Timber Creek Overlook easy for family access

Many Southern Nevadans count Zion National Park their favorite outdoor haunt, yet many seem unaware of one of its best quarters — the Kolob Canyons section in the park’s northwest area.

It’s not only less crowded and cooler; it’s also easier to access.

Zion National Park was established in 1919; the Kolob Canyons section, which was established as a national monument in 1937, was added to the park in 1956.

Kolob Canyons are reached by a five-mile scenic drive just minutes off of Interstate 15, between St. George and Cedar City. The paved road winds its way over the Hurricane Cliffs and through the towering red Navajo sandstone cliffs for which Zion is famous. There are many pullouts along the road to take in the stunning scenery, but be sure to reserve some time to spend at road’s end.

The scenic drive ends at a large parking area and the Timber Creek Overlook. While the immediate views are great ones, your visit will be enhanced by hiking the one-mile roundtrip Timber Overlook Trail. It’s good for the entire family and affords views that one usually only finds after trekking many miles on more remote and rugged Zion trails.

The signed trail starts at an elevation of about 6,200 feet. This area of the park is often ten degrees cooler than the main area of the park. If you visit over the next month or so you can expect high temperatures in the 80s during the day.

The route is obvious except at one fork: After the first 30 yards the trail splits and you will stay left. To the right is the spur trail for the shaded picnic area.

The well-worn trail travels along a wide ridge where the plant community consists mostly of pinyon pine and juniper. You might find tracks of mule deer, bobcats, ground squirrel and black-tailed rabbits. Soaring above you might see redtail hawks and both golden and bald eagles.

In the final section of the hike you will encounter footing more uneven and rockier than at the start. Small children might need a helping hand but it shouldn’t be an issue for others. At the end of the trail there are drop-offs so you’ll need to keep a close eye on children, but it’s fairly wide and roomy so staying away from the edge isn’t a problem.

You will also find lots of flat-topped boulders on which to spread a picnic or simply stretch out and feast your eyes on the stunning landscape below.

To the northeast lies Timber Creek Valley. There is one area that supports a healthy community of mature cottonwoods and box elder trees. This is the place to access some of the park’s more remote hiking areas such as hiking down to La Verkin Creek, one of the most popular routes to Kolob Arch.

Rising above Timber Creek Valley are the rarely visited high plateaus, mesas and buttes covered with dense forests. Prominent landmarks before you are Timber Top Mountain, 8,055 feet in elevation, and in front of that Shuntavi Butte at 6,995 feet. North of these is Horse Mountain Ranch, the highest elevation in the park, at 8,726 feet.

On a clear day you can see south to the Arizona Strip, and southeast to the Kaibab Plateau, which marks the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. To the southwest you can see the Pine Valley Mountains.

If you have the choice, hike this trail in the morning, as afternoon thunderstorms are common from now through mid-September. The entire trail is exposed, so should you observe signs of an impending rain, then, hiker, go away; come again some other day.

The Kolob Canyons Visitor Center is open daily, except Christmas, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. this time of year with shorter hours in fall and winter. There are a small bookstore, and exhibits about the geology, plants, and animals of the area, an information desk and the ever-so-important bathrooms. No other services are offered in this area of the park.

Deborah Wall is the author of “Base Camp Las Vegas, Hiking the Southwestern States,” “Great Hikes, A Cerca Country Guide,” and co-author of “Access For All, Touring the Southwest with Limited Mobility.” Wall can be reached at Deborabus@aol.com.