Kolob Canyon: Taylors Creek Trail & Double Arch Alcove

We are having incredible weather for this time of year; it's insane how warm and pleasant it has been. So off we set on another adventure back to Kolob Canyon to do the Taylor's Creek / Double Arch Alcove hike which we have done many times before but each season brings new beauty to the trail and we always seem to find new things to look at that we hadn't noticed before. The trail is 5 miles round trip, culminating in the most beautiful and natural double arch alcove. When my mum came to visit in June last year, she did the first mile of the trail, but due to inappropriate footwear on her part, we turned back and she didn't get to see the rest of this amazing hike.. so this post is dedicated to Mum so she can see what she missed.


Despite a gorgeous 51f in town, once in the canyon, the sun rarely hits a lot of the trail so there is still quite a bit of snow and thick ice.

The rock formations and textures along the way are so pretty.

Above is the lower arch/alcove and the picture below is the upper arch/alcove.

The Arch is amazing. The lower arch that you can walk in is huge and the walls/rock are lined with all these amazing colors and plant life (in summer) that grows to the porous rock. The second arch is clear up high and not visible when stood in the lower arch, apparently there are very few natural arches of this kind in the world which is why this one is so unique. Once at the lower arch, there is an optional side trail which not many people seem to know about that continues on about a half mile further to a section in the rock that has been carved out, probably over millions of years by this waterfall. It is insane, and these pictures nowhere near do it justice. In the picture below, we are stood inside the lower alcove and the mound of snow next to us is from all the dripping water; it was frozen solid!

Below is the waterfall in the rock.

LaVerkin Creek Trail

The promise of pleasant weather had us lacing up our hiking boots and heading 20 miles South to the beautiful Kolob Canyons area (the Northern section of Zion National Park). We decided to tackle a part of the LaVerkin Creek Trail which we had not previously hiked. When we got there, we were surprised by the amount of snow still laying on the ground - well over a foot in the more shaded areas. We started the hike about 12 noon and the mild sun had already melted some of the snow away to expose the muddy trail beneath.. and as the sun got higher and melted the ground more, the ground got even muddier! The combination of hiking in thick mud one minute and deep snow the next really took its toll on our feet and by the end of our hike, it was quite clear that the 'waterproof' label on our hike boots was a false claim!! The trail was gorgeous - it descends to the Canyon floor for the first 2 hours of the hike... the hike back out was the issue - 2 hours of hiking uphill with sodden boots caked with mud. It was our goal to make it to the Kolob Arch but at 13 miles round trip, best achieved on a very long summer day, we knew this goal was impossible. We made it about a half mile past backcountry campsite #3 before resting near some waterfalls ready to start the long hike back up the Canyon. This is a little over half way to the Kolob Arch. It made for a perfect afternoon hike in gorgeous surroundings. But wow, are our legs screaming with pain today!!

Lunch stop - a little over half way of the total hike trail.

Photos not in order - this below pic is the beginning of the hike.

Below: The hike criss-crosses the creek for a while.

The frozen creek in some places made it easier to cross!