Avoid crowds in Zion National Park

How to Avoid the Massive Crowds at Zion National Park… Kolob Terrace Part 1

/ Curt Mekemson / 28 Comments

Today, our full time RV adventure of exploring North America takes us to Zion National Park in Utah.

Kolob Terrace, a part of Zion National Parks located a few short miles from the Canyon. It features great beauty without the crowds.
This was one of many delightful monuments Peggy and I found when we explored Kolob Terrace in Zion National Park. Note the lack of traffic!

Peggy was reading an article in the Washington Post a few days ago on Zion National Park. Bring your patience, the article urged. Over 5 million people are projected to visit in 2022. The majority will be from April through September. Expect massive crowds if it is on your vacation itinerary. Parking spots will be difficult to find. Shuttles will be full. There will be long lines to get in, long lines at the restrooms, long lines to visit major sites, and long lines to get food. Finding a place to stay in or near the park will be close to impossible unless you already have a reservation— or get lucky. 

It’s my idea of a nightmare.

Peggy and I were fortunate to arrive in late April for our visit. But even then, the crowds in the canyon exceeded my ideal by a factor of 10, or is that 100. Grin. I’ll tell that story at the end of my series on Zion. (Spoiler alert: it was still worth it.) But, for now, I am going to let you in on a little secret, there is more to Zion National Park than Zion Canyon. A lot more. And much of it matches and may even surpass the canyon in beauty. Peggy and I are going to take you on three short road trips to various sections in the park outside of the canyon to prove our point: Kolob Terrace, Kolob Canyon, and the east side of the park. Plus a ghost town.

I am going to start with the Kolob Terrace. Peggy and I were staying at an RV campground on the Virgin River in the small town of the same name 14 miles from the canyon. The road into the terrace was less than a mile from where we were camped. We drove up it for 15 miles before turning around, stopping frequently on both our way up and back. We met a dozen cars along the way. There may have been 30 parked at the various trailheads and overlooks. Compare that with the 14,000 or more people who were exploring the canyon on that day! Following are the photos Peggy and I took. I am going to divide them into three posts since there are too many for one. (Note: I take five times as many photos as Peggy. :))

National park sign announcing the entry to Kolob Canyon.
The beginning of our journey up to Kolob Terrace. It was obvious from our initial view that we were going to enjoy the ‘detour’ from Zion Canyon.
There are several distinctive monuments in the Kolob Terrace section of Zion National Park that equal the sights seen in Zion Canyon. Photo by Peggy Mekemson.
I think this striking monument was Peggy’s favorite. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)
Photo from the Kolob Terrace section of Zion Nat tonal Park taken by Peggy Mekemson.
She even took more than one photo! I always think that things like the trees in the left foreground add interest and help draw viewer’s eyes into the picture. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)
Photo of sandstone monument in the Kolob Terrace section of Zion National Park taken by Curt Mekemson.
I took at least six of this monument on Kolob Terrace featured at the top of the post! Most of the rock structures in Zion are made from sandstone, which, on its own, tends to be white. Like I mentioned in my Death Valley posts, it is oxidized iron that leads to the reds, oranges and pinks.
A variety of monuments are found on Kolob Terrace in Zion National Park. Photo by Curt Mekemson.
This distant road shot gives an idea of the numerous shapes and colors of the various monuments on Kolob Terrace.
A wonderful variety of shapes are among the rock formations of Kolob Terrace in Zion National Park. Photo by Peggy Mekemson.
Here’s an example of the variety of shapes. I always think of these rock formations as a fairy community, or maybe a troll town. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)
Sheer cliffs like these found in Kolob Terrace will eventually be eroded by the forces of water, ice, wind and gravity. Different types of rocks erode at different speeds leading to the wonderful shapes found throughout Utah and the Southwest. Note the extensive talus slopes seen beneath the cliff.
Erosion is responsible for the shapes of stone formations in Kolob Terrace and throughout the southwest. Photo by Curt Mekemson.
This distant formation provides an example of the erosive forces at work.
Erosion at work creating rock formation in Kolob Terrace, Zion National Park. Photo by Curtis Mekemson.
A closer view of the same formation. the layer of rock on top is eroding faster than the layer beneath it. like the triangular face of the rock.
Photo of massive rock formation in the Kolob terrace of Zion National Park. Photo by Peggy Mekemson.
This massive formation in Kolob Terrace shows a rounded character to the erosion. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)
The Kolob Terrace road runs through national park and private land. Signs warn that you might find cattle along the way. We did. They had the grace or good sense to stay on the side of the road.
Photo of red rock formation in Kolob Terrace, Zion National Park, by Curt Mekemson..
I’ll conclude today’s post with a shy rock formation that is hiding among the trees….
Photo by Curt Mekemson taken in the Kolob Terrace section of Zion National Park.
Caught it. On Friday, Peggy and I will continue to explore the beauty of the Kolob Terrace section of Zion National Park.