We called Tom to see if he was ready for a Saturday hike . . . of course he was! Since he had done a hike the day before we decided to keep today's hikes "short and sweet." West Mountain and Zion View Peaks both surround the St. George valley, but surprisingly, neither of us had done them. It was time for that to change!
Zion View Peak turned out to be a fun, but strenuous little hike that provided great views. After completing Zion View we drove up the road to the bottom of the switchbacks that lead to the top of West Mountain and parked our vehicles. We walked the last mile to the top and were rewarded with outstanding 360° views from this desert "sky island" peak!
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The early morning sunrise is just about to illuminate West Mountain
as we drive through Ivins, Utah |
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| We parked at Hell Hole Pass and began our short but steep ascent up Zion View Peak |
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| Once we reached the ridge, the views began to unfold |
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| Off to our north is West Mountain (7,680 ft) and the road that will take us to the top |
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| A dried yucca stalk provides a unique contrast against Peaks 5961 and 5926 in the distance |
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For such a small peak the views were amazing
(Looking northeast towards the Pine Valley Mountains) |
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We stopped to check out this rocky outcrop on our descent
Notice Kent's reluctance to go near the edge . . . sheer cliffs on the other side! |
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| Colorful striped rocks along the trail |
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| Two does ran across the road to West Mountain . . . only one stopped for their picture! |
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The road was in good shape . . . which is not always the case
We drove 1.5 miles from Hell Hole Pass, parked, and walked the rest of the way so the dogs could run |
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There are two reference markers and a benchmark from 1938 at the top
Along with plenty of communication towers and some of the best views in Southern Utah |
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West Mountain is the highest peak in the Beaver Dam Mountains at 7680 ft
Looking back at Zion View Peak (6,835 ft) that we hiked earlier |
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| We could see this rock cairn from the road below . . . not sure what it marked?? |
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| Ezy on the go! |
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Two guys and their dogs heading back down the steep road
(Background views are of Beaver Dam Wash and eastern Nevada) |
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We couldn't see into the bottom of this ravine, but obviously someone missed the turn!
This makeshift guardrail is made from the bumper and frame of a 40 or 50's auto |
Altogether both hikes totaled about three miles (r/t) and we were back home by 2:00 pm. While not long, nor overly strenuous, they both provided amazing views of southern Utah and eastern Nevada that we're not sure can be beat by any of the other peaks in the St. George area.
For more information you can follow Tom's Peakbagger.com posts by clicking
here for Zion View Peak and
here for West Mountain Peak.
