A Temporary Goodbye Hike: Tyler Creek at Zion National Park

Tyler Creek

 

 

 

Date: April 8, 2021

Place: Zion National Park, Utah

Coordinates: 37.461944, -113.199465

Length: 5.5 miles

Level: moderate

 

On the last morning of our 2021 spring break in Utah we decided to check out one more corner of Zion National Park before starting our long drive back to California. We checked out of our cabin and drove to the Kolob Canyon Area on the northwest side of the park, to the Tyler Creek Trailhead where we were welcomed by a Cooper's hawk that pas perched on one of the pine trees.  

Cooper's Hawk 

Zion National Park was made famous because of the deep gorge created by the Virgin River. The park however, encompasses more than just the Zion Canyon. The large wilderness are that envelopes the canyon and its tributaries is also protected within the park's boundaries. The area of Kolob Canyon where Tyler Creek trail was looked very different than Zion Canyon.

Tyler Creek

The hills and mountains had some ruggedness to them. They certainly weren't round and smooth as in places that see more rainfall. However, they also had the looks of 'not done yet'. As if the plastic surgeon's scalpel has just started its carving work. 

 

 

There were a few other cars at the parking area but we didn't see anyone at the time we parked. We gathered our things and started up the trail. 

Our hike as captured by my GPS

 

A short walk brought us down to the creek. The creek was actually flowing, although with only a little current. Down at the creek we also met people - a family with you young children, younger than our chikas. 

Tyler Creek stream was low, but the water was very clear and the creak bed was vibrantly ocher with pebbles that looked like jewels. I wanted to spend a few moments to examine the creek but my family had already crossed and moved ahead, so I rushed after them. 

Tyler Creek

We didn't stray away from the creek though. The trail followed the thin stream of water and we walked along, going in the upstream direction. 

Even though the landscape of Tyler Creek appeared 'undone' in comparison with the Zion Canyon, still there were some impressive cliffs towering over us. 

The trail was fairly easy and we walked at a good pace, soon overtaking other hikers that were on the trail that day. 

The trail and the creek crossed a few times and I did get my chance of a closer look at the water. On one of the larger stones a small moth was resting in the sun, wings spread. 

Infant Moth

I was also seeing the now familiar Zion milkvetch, blooming along the trail. Come to think of it, there was not one hike we did in Zion on that trip where I did not see this pretty wildflower. 

Zion Milkvetch, Asrtagalus zionis

The deeper we went up the trail the higher the cliffs were. It still didn't look like a canyon, in the sense that these cliffs were not continuous, but they were tall and sheer and very impressive. I could also detect a bit of leftover snow in some corners of the rock face. 

For some reason the elder chika was always a magnet for butterflies. Frequently they were landing on here clothes and hair, or in this case, on her shoe. 

Blue Butterfly

Lower down the creek the trees seem taller and closer together. That was good because the day grew warmer too and we enjoyed the shade. 

We crossed Tyler Creek several times during the hike as the stream and the foot path intertwined. I enjoyed seeing the little natural water features along the way, some looking like miniature waterfalls. 

On one of the creek crossings I did take a moment to look and the creek bed through the incredibly clear water. The pebbles, eroded away from rocks of various colors, shone like little gems.

Tyler Creek

The day was certainly warm enough for reptilian activity, and we saw many lizards as we moved down the trail. Some of these lizards even stayed in place long enough to be photographed. 

Common Sagebrush Lizard

Manzanita bushes were growing in areas where the trees were not too crowded. Many of the manzanitas were blooming at the time. 

Greenleaf Manzanita, Arctostaphylos patula

We reached an old and dilapidated cabin. This cabin was the residence of the geologist Arthur Fife in the mid-1930s. 

Fife Cabin

The wasn't much to see inside the cabin but I went in there anyway. Even the floor was no longer there, only the beams that once held it. I needed to take care to not trip on them. 

Fife Cabin

The Fife Cabin was also the end of the trail. The creek flowed below it and we went down to the water to sit and have a short snack break. 

Tyler Creek

A squirrel did some rounds near us, not as bold as some of the squirrels that we saw in the main area of the park, be he did look more hopeful than I expected a fully wild squirrel to be.  

Rock Squirrel

After our break we started heading back, following the same trail. The sun was at a different angle now, giving us a new look of the cliffs. These cliffs were taller and closer in this area, giving Tyler Creek a more of a canyon look. 

Now were also walking in the downstream direction, with the flow of the water. There were also more people on the trail at the time, now that it was a later hour. 

Tyler Creek

I watched the creek as it flowed away to the west. Tyler Creek doesn't flow into the park but out of it. Its water does eventually spill into the Virgin River way south of the park near Dinosaur National Monument, after merging with a couple of other creeks on the way. 

Tyler Creek

We moved fairly quickly on the way back. Pappa Quail was eager to begin our drive to California, and the chikas wanted lunch. Still, I took the moments I needed to appreciate the lovely willow blossom. 

Arroyo Willow, Salix lasiolepis

The sun was now high in the sky, and the light sparkled in the creek water. We passed again the tiny waterfalls where the path and the creek crossed way. The elder chika submerged her bandana in the water and wrapped it around her head to cool off. 

Little long-legged water strider insects were walking on the water in the calmer parts of the creek. The insects themselves were not easy to see but the shadow they cast on the creek bottom was quite large, and had the distinctive shape of a butterfly. The shadow was cast by the concave dents that these insects' feet created in the water surface, rather than by the actual feet.   

Water Striders

As we were taking our final steps on the trail I slowed down some and took more careful photos of the blooming Zion milkvetch plants. That was the last time I saw these lovely flowers. The next time I'd be in Zion National Park would be in the summer, way past their bloom season. 

Zion Milkvetch, Asrtagalus zionis

A few ravens cruised the blue sky above the parking area. Pappa Quail ignored them - they were all too common birds. The elder chika snapped a few shots, however. 

Common Raven

A took a long last look at the red cliffs. I love the diverse nature and landscape of California, but Utah worked its deep magic on me, and at that point I've only seen very little of that beautiful state.

We said our silent goodbye to the gorgeous landscape of the Kolob Canyon region of Zion National Park, and got into the car, heading out to the freeway. In the summer of 2022, a little over a year later, I'd be back in Zion with the youth, to complete what the Virgin River walk and go into The Narrows.