One of the Best Sunset Lookouts in Zion

A few days ago I found myself driving up Kolob Terrace road with no real destination in mind.  I drove past the parking lot where you exit the Subway, and kept heading up the hill. I soon found myself up in the meadow section of Kolob/Zion right where the national park ends for just a brief span. As soon as I saw the  sign saying “Exiting Zion National Park”, I found a dirt road that heads south towards some rock pillars (the road splits, when it does you’ll want to take a left). I drove for another 50 – 100 yards before the road ends and found a makeshift parking lot.

When I arrived there I nearly turned around and went elsewhere, but a well-used path caught my eye, so I got curious, “do these people know something I didn’t know?” I wondered…

So I got out and began following it up towards the rocks in the distance. They looked like I would quickly get ledged up at the bottom of the rocks with nowhere to go. But the path clearly had, had a lot of people on it, so I couldn’t resist walking just a bit further. Soon I found that the path continued up to the top of the rocks, and again had been covered by a lot of people, so once more I fought the urge to retreat, and continued wondering what they knew that I didn’t know.

Half way up I found one of the gems people had come here for, an anchor point from which to rappel off down into a short canyon. This is definitely something I’ll come back for with gear. But the trail continued heading skyward so I did as well. The summit was luckily not much further ahead, which again luckily I arrived at just as the sun was nearly setting, and was greeted with one of the better more dramatic sunset views that southern Utah has to offer. I could see for miles and miles, and my vantage point was on a sheer cliff face that dropped 1,000 feet below me.

It struck me how easy it was to come here, to have a view that so many will never get to see, only because they didn’t know it was there. How many have driven by this very spot unknowing of the grandeur that was just up the dirt road from them? Which explains perfectly why living in southern Utah is such a dream. There are so many things to do, so many things to see, that you could never see them all. And just when you’ve thought you’ve seen all there is to offer, you find a random dirt road with a well-used path, that leads to one of the best views in all of Utah.

And if you’re looking for one of the best locations to stay in Zion to quickly access spots like this, then Zion Ponderosa is your spot. Their stunning cabins and lodging is top of the line in Zion, with easy access to everything you need.

Additional pictures and Map below