Utah's National Parks. Ron Adkison
3
Sand Bench Trail
Distance: 3.9 miles, semiloop trail
Low/High elevations: 4230’/4715’
Suited for: Dayhike
Difficulty: Moderate
Best season: September through early June
Map/Trailhead: 2/3
Hazards: No water; possible encounters with horses from Zion Lodge spring through fall.
Introduction: One of many day-use trails in Zion Canyon, the Sand Bench Trail offers incredible close-up views of the awe-inspiring, colorful cliffs of the lower canyon from a sandy bench 600 feet above the canyon’s floor. The trailside terrain is clothed in a pinyon-juniper woodland typical of the Park’s lower elevations. Much of the tread is deep, soft sand churned up by horse traffic from Zion Lodge. Because of this, few hikers take the route, and save for occasional saddle trains, hikers who choose this trail will enjoyconsiderable solitude, a rarity on Zion Canyon’s popular trails.
This trip can be taken by itself, or it can be combined with the Emerald Pools Trail (Trip 5) by utilizing a dusty riverside connecting trail (used by horses coming from the corral near Emerald Pools trailhead) for a half-day hike passing many of the scenic wonders of central Zion Canyon.
Description: From the trailhead at the parking area/shuttle bus stop(0.0; 4250), proceed across the Scenic Drive via a crosswalk; a footbridge sign indicates the trail on the west side of the road. The wide trail follows a bend of North Fork Virgin River, just north of a paved spur road leading to a water tank and various buildings. Following FOOTBRIDGE and HORSE TRAIL signs, we quickly reach a sturdy bridge over the river (0.2; 4230), where signs indicate SAND-BENCH TRAIL and NO CAMPING. Exposures of lakebed sediments deposited in Sentinel Lake nearly 4000 years ago can be seen on the riverbank just upstream.
Beyond the bridge, the trail may be briefly ill-defined. Avoid the faint, boulder-strewn path along Birch Creek to the left, and instead follow the path to the right indicated by a TRAIL sign. After quickly climbing to a bench above the river, the trail then forks. The right fork offers quick access to the Emerald Pools connecting trail, but we take the left fork, soon crossing a small wash emanating from Mt. Moroni, then climbing briefly to junction with the aforementioned connecting trail (right fork) and the Sand Bench Trail (left fork) (0.1; 4265).
The immense amphitheater before us is the Court of the Patriarchs. The Three Patriarchs, a triad of giant Navajo Sandstone crags, soar 2500 feet above us to the northwest. Mt. Moroni is a particularly impressive spire piercing the Utah sky 1400 feet above to the north.
One of the most striking trailside plants present here is sacred datura, or jimson weed. It is easily identified by its large blue-green leaves and its huge, white, trumpet-shaped flowers. It is one of the few plants that bloom in the canyon during the hot summer months. The flowers open in the evening and close in the morning as the sun rises over the canyon wall. The fruit of this poisonous plant is round and spine-covered. Some Southwest Indian tribes used this plant in religious ceremonies.
Tall ponderosa pines are skylined on the rim above the Court, lending a sense of scale to the immense cliffs that surround us. Quickly the trail descends to the cottonwood-shaded course of Birch Creek. The creek is diverted into a pipeline a short distance upstream, for use as the Park’s primary water supply.
The trail leads us very briefly upstream to a crossing of the often-trickling creek, and from there we climb the north slope of Sand Bench via five switchbacks. The grade slackens above the switchbacks amid a woodland of Utah juniper and singleleaf pinyon. Views behind us reveal the Court of the Patriarchs and the towering crags above in full magnificence. Notice that these crags are separated from one another by narrow and precipitous joint-controlled canyons.
Soon we reach the loop trail (0.3; 4350) and ponder our choice of turning right or left. The right fork takes advantage of the close-up views of The Sentinel and The Streaked Wall, saving more expansive vistas from the rim of the bench for the return trip.
Turning right, we find the tread sandy and the going slow, but views of incomparable cliffs and monoliths should distract us from our labors. Vistas are ever-increasing as we rise moderately among singleleaf pinyon, juniper, greenleaf manzanita, and shrub live oak—the only evergreen oak in the Park.
Isolated Sand Bench is somewhat of a curiosity in Zion Canyon, as there are few benches save for riverside terraces. The bench was formed as an immense slump block detached from the face of The Sentinel about 4000 years ago, subsequently damming the river and forming a shortlived lake—Sentinel Lake—that extended as far upstream as the Grotto Picnic Area. The narrow lake reached a depth of 350 feet and had a surface area of 0.7 square mile. Thus the chaotic jumble of sandstone blocks and sand over which our trail passes is a relatively recent addition to the landscape.
Slogging through the sand to the summit of the trail (0.7; 4715), we welcome the chance to pause and absorb the magnificent panorama. Towering above us to the west is the 1400’ wall of The Sentinel, capped by the red rocks of the Temple Cap Formation. Southwest of our vantage point rises the even more striking cliff of the 1600’ Streaked Wall, its face decorated by draperies of runoff-deposited desert varnish. Crowning that wall is aptly-named Bee Hive Peak, a cone-shaped dome of Navajo Sandstone.
Our gaze also stretches up and down the canyon, encompassing a parade of striking crags from Deertrap Mountain to Johnson Mountain at the mouth of Zion Canyon. Continuing ahead, we shortly reach a corral, two picnic tables, and a pit toilet (0.6; 4600). A wooded knoll just to the south offers superb vistas over the lower reaches of Zion Canyon, and is but a short scramble from this spot.
The trail ahead curves eastward through the pinyon-juniper woodland and among large, lichen-encrusted Navajo Sandstone blocks. Quite soon the trail forks (0.1; 4640). The left fork slices through the heart of the bench, while the right fork follows close to the canyon rim. Both trails are 0.7 mile long. The bench trail (left fork) climbs gently, gaining 60 feet, and offers fair views framed by trailside trees. The rim trail (right fork) undulates along or very near the rim of Zion Canyon. Views are expansive from this trail, and short detours to the edge of the rim offer glimpses of North Fork Virgin River 600 feet below. It may be difficult to imagine that such a small stream is responsible for carving this immense canyon, but remember 15 million years have passed since the river began its handiwork.
The two trails rejoin near the rim (0.7; 4700), from where we descend at a moderate grade, soon curving north across a pleasant wooded flat. Finally our trail meanders downhill northwest, soon completing the loop, and we turn right (0.6; 4350) and retrace our steps to the trailhead.
Trip 4
Court of the Patriarchs Viewpoint Trail
Distance: 100 yards, round trip
Low/High elevations: 4250’/4290’
Suited for: Walk
Difficulty: Very easy
Best season: All year
Map/Trailhead: 2/3
Hazards: Negligible.
Introduction: Zion’s diversity of trails offers something for hikers of every ability, and one need not be a dedicated hiker to enjoy the splendors of this magnificent Park. A case in point is the Court of the Patriarchs Viewpoint Trail, an easy five-minute stroll offering views up and down much of the length of Zion Canyon.
Description: From the parking area/shuttle bus stop (0.0; 4250) the trail switchbacks uphill at a moderate grade, passing through a thicket of Gambel oak, netleaf hackberry, and Utah juniper, ending after 50 yards where an awe-inspiring panorama unfolds (4290’).
Westward, the sky-piercing summits of the Three Patriarchs and their companion peak, Mt. Moroni, soar boldly above the cliffbound amphitheater of Court of the Patriarchs. Behind the Court lies the remote and inaccessible hanging valley of upper Birch Creek.
But there are more lofty crags and magnificent, sweeping