Zion National Park
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Hidden Arch Zion National Park |
March 25, 2009
Having traveled to Zion early in the season in order to avoid the debilitating heat of a past experience here, I awaken to icicles in front of my motel room at Mount Carmel Junction. Hmm... perhaps I should have waited another month. In any case, a number of hikes have been scheduled for this trip; so what it is, it is.
It looks as if it might be a cold hike
Just inside the eastern park entrance is the Checkerboard Mesa viewpoint,
which also happens to be the trailhead. It is just 33° here at
10 a.m. Cold-weather hiking is a new experience for me;
but a pair of sweatshirts, gloves, and a headband should suffice.
As this is an unofficial route, there is no trail marker of any kind; but I
have vague directions from some online literature. Scrambling down the
embankment from the northeastern corner of the parking lot, I start up the dry
wash, which presently veers right toward the multi-colored cliff.
The wash is the easiest route
Is the arch up there somewhere?
After a quarter-mile or so, I veer left up a little slickrock wash. There are plenty of reassuring boot prints around, so I must not be lost just yet. After another quarter of a mile I steer left toward a ridge top, watching for a fallen tree as directed in the guide.
The fallen-tree landmark
From this point a glance up the mountain to the right reveals a jug
arch — that is, one that sticks out in an up-and-down
orientation resembling the handle of a drinking jug.
Hidden Arch is right up there
Telephoto view
I return by the same route, observing how pleasant it is to walk down a
little trail comprised of pink sand. Near trail's end I am treated to
a head-on view of the area's most prominent scenic attraction.
The slickrock wash
Checkerboard Mesa
According to the guide text, ranger Ron Kay 'discovered' this arch in 1998. Originally designated Ron Kay Arch, the name was changed to Hidden Arch — probably at Mr. Kay's behest. I am flabbergasted by these apparent facts, however. Ranger Kay, a lifelong champion of the park, certainly is deserving of any accolade; yet I find it impossibly difficult to believe that this formation could have remained undiscovered until such a recent date. I say that because the arch can be viewed and recognized as such, opening and shadow and all, from a point right beside the road a short distance west of the parking lot! Here is the evidence:
The not-so-hidden arch as viewed from roadside
§: One would think that a road construction worker, or maintenance
person, or somebody, would have spotted this thing long before 1998.
More likely, it didn't occur to most that this readily visible formation was
not already well known, and it took someone with an intimate knowledge of the
park to recognize that this feature wasn't in the database.
In any event, this was a pleasant walk, and the cold wasn't bothersome. The next trail awaits me just a few miles down the road.
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