Kolob Canyon is a lesser-traveled but equally stunning unit of zion-national-park/”>Zion National Park located near Cedar City. It features towering red rock formations and a tiny fraction of the visitors of Zion Canyon.
The road leading into Kolob Canyon is beautiful in and of itself, featuring plenty of pull-offs with spectacular panoramic viewpoints. You’ll take a different entrance than the south or east entrances to Zion. It’s about an hour away on the road to Cedar City.
Map of Kolob Canyons
Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit Kolob Canyon is around sunset to watch the final light of the day sweep across the red rock canyon. Watch the forecast closely in the winter, as Kolob Canyons access can close down during winter storms. When snow plows are operating, pedestrian traffic isn’t allowed either.
You can also pair this trip with another one of the Utah Mighty 5 National Parks.
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Getting There
Kolob Canyons has its own entrance off Interstate 15, Exit 40, about 17 miles from Cedar City and roughly 40 miles from Springdale. This is a completely separate entrance from the main Zion Canyon. Your standard Zion National Park pass works here.
There is a small visitor center at the entrance where you can grab a map and ask about current trail conditions. From there, Kolob Canyons Road winds 5 miles to the end at Timber Creek Overlook. The whole drive takes about 20 minutes one way if you do not stop, but you will stop. The pulloffs are too good to pass.
What to Expect
Kolob Canyons is the quiet side of Zion. While Zion Canyon sees millions of visitors funneling through the shuttle system, Kolob gets a tiny fraction of that traffic. The landscape is just as dramatic. Towering red and cream-colored Navajo sandstone fingers jut skyward, and the views from the road are immediately impressive.
The Timber Creek Overlook Trail at the end of the road is a short 1-mile round-trip hike to a viewpoint overlooking the Kolob Fingers and out toward the Pine Valley Mountains. It is an easy walk with a big payoff.
For a longer adventure, the Taylor Creek Trail is a 5-mile out-and-back that follows the Middle Fork of Taylor Creek to the Double Arch Alcove. The trail crosses the creek several times, so expect wet feet. The alcove at the end is massive and the acoustics inside it are surreal.
What Most People Get Wrong
Most people either skip Kolob entirely because they do not know it exists, or they drive the road without getting out of the car. Both are mistakes. The Timber Creek Overlook is a 15-minute walk and gives you one of the best views in the entire park. Taylor Creek is moderately easy and delivers you to a geological feature that would be a headline attraction anywhere else.
The other thing people miss is timing. The road faces roughly east, so morning light is spectacular. The red rock glows as the sun rises behind you. Sunset works too, but the late light hits the formations at a flatter angle.
Winter Access
Kolob Canyons Road can close during and after winter storms. The elevation here is higher than Zion Canyon, so snow is more common. When the road is closed, you cannot walk it either because snow plows need clearance. Check the NPS conditions page before making the drive.
When the road is open in winter and there is snow on the red rock, it is one of the most beautiful scenes in any national park. Bring a camera.
Photography Tips
Early morning is best. The Kolob Fingers catch the first light of day and the red sandstone practically ignites. A telephoto lens in the 70-200mm range works well for isolating individual finger canyons from the pulloffs along the road. Go wider at the Timber Creek Overlook for panoramic shots.
If you catch snow on the red rock, photograph everything. That combination of white snow and red sandstone against a blue sky is one of the most striking color palettes in nature.
Nearby Destinations
Lava Point Overlook is accessible via Kolob Terrace Road from Virgin and gives you yet another angle on Zion. The main Zion Canyon is about an hour south and should be on your list. If you are doing a Utah Mighty 5 road trip, Kolob Canyons is an easy addition since it is right off I-15.
