Winter Hiking in Utah

Winter hiking in Utah may sound impossible. The 45th State, admitted to the Union on January 4, 1896, Utah is well known for the Mormons, Wasatch Front, the Great Salt Lake, and a name that means "People of the Mountains". Utah has a dry desert climate, timberline areas, extreme cold winters and heavy snowfalls. However, by using a little common sense, and turning back if weather conditions deteriorate to an unsafe status, Winter hiking in Utah can be much more enjoyable than first imagined because Utah also has several sunny Winter days.

Zion National Park:

One of the most popular Winter hiking locations in Utah is Zion National Park, located in Springdale, on the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway, full of meandering rock formations, trees that retain their leaves year around, and frequently-sighted California Condors, providing plenty of photo opportunities for hikers to take advantage of. The Park's Virgin River crests higher in Utah Winters and offers waterfalls that do not exist at any other time of the year.

Hiking trails available for Winter hikes in Zion National Park, although they may be icy due to not receiving much sunshine, include Weeping Rock, Emerald Pools, Riverside Walk, Angels Landing, Hidden Canyon, and Observation Point. Sand Beach Trail, a Summer horse path, becomes an enjoyable hiking path in the Winter.

Trails on the east side of Zion National Park are unpaved, except for Canyon Overlook Trail, which follows Pine Creek Canyon, and the Mt. Carmel tunnel, with a high elevation view of Zion Canyon, a trailhead east of the tunnel, and a moderately easy climb peaking at 5300 feet.

Experienced snow hikers can enjoy snowshoes on East Rim Trail, from East Mesa to Cable Mountain and Deertrap Mountain, over slickrock routes on a downhill hike, with views of the Organ, Great White Throne, and Cathedral Mountain. East Rim Trail is a ten mile trek over strenuous terrain, with a trailhead 150 yards west of Zion National Park's east entrance.

Low elevation, and full sunshine, make Zion National Park's less popular trails a pleasant Winter hike. Included among these trails are Watchman, a red spire elevated at 6545 feet, and a Zion Classic trail beneath Bridge Mountain, that has a desert environment with prickly pears, and a view of Zion's landmarks, including Beehives, Towers of the Virgin, West Temple, and the Altar of Sacrifice. Coalpits Wash, Huber, Scoggins, and Eagle Crags are a few more of these less popular trails.

Canyonlands National Park:

Canyonlands National Park, in Moab, offering the Elephant Hill Trailhead, at 5120 feet, Chesler Park, and Druid Arch, is another popular Winter hiking location in Utah, and an entirely slickrock hiking area with very rugged terrain. Constantly climbing over many obstacles makes the hike more of a workout for hikers and there is very little water or shade to be found along the way. The high desert can be cold, but the Needles District, carved from the multicolored Cedar Mesa sandstone, is a hiker's pleasure. Chesler Park, a circularly shaped grassland meadow, is surrounded by the Needles, with a small Anasazi Indian ruin nearby, however, water is two miles away in Elephant Canyon.

Additional Information:

The websites zionnational-park.com, trails.com, lonelyplanet.com, utahtravelcenter.com, and nps.gov provide much more information on these and other Winter hiking opportunities in Utah.