom

[jman]

I'm thinking about planning a backpacking trip in Zion for March. Good time or bad time? Coming from east coast, so gotta plan in advance. Any help/advice/tips much 'preciated.

Tom

Are you asking for suggestions on backpacking in Zion in March? Or do you already have a plan and wondering if it's a good idea in March?

Higher elevations like West Rim Trail by Lava Point, basically near the start of the infamous Subway, will most undoubtedly be under 2-3ft of snow still. And that road is not plowed so you will be snowshoeing a good portion of the hike if you're gonna do a West Rim to East Rim route. Of course as you drop down in elevation the snow will disappear and be spotty.

[tba]

I'm looking for suggestions. I know nothing about Zion and am just starting to plan. I'd prefer to go in May, but my buddy wants to go in March and I don't want to hike alone. I assume there's really no bad time to go, but...

[jman]

How much time will you have? How much do you and your buddy plan to hike/day? Is there room for side-excursions? Any places you would like too see while you're in Zion (even though you know nothing of Zion you say)....Are you in reasonable backpacking condition?

So many questions one could ask you...

[tba]

I don't think we'd hike more than 2 days. We both have good backpacking experience in pretty much anything except for snow, which is my concern coming in March. We're from Alabama and just don't get in snow much. Backpacking experience has been in the West, but in summer; applachians in the winter, etc.. He's hiked in New Mex, I've hiked California and Wyoming. Both summers for me were 30+ miles over 3.5 days, so about 10 mi/day OK. He hiked more. We're in our mid-40s. Anything else?

[jman]

I would say backpack the narrows - but due to snow-melt, the hike down it (16miles) is typically closed until May. The stream has to be below 120cfs before they allow top-down hiking/backpacking.

So just 2 days?
Well you can do the West Rim trail in 2 days @14.5 miles (7miles/day). And the second day I would allow some time to hike Angels Landing. If its your first time and can deal with heights (a lot of vertical! Lol) then this is a must. But West Rim at the trailhead, you will run into snow. How much? Depends.

The other is East Rim Trail and can be combined with other side-hikes as well.

I'll post links to our good friends of website of Tanya and Bo. They have loads of information for you to digest and whet your appetite of what's available.

www.zionnational-park.com/backpacking-zion-national-park.htm

[trackrunner]

these two are good in march winter
http://www.zionnational-park.com/zion-chinle-trail.htm
http://www.zionnational-park.com/zion-park-coalpits.htm

you can rent drysuits or wetsuits & hike the narrows in the winter. not sure if you can do an out and back camping trip at one of the campsites.

[mattandersao]

Man, march is sooooo unpredictable down here! Could be 80 degrees and amazing weather or snow! I remember a couple years ago (during spring break in march) we got hammered one of the bigger snow storms in recent memory. The high country (west rim and east rim) maybe doable but the roads to the trail heads could be impassable. Another backpacking option could be La Verkin Creek area starting at lees pass or hop valley still it might be muddy, snowy or... Canaan Mountain wilderness might be another option.

[trackrunner]

just remembered don't let the snow deter you. I've seen some great TR of backpacking ski touring in heavy snow years along the west rim trail or east rim trail

[tba]

Thanks everybody! Please keep the tips coming. this is great help

[deathtointernet]

Yeah overnight in the Narrows is usually out in March... that said the suggestion for getting a drysuit and hiking up from the bottom and back is a good one, that would definitely be my favorite time of the year. Usually lots of extra waterfalls thanks to snowmelt on the plateaus above, and virtually no fellow hikers. That said it's a little different prospect with the cold, high water, but not really something that can't be overcome. Last couple of years have been pretty big for snow, who knows what will happen this year. Coalpits Wash and Chinle are good at that time, but it's not really the same spectacular scenery you might be looking for. That said if you go *really* far up Coalpits, like well beyond the oil well ruins, it is actually quite scenic, and of course very isolated. Enjoyment of Chinle depends on how much you like hiking in the open desert. Combining the two might be fun, but I can't help but think as first exposure to Zion it might be a bit, well, disappointing. In the higher elevations West Rim Trailhead will probably be unreachable, but East Rim is always open, though you might be hiking in snow I would consider it a good prospect, and with Deertrap and Cable Mountains it will get you the scenery Zion is known for.

Oh, and one thing I don't think was mentioned, any idea of when in March? The conditions at the very beginning of March are going to be substantially different from those at the very end.

Dayhiking the Narrows in March:
https://picasaweb.google.com/deathtointernet/ZionNationalPark031710TheNarrowsFromTheBottom?auth user=0&feat=directlink

Dayhiking Coalpits Wash in March:
https://picasaweb.google.com/deathtointernet/ZionNationalPark031311UpperCoalpitsWashViaCraterHi ll?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Backpacking East Rim Trail with Deertrap and Cable Mountains, unfortunately in May, not March:

https://picasaweb.google.com/deathtointernet/ZionNationalPark050909To051009EastRimTrailDeertrap MountainAndCableMountain?authuser=0&feat=directlink

[ibenick]

Awesome photos & descriptions, Jeremy. :2thumbs:

[stefan]

I'm thinking about planning a backpacking trip in Zion for March. Good time or bad time? Coming from east coast, so gotta plan in advance. Any help/advice/tips much 'preciated.

Tom

it depends on what type of backpacking experience you're looking for but
the la verkin creek area can be a nice area to be in march.

here's some quick info from joe braun
http://www.citrusmilo.com/zionguide/laverkincreek.cfm

as far as what month is a good depends a lot on the area you're in. march has fewer people but is more limiting. may can be a splendid month to go. it might be good to come up with a few options and decide at the time you go based on what the current conditions are like.

also location depends if you want to be mellow and smell the flowers or cover alot of ground, dayhike from camp or backpack the whole way, etc. if you have preferences, this info can narrow things down too. zion has places for lots of different interests

[stefan]

I'll post links to our good friends of website of Tanya and Bo. They have loads of information for you to digest and whet your appetite of what's available.

www.zionnational-park.com/backpacking-Zion-national-park.htm

i think you mean this link

http://www.zionnational-park.com/backpacking-zion-national-park.htm

[tba]

Thanks. We were thinking middle of March.

[mattandersao]

Possibly an option could be the Right Fork of North Creek (not the technical version but from the bottom up) this one would completely depend on runoff. If we have a late spring and meltoff isnt too great it probably be doable.... just throwin out some ideas! You could probably do west rim from bottom up and possibly camp in one of the lower camping spots as well or just day hike it!

[tba]

What about escalante?

[trackrunner]

what about it? big place you will find a lot of stuff in season & out of season there. so it should meet your needs

[stefan]

What about escalante?

a wonderful place. perhaps the most popular backpacking area is coyote gulch (superlative) and if you go in march there might be less crowds than during the april/may time.

escalante is a backpacking mecca ... a ton of areas to go

[mattandersao]

Coyote Gulch is awesome, especially without a ton of people! I think there was a trip report on C. Gulch on this website not too long ago from a group that went in march....google search keywords bogley coyote gulch and you may be able to find that report (unless it was from summit then its just gone :ne_nau:)

[tba]

I think I found that, but I didn't see any info re: how long the coyote gulch loop is. Anyone know?

[Byron]

Here's a suggestion. Buy "Canyon Hiking Guide to the Colorado Plateau" by Mike Kelsey.
If you only have a couple days for Zion, and it appears you've never been there before, just come and don't worry about planning it out, there's plenty to do right from the canyon bottom. It'll take you a couple days to get the lay of the land and familiarize yourself for return trips. The book mentioned above will square you away, with everything. Trust me...

[OwenM]

Hard to pick for a 2-day trip, but here's a few suggestions:
Note that last winter's record snowfall made ALL of these impossible the first week of March(I tried the second two then, finally did all three, minus Observation Point, two weeks ago), and the weather, especially at Kolob, can be wildly unpredictable.

-West Rim
Day 1: West Rim Trail to campsite. Campsite 3 is good. Nice views.
Day 2: West Rim to the Grotto, plus Angel's Landing.
Will require shuttling or two cars, if the trailhead is accessible, and the hike even doable.

-La Verkin Creek Trail.
Day 1: Lee Pass to Kolob Arch and Beartrap Canyon, back to campsite.
Day 2: back to Lee Pass, and either explore a finger canyon on the way out, or do the Taylor Creek Trail to Double Arch Alcove(~5 miles roundtrip), since you have to drive right by it.

-East Rim from the bottom.
Day 1: Weeping Rock to Cable or Deertrap Mountain with side hike of Hidden Canyon, and maybe check out the accessible section of Echo Canyon's slot system. No campsites, camp at the edge of the canyon with a view.
Day 2: Back out East Rim, side hike to Observation Point.

I started to do either the Chinle Trail, or Coalpits Wash, which are supposed to be good alternative hikes when snow screws up some of the popular routes, but don't know much about them, having elected to explore a finger canyon and overnight in Kolob then go back to Vegas for dayhikes at Red Rock, instead.