Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
by iron oxide and striped black by mineral-laden water running down the cliff
faces.
Probably the least visited area is between Zion Canyon and Kolob Canyons, ac-
cessible via the
Kolob Terrace Road
(also called the Kolob Rd.). Heading north
of Utah 9 from the village of Virgin, about 15 miles west of the park's southern
entrance, the Kolob Terrace Road climbs through piñon-juniper woodlands, past
grassy meadows, and up into a forest of ponderosa pines and aspen. There's a
viewpoint offering panoramic vistas, a picnic area, vault toilets, and the small Lava
Point Campground. Views from the road are most dramatic coming down. This
road is closed in the winter.
Historic & Man-Made Attractions
There are no major historic sites at Zion National Park, but there is some archae-
ological evidence of the early peoples who inhabited the area, plus a few 20th-cen-
tury structures of historic interest. Archaeologists have found evidence of sever-
al historic and prehistoric cultures throughout the park. It is believed that people
from the
ArchaicPeriod
occupied the area from about 7,000 to 2,500 years ago; it is
thought that people of the
VirginAnasaziPuebloculture
lived at Zion until about
a.d. 1150; and the
Southern Paiutes,
who arrived in the area at about a.d. 1100,
stayed in the area until European settlers arrived in about 1860. Although there
are few designated and marked archaeological sites, hikers with sharp eyes may
see pot shards, pieces of ancient stone tools, rock art, and other artifacts. There's a
site with rock art near the park's south entrance; ask rangers for specific directions.
Refrainfromtouching
these artifacts—especially rock art and painted pottery, be-
cause skin oils can damage them.
Just outside the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, the short but steep
Archeology
Trail
(.4 mile round-trip with an 80-foot elevation gain), leads to the outlines of
small prehistoric storage buildings. There are also some trailside exhibits and in-
terpretive signs.
From the
WeepingRock
parking area, you can see remains of a
cableoperation
that was used to lower millions of board feet of timber from Cable Mountain to
the floor of Zion Canyon between 1901 and 1926. (See section 1, “Day Hikes,”
in chapter 3.) The timber was used to build pioneer settlements along the Virgin
River.
Along
Taylor Creek
in the Kolob Canyons section of the park are the remains
of two cabins. The
GustavLarsonhomesteadcabin,
built in 1930 of white fir logs
