Hidden Gem: Red Mountain Trail

An Addition to the Amazing Views in Greater Zion

The best views that you’ll find outside of Zion National Park are, hands down, the ones you’ll get from the Snow Canyon Overlook on the Red Mountain Trail. Here, two small canyons converge into one, creating a perfect capital Y. This trail features three elements that make for a great hike: trail quality and experience, geographical anomalies, and a great view at the end of the hike.

For trail quality, the Red Mountain Trail gets a dismal score. It’s rough and broken up with large rocks jutting every which way. It can be rough on the ankles, but the entire Red Mountain Trail will take you from just below Dammeron Valley to the actual Red Mountain butting up against Ivins. If you’re interested, you can opt to turn off the main trail and go to the Snow Canyon Overlook, then hike back out the same way you came in. It turns out to be a shorter hike, but features an unforgettable view.

The view you are rewarded with at the overlook is definitely the crowning jewel in this hike, but there are a couple other additional aspects that make it special. The first add-on is that it is on BLM land, allowing for a couple of things you won’t find in state or national parks. For one, you can camp anywhere you want! It may not be a long hike for a great backcountry backpacking experience, but it could be a really cool one-night campout. You can also bring dogs with you, which is a pretty rare bonus.

There are several reasons you could end up loving this hike, but in the end, you just need one. So get out there and give it a try! You’ll be glad you did, and don’t forget the camera.