Zion National Park
(North Guardian Angel, South Guardian Angel)

Revised Feb 2009 - please send updates to the webmaster

home See Driving Directions > Great Basin for context and how to get here.
north prev in Great Basin: Wheeler Peak , Snake Range Great Basin National Park and Lehman Caves
south next in Great Basin: Humphreys Peak
info GPS waypoints: download GPX file
For climbing route details, see Daryn's trip report.

This trailhead page is currently only for North Guardian Angel and South Guardian Angel, both of which we climbed from the Wildcat Trailhead in 2008. There are many other trailheads in the park! Consult your favorite travel guide, and send me a writeup once you've been there.

If approaching from the west, leave I-15 on state Hwy 9 northeast of St George. (Get groceries and gas in St George, the only big city around here.) Drive 19 miles from the freeway on Hwy 9 and turn left (north) at waypoint VIRGIN.

If approaching from the east, the most scenic route (not necessarily the fastest one) is through Kanab on Hwy 89. Turn west on Hwy 9 at Mt Carmel Junction, and get ready for one of the best drives in the country. You'll go through the park and a long tunnel on the 30 mile drive to Springdale. Plan for some stops, maybe near sunset, and don't count on getting there quickly or passing any of the motorhomes that dawdle on the way. Springdale has almost as many facilities as Kanab, with many hotels and restaurants. Drive 13 more miles west from Springdale on Hwy 9 and turn right (north) at waypoint VIRGIN.

Either way, the drive to the trailhead leaves Hwy 9 in the so-called town of Virgin. It's not much of a town. If you need anything, you'll find it 13 miles east in Springdale. Turn north (at waypoint VIRGIN) on Kolob Road. It's paved all 15 miles to the trailhead, no turns, no surprises. Except maybe when the road is on top of a narrow fin.

In a sharp hairpin turn, there is a sign for the Wildcat Canyon trailhead (waypoint WILDTH, at 7000'). Turn right (south) off the road into a dirt parking area with a toilet but no other facilities. The peaks are reached by a combination of trails and cross-country routes, some of which are quite difficult to find.

See Daryn's trip report for detailed maps with waypoints and a great route description! The DPS Guide has a route up the Great West Canyon, through the Subway (a slot canyon), to South Guardian Angel. As of 2008 the Subway is closed to camping and this route in the Guide is obsolete. We went past North Guardian Angel (waypoint GUARDN), down into the Subway (waypoint SUBWAY - crossing it does not require a permit like walking up the canyon does), and on to South Guardian Angel (waypoint GUARDS) as a dayhike.


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