Kent was hoping that once we reached the upper ridge it would be an interesting jaunt to the top, much like Calico Peak. Boy, was he wrong! It was a tedious, vertical and strenuous hike, albeit with great views of Smithsonian Butte and Zion. It became apparent, once we finally reached the ridge, that we weren't going to summit. Going back down, Kent suffered a sprained knee and Tom a broken pinkie . . . Allison survived unharmed. Tough hike, but a good adventure none-the-less!
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| We started from the backside (east side) There is no trail . . . we only have a destination in mind . . . Zion Butte |
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| Cactus can grow anywhere . . . And, surprisingly, there were a lot of them on this hike! |
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| Kent went ahead to look for the best route . . . We eventually scrambled up the left side of the red cliff |
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| The mud and snow were slick & slippery . . . at times we used all fours! |
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| Colorful moss & lichen covered this section of sandstone |
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| The hike was hard, but the views were amazing! Looking toward Smithsonian Butte & Zion, with The Spires off to the right |
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| Hmmm . . . still think this is doable? |
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| This was a great place for our lunch break . . . There was actually a fire pit . . . so someone has been here before! |
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| We had fun checking out the views |
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| Pine Valley Mountains, north of St. George, can be seen in the distance |
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| Resting at Overlook Point (We decided to try a slightly different route on our way down) Kent & Tom look like two tired beat up old men . . . yes, they are! The black arrow, by the cloud, points to where we turned around |
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| Driving out on the Smithsonian Butte Scenic Back Country Byway . . . The red arrow points to Overlook Point & the black arrow shows where we decided it was time to call it a day and head back with no regrets! |
While it's seems like it would be possible to make it to the summit of Zion Butte without the aid of ropes, I'm not sure we're going to be the one's who do it. This hike really drained us with all the bushwhacking and slow, methodical climbing. If you're interested in becoming the first Peakbagger to record this Butte, you can click here to download our GPS route (which, by the way, was a good one) from Tom's Peakbagger.com post. Good luck!
