Many Pools Hike

While it is not on any park maps as an official trail, and there are no signs or trail markers, the Many Pools Hike is a popular one that is described in some Zion National Park guidebooks. It is pretty easy to find and very easy to navigate, so the lack of signage should not deter anyone who wants a nice backcountry slickrock hike on the east side of Zion that is not jammed with people and does not require taking the shuttle to reach it.

Once at the parking pullout, walk north along the road for 0.1 mile and look for a faint path leading down to the left into a wash. From here the hike simply follows the wash until it turns into slickrock. Continue up the broad canyon as far as desired—there is no trail. It is about 2 miles to the alcove at the end of the canyon, but the canyon becomes steeper after about 1.1 miles, and this makes a good turnaround point to consider. The distinguishing feature of this trail is the succession of pools in the rock, which are formed by moving water during flash floods. Early in spring or after a heavy rain this canyon will have running water for its entire length, and at other times there will be standing water in many of the pools. Tadpoles and frogs spring up in what seems like overnight to live out their short lives while there is water in the pools. This is a wonderful place to explore and enjoy rock-hopping and clambering up the sandstone slopes. The views are awesome the entire way and constantly change.

Note: be sure to look for mountain goats in this area. They are often seen by the road and have little fear of people. The east side of Zion is a wonderland of rocks and canyons that can easily be explored with the aid of a map or GPS.