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Trans Zion Trek In Early November

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Chris Hyatt BPL Member
PostedOct 23, 2014 at 6:00 pm

Getting ready to do the Trans Zion Trek in a few weeks. Anybody have any tips? Should we prepare for snow? Also does anybody have waypoints for watering sources?

Thanks!

Art … BPL Member
PostedOct 24, 2014 at 8:23 am

a few of us did the Zion Traverse last April.
very beautiful.
how long are you planning to take?

the water resources are not plentiful.
you may want to check out Skurka’s logistics :

Skurka Zion Traverse

PostedOct 24, 2014 at 8:43 pm

If convenient, stashing water near the West Rim and/or Wildcat Canyon trailheads can alleviate all concerns for water.
The rangers should be able to tell you which springs are flowing.
I'll probably be doing the T-Z Nov. 13-15, but may put it off a few days to avoid the weekend.
Crowds will be gone with the tourist season, but the shuttles still run on weekends in November, I think.
If you camp late on the West Rim and start early, you might get to be alone on Angel's Landing for a bit.

Doubt there'll be any accumulation, but don't be surprised by lower than forecast temps and some windblown snow near Kolob. It either gets brief storms on a regular basis, or I'm just a total magnet for them…

Adam G BPL Member
PostedOct 29, 2014 at 8:27 pm

November is a great time to go. I did the hike starting at the west side to the east side in early November last year. The weather was wonderful, warm during the day but dipping below freezing at altitude at night. The east side is much colder than the west side.

Many of the water sources are seasonal. La Verkin Creek had tons of water. The rangers told me that Hop Valley was dry but there was still quite a bit of water there. The spring in Wildcat Canyon was trickling but still had sufficient water. There was still snow on the ground around Lava Point but the trails were completely clear of snow. The area past Lava Point towards the valley, including Sawmill Spring and Potato Hollow Spring were completely dry. Cabin Spring was flowing and was a pretty popular campsite. No one was camping up at the West Rim sites. There is plenty of water down in the canyon. The East Rim was pretty much dry until the end.

There were not too many people out in the backcountry. I probably saw maybe 1-2 people a day and always camped alone.

Wildcat Canyon is technically a place where you can camp, but I was unable to find any flat suitable campsite. The rangers recommended I camp there, but it was not a good recommendation.

I hiked the East Rim too quickly. The area to the junction with Deer Trap Mountain was pretty but nothing spectacular. I do recommend checking out Deer Trap Mountain. The view is amazing. The area east of Deer Trap Mountain was stunningly beautiful. I wish I hadn't hurried through it.

I hired a fairly expensive shuttle. There still were a decent number of people driving around the park, and I probably could have easily hitchhiked from the east entrance to I-15. Getting to Kolob Canyon would have been harder but very doable.

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