The Zion Traverse Trail Run

The Doorkeepers of Zion,
They do not always stand
In helmet and whole armour,
With halberds in their hand;
But, being sure of Zion,
And all her mysteries,
They rest awhile in Zion,
Sit down and smile in Zion;
Ay, even jest in Zion;
In Zion, at their ease.

– ‘Zion’ by Rudyard Kipling

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• Route: Partial Zion Traverse*
  • *NOTE: Technically we ran the “Zion Crossing” route, which is roughly 3/4 of the complete Zion Traverse (AKA, the Trans-Zion route). As of August 25, 2019 the complete Zion Traverse is impassable due to a massive rockfall which destroyed much of the East Rim Trail – the final ~10 miles of the route. So, we ran as much of the full Zion Traverse as we possibly could.
• Summits: None en-route; Angel’s Landing the previous day.
• Runners: Zambo & Jason Blythe (with Cougar in support)
• Distance: 37.06 miles
• Vertical Gain: 5,623 feet
• Date: 4/26/25
• Strava Track: https://www.strava.com/activities/14296270712 

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Yearning for Zion

When Jason proposed a Zion National Park crossing via trail run late last year, it was (as usual) an easy sell. I had only spent a few fleeting hours in Zion years earlier. But even a few glimpses of the park from the tunnel and through the windows of the packed shuttles was more than enough to whet my appetite. Getting back into Zion to do it properly had been on my short list for a while. It would also make a nice sequel to our Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim running effort a few years prior.

Our friend Cougar was easy to get on board as well. As he steadily winds down his quest to visit every national park, he was eager to re-evaluate Zion to see if it was as ruined by the crowds as it had been his last time there. Cougar is also about the best logistics and support crew person I know, which was a huge bonus. While this route is not impossible to do unsupported, it makes things a whole heck of a lot easier to have someone else there to help. We would be exceedingly grateful to him many times throughout the weekend, as you will see.

And so, after a Vegas airport nightmare that reaffirmed our conviction of just how much a shite-hole that city is, we picked up our rental car and we headed off into the blissful dark of the open desert towards a most spectacular national park

Intro to Zion via a Classic – Angel’s Landing

Our first day in the park was wide open before our big run the next morning. Cougar had managed to score he and I a permit to hike Angel’s Landing. This seemed like an all too fitting intro to Zion. Meanwhile Jason, who had done that hike several times before, headed out to do a bit of nearby canyoneering with another friend.

I won’t spend much time describing Angel’s Landing as it is, quite possibly, the most Insta-gaped spot in the entire National Park System (other contenders being the GC South Rim, Half Dome, or Zion’s own Narrows). That being said, I had two impressions after completing our Angel’s Landing Day:

1. The climb was much better than anticipated. Even as well-trodden as it is, this is one of those very rare hikes that is just so unique and cool it rises above its own cliche.
2. The crowds were much worse (and more annoying) than anticipated. I still don’t quite understand why, but with over 5,000,000 annual visitors, Zion is the #2 most visited park in the system. And it showed. Angel’s Landing is basically the most crowded trail you can find west of the Mississippi. Even with the rangers checking permits and stopping maybe 2/3 of the hikers from continuing on towards the class 3 sections, this was about as far from wilderness solitude as you could possibly get.

All that said, the hike was undeniably awesome. The thrilling ridgeline and prominent position in the canyon is one of a kind. It’s too good to not share at least a few pictures from our ascent.

Our descent was just as much fun as the way up. We then reconvened at the shuttle, visited a few more side trips, and then sat out on the lovely front porch of Zion Lodge in rocking chairs for lunch.

The pleasant lawn was punctuated by what must be the happiest cottonwood tree in the world. We contentedly rocked for the better part of an hour people watching, relaxing in the warm day, gazing up at the canyon walls, and watching the white fluffy clouds roll by. As much hustle and bustle was happening all around us, finding those little moments of NPS bliss were a real treat.

Now, onto the real reason we came here…

The (Partial) Zion Traverse – Route Overview

The Zion Traverse is a storied route that runs right through center of the park. It is a natural link up of several trails which allows runners, through-hikers, and backpackers the chance to cover almost the entire length of Zion.

As mentioned earlier, the full route is no longer passable as the East Rim Trail is out of commission due to rockfall. I didn’t really know what that meant until we saw it up close. Massive portions of entire East Rim trail have been wiped out. Seeing as how they are carved directly into a cliff face, I don’t foresee them reopening this anytime soon, which is a real shame. We would have loved to have done the whole thing, but I won’t lie and say that 11 fewer miles and skipping a final 2,000 foot climb at the end of the day wasn’t so bad.

The route can be done in either direction. We chose to go north to south mainly for the sake of going more downhill. This direction starts high at Lee Pass Trailhead (6,100 feet) and travels downhill all the way to The Grotto (4,319). Going down a net ~2,000 feet sounded a lot more fun (and fast) than ascending it. It also allowed us to start earlier as we wouldn’t have to hassle with the shuttles in the morning. Our choice was easy.

I always like to break up these sorts of long trail runs into manageable segments. Looking at the unigrid of the park and its trail sections, the route lent itself towards this very well. I broke up the day as follows:

1. Lee Pass Trailhead > Hop Valley Trail
2. Hop Valley Trail > Hop Valley Trailhead (our de facto aid station was here)
3. Hop Valley Trailhead > Wildcat Canyon Trail
4. Wildcat Canyon Trail > West Rim Trailhead
5. West Rim Trailhead > Trail Split
6. Trail Split (West route) > The Grotto Shuttle

Logistics on this route can be tricky. It’s a one way trip, which means either a car shuttle must be set up or a drop off arranged. Cougar very graciously agreed to drop us off in the morning, which was a huge win. It was an hour drive from the park headquarters up to our start at Lee Pass trailhead. And then another 45 minutes from the TH back to our hotel. Needless to say, we were quite happy to avoid the need to do an almost two hour shuttle after a long run.

The other major consideration for the day was water. While the route crosses several creeks and rivers, none are drinkable due to algae blooms and dangerous bacteria thanks to the cattle run off from outside the park. Apparently you can’t filter for these bacteria, which makes things much more complicated.

There are few natural springs throughout the park that still make this route possible, however. There is also the possibility to drop water at either the West Rim Trailhead and/or the Hop Valley Trailhead. Thankfully, Cougar came through massively again as he opted to just drive over to the Hop Valley TH after dropping us off. This made for a de facto aid station 14 miles into the day which was immeasurably helpful. We refilled there and this made a huge difference as we only needed to hit one other spring throughout the run.

But for unsupported parties, the springs and/or a water drop are the best options.

The Zion Crossing – Our Run Through the Park

We got rolling from Lee Pass trailhead at about 6:15; just late enough to leave the headlamps behind. We were able to leave lots of other gear as well. We traveled light as we would be seeing Cougar again in 14 miles. Our day was forecasted for highs in the lower 80’s and breezy winds. But as it was, the start was cool and calm.

After saying hello to a few other runners making a Zion Crossing attempt, we hustled on to the start of our day.

The first section of the day was a long, easy downhill before turning left into the Kolob Canyons. This seldom visited section of the park was like a mini Zion Canyon crossed with scenes straight out of Moab. Conversation flowed easily thanks to the great trail, excellent conditions, and steady downhill.

The great thing about doing this with Jason was we effortlessly hopped right back into deep conversation. We tackled all of life’s big topics during the first few hours of the run. Quality time is one of the most underrated aspects of a trip like this, if you ask me. And Jason is as great of a partner as you could possibly ask for with something like this. I was very thankful to get to spend a day out with him on yet another adventure.

After many miles of great chatting and easy running, the trail eventually turned left to go into the beating heart of Kolob.

We did our own fair share of gaping as the trail continued on at an easy pitch through Kolob Canyons. I was reminded of Grandstaff Canyon in Moab the entire time. We even bypassed a 1 mile side trip to Kolab Arch. Tempting as it was, we were content to bypass it for time’s sake. We were setting a steady, leisurely pace. But our overall goal was to be sure to be back down by 7:15 (13 hours round trip) to catch the last shuttle out.

Eventually we reached the junction with the Hop Valley Trail where the trail turned due south through a delightful Yellowstone-esque open river valley.

As we finally exited the Kolob Canyons the landscape opened up to a high desert plain en-route to the Hop Valley Trailhead. We were able to communicate with Cougar all day via our InReach’s, who warned us of “10 boomer gapers heading your way.” He wasn’t lying. But this was actually great news as we knew we’d soon be at our makeshift aid station for the day.

We got to the Hop Valley Trailhead after just under 3 1/2 hours of running. The first section went faster than we’d anticipated, but the sand slowed us down on the second. But none of that mattered as we were just so thankful for the aid.

We took 20 minutes at the trailhead to refill, add food and necessities to our packs, don sunscreen, and take a pit stop. I even changed shirts, which is a tiny luxury I especially enjoy on long outings like this.

One thing thing the stop highlighted was just how much less committing this route is compared to other similar efforts, i.e. The Rim to Rim to Rim. Having a refill point mid way not only made things much easier, but also, far less stressful as we didn’t ever feel like we were truly ‘out there’ like in the Grand Canyon. There are positives and negatives to that, I suppose. But for our day we were quite content to keep things casual and just enjoy it.

Successfully refilled, we offered Clougar all our thanks and then hit the trail again for the next sections.

The segment from the Hop Valley Trailhead to the West Rim Trailhead might have been the most surprising of the day. This stretch was a sort of connection leg as it linked the Kolob Canyons to the Horse Pasture Plateau above Zion Canyon proper. We were still very high up and the area felt strikingly similar to the front range in many respects: lots of scrub oak, pine, and rugged, rocky trails. We enjoyed it quite a bit; it just wasn’t quite what we were expecting

About 90 minutes after we left Cougar – and a little over halfway done with the entire day –  we encountered our first spring. We didn’t really need water at that point, but we felt it wise to refill and rehydrate anyway as it might be the final stop we’d need. We chatted with a few other trail runners coming up from the other side who reported easy passage and no issues from that direction.

The forecasted heat and wind were failing to materialize (mountain forecasting continues to be completely useless, it seems) as we enjoyed cool temps in the upper 50’s and only a light breeze. No complaints from us. With each moment we felt better and better about the day.

The route continued to take on a very alpine, pine forest feel as is steadily climbed up to the Horse Pasture Plateau above Zion Canyon. Ahead were the gorges, not quite fully in view. But on either side were wide open ranges and wilderness areas stretching away as far as the eye could see. We had stumbled into a John Wayne movie. Jason remarked at just how special the American West is. With scenes like this there was no arguing it.

This was also undoubtedly the fastest section of the day. The sand had finally given way to hard packed dirt many miles behind. We were now running on an almost flat, smooth trail on the top of the sweeping plateau. The miles clicked by effortlessly as we settled in to a nice, steady pace. This section could fly by for anyone with a true mind for speed.

After many quiet miles on the high plateau we finally came to it: dropping beneath our feet were the gorges of Zion Canyon far, far below. Endless cuts of carved rock and deep earth earth snaked around soaring buttes and pillars of stone, each capped with lush green gardens inaccessible to all but the birds. We took many moments to marvel and enjoy this special position above the whole canyon. I think I witnessed Jason literally falling in love with the landscape. It was an incredible place.

After a brief wrap around to punctuate our time on the plateau, the trail finally reached the moment we had been waiting for: the beginning of our long descent down into the valley far below. We were over 7,000 feet in elevation now, with over 3,000 feet to lose in front of us.

Looking down highlighted what a fun segment this would be as we could see feint bits of the trail snaking its way down what seemed like impassable cliffs. Our aging knees shuddered with anticipation. But we also knew it would be a make for a very fitting climax to all the effort it took to get there.

Thankfully, we were feeling really good at this point. The temps remained comfortable in the lower 60’s. The light breeze high on the plateau really helped us keep energy levels up. I could see how these sections would be a lot more miserable on a hot day. But lucky for us, we were able to lean into the final miles and really enjoy it.

As we flew down the long descent we couldn’t help but swivel all around to appreciate the rock and lands all about us. Towers soared, cliffs abounded, and deep gashes in the earth seemed to be in every direction. This was what we had come for and the park did not disappoint.

By the time we reached the Angel’s Landing junction we were on cloud nine. We both felt great, the day was perfect, the terrain sublime, and our timing spot on. Now it was time to enjoy a bit of final vanity as we joined the crowds heading to and from Angel’s Landing. We entered “hero mode” for the final 2.5 miles as we breezed past hundreds of hikers coming and going. As usual, reactions ranged from astonished awe to incredulous spite.

Our original time estimate had been 12 hours. Anything faster than that and we would be very happy. As it turned out, we were on pace to go sub 10. This felt very attainable was we blitzed the final few miles to make it so.

We crossed the line in due course, which felt amazing considering we didn’t even feel all that destroyed. Although this route does have 5,600 total gain, I think it is sort of sneaky easy. There are almost no big climbs (going from our direct at least) as the net gain is quite spread out. As such, we never really felt there were any big sections which sapped us. Combine that with the reasonable temps and ample water and we were feeling fantastic. So good, in fact, that we hopped on the first shuttle we could to get the heck out of dodge.

The shuttle was predictably packed with park visitors, none of whom will ever forgive me for the stench I subjected them to while reaching up to grab the bar above my head. But no matter. We eventually made it back to the visitor center to rendezvous with Cougar and take our first real rest of the day.

As we reconnected with Cougar and listened to his tales of woe about just trying to find a damn parking space, we felt all the more thankful for our day in Zion. This park undoubtedly has its issues. But as with anything, the road less travelled is all the sweeter. We were exceedingly thankful for the chance to get into some of the lesser traveled sections of the park and enjoy it for what it truly is. And as much as Zion may have lost points on Cougar’s NPS rating system, we could not have been more thankful to him for aiding us with such an excellent day. We only hope to be able to pay it forward sometime soon.

All in all our day was just about as good as it could have been. Everything that could have gone right, did. If you spend enough time doing stuff like this you learn to realize just what a gift days like those are. I know I am certainly thankful for it. And I am thankful to have spent a great weekend with such awesome bros.

Thanks for reading if you did. And happy trails!

 

Postscript #1 - Zion Traverse Time & Distance Splits

These are the sections and splits of our Zion day, as I thought about them. As usual, I'm amazed at how every GPS can be quite different. Nevertheless, here are the stats as my Garmin watch had them. Also, the times below do not include a roughly 20 minute aid station/pit stop at the Hop Valley Trailhead. Even with that stop, we were able to cruise this in under 10 hours, which felt pretty great to us.

Start	Finish	Distance	Elevaton Gain	Elevation Loss	Our Split
Lee Pass Trailhead	Hop Valley Trail	6.85	705'	1,437'	1:32:51
Hop Valley Trail	Hop Valley Trailhead	6.75	1,479'	452'	1:56:27
Hop Valley Trailhead	Wildcat Canyon Trail	4.00	862'	321'	0:58:57
Wildcat Canyon Trail	West Rim Trailhead	4.91	905'	357'	1:17:26
West Rim Trailhead	Trail Split	6.74	931'	1,138'	1:48:49
Trail Split (West route)	The Grotto Shuttle	7.82	731'	3677'	1:57:11
Totals		37.03	5,623'	7,395'	9:31:43

Postscript #2 – Cougar’s Guide to Utah Good Eats

Cougar was in charge of the eats on this trip and boy did he deliver. So much so that a few highlights are worth mentioning. I appreciate his knack for avoiding soulless corporate chains while also being able to find excellent local fare. We ate good all trip, with a few highlights including:

• The Honolulu Grill – St. George: Finding A+ Hawaiian food in the middle of Utah was not on my bingo card for this trip, but this was the best meal of the whole time. Huge portions, good eats, excellent flavors, and run by genuine Polynesians. I’ll be coming back here every time I’m in the area.
• The Cross Country Diner Diner – Hurricane: I’m not always the biggest fan of food trucks, but this is a ‘food truck’ done right. Excellent American faire with more big portions and delicious side choices. The lady did give me quite the puzzled look when I asked if they served beer, but that’s my own mistake for forgetting where I was. Highly recommended.
• Castle Dome Cafe – Zion Lodge: Admittedly not the most exciting menu in the world, but given where it is I felt they had reasonable options and fair prices. Maybe I was biased because I was so hungry when we ate there, but I’d go again just to sit out on the lawn on a nice day.
• Oscar’s Cafe – Springdale: A park classic. Sadly we missed it this trip. But it’s named after my oldest son and Cougar said it’s good, therefore, worth inclusion to this list.
• The Broken Yolk Cafe – Downtown Vegas: Cool atmosphere, great location, mega portions, and fabulous breakfast options. The manager checked in on us multiple times and the waitress successfully sold me on one of the best pancakes I’ve ever eaten in my life (maybe I was biased by the 37 miles I’d just run, but whatever). This place rocked.

Dishonorable Mention: The continental breakfast at the Comfort Inn in Hurricane. I told Cougar this breakfast was sort of like Plato’s allegory of the cave, “Those egg whites are kind of like eggs. And the sausage is meat, I guess. And the burned, thin, and nutrition-less Belgian waffles are a good enough for someone who has never has a Belgian waffle before. But all of them are just shadows of what a real breakfast ought to be…”