Red Butte Loop
Details
Rating:
5 miles, 1100ft of climbing. Strenuous in a couple of spots, but mostly easy to moderate. Some minor bushwacking and rock climbing, occasional slippery slopes, but only minor exposure in a few places, assuming capable hikers. 5-6 hours total hiking time.
This hike is in conjunction with Red Rock Hiking.
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This is a wonderful loop hike into the Red Butte Wilderness, just west of Zion National Park. Red Butte may be the best all around hike in the area: Beautiful, challenging but not too much, not too long, reasonable climbing, varied terrains, stunning views, and slickrock to blow your mind.
Generally the hike has long stretches of mostly level sandy terrain, with moderate sections of climbing, both on slickrock and dirt slopes. The biggest single climb is less than than 300ft.
The scenery is Zion-like, all red sandstone and pine trees, with scrub mixed in. Hoodoos haunt the heights. There are views down onto Smith Mesa and much of the West Zion area as well. Looming overhead is magnificent Red Butte itself, like a colossal pyramid. In short, expect sublime beauty everywhere.
Some basic agility and poise is required, to be safe. This hike is dog-friendly for all hike-worthy doggies. :)
There are four separate arches, and a very special hidden inscription made by a famous Mormon pioneer.
Prep: Sun hat, 2-3 bottles of water, some food, and good boots. Optionally leather gloves and a hiking pole. Oh, and a camera too! ;-)
Meetup:
Meet near the Sinclair Gas Station in La Verkin at 11:00am, in the Davis Grocery parking lot in the southeast corner of the lot.
Driving:
From La Verkin, about 12 miles east to Virgin, then 12 miles north, up paved Kolob Reservoir Road from Virgin, then 2 miles on sandy roads.
The sandy portion REQUIRES a 4-wheel drive vehicle, no exceptions. You may get stuck with anything less, due to one or two short patches of soft sand. But with the recent rain, a very agile 2wd is probably fine on the wet, packable sand. Such cars have made it in and out after rains.
Usually there is plenty of room in the available cars.
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See you there! M+J :)
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Notice: Meetup organizers are not touring guides and are not park rangers. Expect the same risks and take the same precautions you would if you were hiking alone. You are solely responsible for your own safety and well-being. By signing up for and/or attending this Meetup event, you acknowledge, understand, accept, and agree that hiking and other outdoor activities can be dangerous and can cause serious bodily injury and possibly death. The organizers of this group and current and former members cannot be held responsible or liable in any way for the actions of any participant - including you - at any event. All attendees participate at an event at their own risk and are solely responsible for any damage to their property, and/or injury to themselves or their guests. By signing up for and/or attending this Meetup event, you affirm that you understand this disclaimer and that you knowingly and voluntarily agree not to bring any type of claim arising out of or related to this Meetup event against the organizers of this Meetup group.