The most anticipated leg of our itinerary included a coveted night on the ridge-line of the West Rim Trail. The top-down approach of the West Rim, from Lava Point to the Grotto, traverses two high elevation ridges, providing near continuous sweeping views deep into Phantom Valley, Imlay Canyon and Great West Canyon to the south before concluding near the base of Angels Landing.
Once the snow clears from the roads, it’s also completely accessible as a day hike – either as an out and back or point to point. If there’s one hike to do outside of the Zion Canyon proper, this would be it.
This trip report is from our most recent visit to Zion National Park in late May 2024, as the third leg of a four day/three night backpacking trip across the western portion of the Zion Traverse.
Planning your own hike in Zion National Park? Check out our Guide to Backpacking the Zion Traverse
Table of Contents
Camping in Wildcat Canyon
We woke early from our campsite off the Wildcat Canyon trail as the sky began to the brighten overhead. Our hiking companions were “feeling their oats” as the saying goes and eager to hit the ridge before the temperatures got too hot so we planned to regroup at the intersection with Lava Point if we hadn’t caught up before then.
From Wildcat Spring the trail descends down to a pigtail turn, then climbs back up to the other side of the canyon, providing unobstructed views of the opposing ridge. The morning light bestowed just a bit of magic to otherwise ordinary pine trees and rocks with its warm glow.
A huge part of what makes the Zion Traverse so alluring is the ever changing landscape. Each section of the trail has its own distinct character, which isn’t always the case with long trails where the days and miles begin to blend into an amorphous memory. This section of trail was defined by the prominent white rocks of the Carmel formation – they almost looked like big hunks of chalk.
We began to hear voices not 30 minutes up the trail and soon came across the group we referred to as The Women, given that they were the lone female only group we’d encountered, breaking camp along the trail. They’d inadvertently hiked past Wildcat Spring looking for a campsite and soon discovered that the trail continued to cut along the edge of the rim. They ended up laying out their sleeping bivys on a relatively wide section of the trail that provided just enough room for them to rest safely without fear of rolling down the cliff. Definitely not a legal campsite, but they minimized the impact as best they could given their circumstances. Had we not stumbled upon them in the early hours, they may have gone unnoticed. Good reminder that if you’ve passed the Wildcat Spring, you’ve gone too far!
Just as we saw in Hop Valley, remnants of old homesteads stood sentinel in the fields near the intersection of the Wildcat Canyon Trail and Lava Point TH, evidence of the cultivation and homesteading that began in the mid 19th century with the early Mormon settlers.
Hiking the West Rim Trail from the Top Down
In terms of reward per unit of effort, Zion’s West Rim trail has got to rank among the best of any trail we’ve hiked to date. Relatively wide hard-packed dirt rails, reasonably flat, and with panoramic views to either side – there is nothing not to love. Even though we had taken two days to arrive at the trailhead from Lee Pass, parking at Lava Point TH would make for an excellent out-and-back day hike for young families or a longer point-to-point hike to the Grotto if using a shuttle.
The junction of Wildcat Canyon and West Rim also marks the high point of the Zion Traverse, at 7450 ft, as well as the highest point of all the maintained trails in Zion National Park. For that reason, this trail is also one of the last to clear in the spring. It was this section that was still buried under snow during our first abandoned attempt at the trans-Zion trek in March, but by late May the conditions were perfect.
The first two miles cut through the high elevation forest of ponderosa pine atop the Horse Pasture Plateau. We cruised along this particularly easy going section, periodically making way for some early morning trail runners. Sawmill Spring, near West Rim Campsite 9, was already dry, so our next opportunity for water would be at Potato Hollow. The trees opened up at periodic intervals with the first of many viewpoints staring down the Left Fork canyon with South Guardian Angel in the distance.
West Rim Viewpoint to Potato Hollow Spring
Past the first of the lookouts, the West Rim Trail also begins its descent into Potato Hollow and chipped rocks begin to compose more of the trail surface. The sweeping views temporarily disappeared, replaced instead with the grasses and aspen groves.
Potato Hollow Spring is located along the trail to West Rim Campsite 8. Unlike the other springs we’d encountered which flowed directly out of the hills, this flowed like a small creek. A gathering of familiar faces joined around the water source to resupply. We’d been hiking with J&K since the South Guardian Angel viewpoint, and shortly after were joined by The Women. Quite the reunion of hikers!
The only water source past Potato Hollow was at Cabin Springs, several miles past our reserved campsite, so we had to camel up for a night of dry camping. We used our remaining water to cold soak our backpacker chicken salad while we filled up our water bladders and enjoyed lunch in the shade.
Views along Zion’s West Rim Trail
After adding significant water weight to our packs, we set our sights on getting back to the top of the West Rim. Just past West Rim Campsite 7, the trail climbs with a 15% grade back up to the ridge over the next half mile. Near the top, the vegetation opened up and lets you look down towards Potato Hollow – and at all the tiny ant-like hikers and campers going about their business in the valley below.
The hike through Potato Hollow was just long enough to miss the canyon landscape and appreciate its return. Back onto the ridge, the trail resumed the nearly continuous views to the south and west into the Upper Right Fork of the North Creek. Every hundred yards, the views shift just enough to be distinct. At each turnout we had to balance the desire to pause and absorb the scenery while being mindful of the likelihood that there’d be another (perhaps even better!) view just beyond.
The view opens up entirely at “Hammerhead Viewpoint,” named for the shape of the canyon below.
From Hammerhead Viewpoint, you can see the final push of the trail up to the section of the West Rim Trail studded with campsites. This last section of trail was so incredibly windy – gusts were coming up from the canyon that would almost knock you off your feet! As a result, we didn’t linger too long at these overlooks.
After one final climb, we reached the trail junction with Telegraph Canyon. The Telegraph Canyon trail cuts down through the forest and will eventually reconnect with the West Rim Trail near Campsites 1 and 2, but unless you are simply bored with the panoramic views from hiking the West Rim Trail so frequently, I cannot imagine a scenario where you’d want to choose this route over the West Rim proper. We stayed to the right, and with minutes had arrived at our premier destination for the night: West Rim Campsite 6.
Camping Overnight on Zion’s West Rim Trail
Obtaining a permit to camp along Zion’s West Rim Trail was already a privilege, and securing the advanced reservation for West Rim 6 was the cherry on top. Like elsewhere along the Zion Traverse, the backcountry campsites in Zion aren’t clustered into a campground but are strung along the trail at varying intervals. This means that each site is private and unique in terms of its location, size and features.
We arrived into the campsite in early afternoon, with ample time to set up, relax and soak in the views. Because we were dry camping for the night, and had already resupplied our water caches at Potato Hollow, the camp chores were faster than usual. Within the campsite there was a huge fallen tree, which created a nice barrier between on one of the flat tent areas and another. There was also a very large ‘kitchen’ with plenty of space.
Even better, however, were the the views behind the campsite proper. Several clearly trodden desire paths lead to some magnificent lookouts facing Greatheart Mesa and the Right Fork of the North Creek. We spent a considerable amount of time gazing out over the landscape, trying to locate where we had been earlier in the day and the day prior.
We spent the evening watching the shifting sun cast shadows across the canyons, before fixing our southwestern backpacker burritos for dinner. Highly recommend bringing a good map to orient yourself for this leg of the journey! Naming the peaks was very grounding; it would be very easy to feel adrift in the endless sea of sandstone otherwise.
What to Know Before Camping On Zion’s West Rim
- You’ll need to pack extra water. Most of the campsites along the West Rim Trail are located some distance from the water sources. Potato Hollow Spring is the closest spring if hiking in the top-down direction, but becomes unreliable further into the summer. Cabin Spring is the closest spring it hiking bottom-up from the Grotto, and is generally reliable all year round. Either way, you’ll want to fill up your water bladders when you pass these water sources on your hike, rather than retracing your steps (or hiking beyond) after your get to camp. How much water you need depends on your meal prep style, route, and time of year. I carry either two empty 2L Platypus, which only weigh 1.3 oz (36g), or one 4L Hydrapak so that we bring an extra 4L of water into camp. This is in addition to the 1L per person we carry for hiking hydration.
- It can get windy on the ridge. Even as the temperatures climb during the day, it can get chilly at the lookouts when the winds pick up, especially around sunset. Pack some warmer and/or wind proof layers. My go-to combination has been a midlayer gridded waffle fleece layered with an ultralight weight nylon ripstop windbreaker, like the Patagonia Houdini Jacket paired with R1 Fleece Pullover.
- There are no toilet facilities at the West Rim campsites. Wagbags are required for backcountry camping along the Trans Zion Trek! You must bring enough with you to take care of business and they are not provided by the National Park service. Wagbags contain enzymes that allow you to safely depose of them in the trashcans located at the trailheads. I find them to be far superior in terms of odor control and sanitation over the mountaineering ‘blue bags’ method.
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Read our backpacking trip reports from the Zion Traverse for photos and insights!
- Day 1: La Verkin Creek Trail through Kolob Canyons
- Day 2: Hop Valley to Wildcat Canyon
- Day 3: Hiking and Camping along the West Rim Trail – that’s this trip report!
- Day 4: From West Rim to the Grotto
Let us know what further questions or comments you have about backpacking the West Rim Trail and Zion Traverse in the comments!