In Zion National Park, many of the best routes are not trails.   They follow canyons or are traverses across the upper slickrock slopes.   The Many Pools route has a few cairns and some footprints in sandy washes, but it is an intuitive route – just follow the potholes and pour-offs.

In this dry desert country, rain is infrequent, but when it does rain, it is a powerful eroding force through the Navajo sandstone.   The sandy running water grinds channels and over time, potholes are cut into the rock.   After a rainfall, the potholes are refreshed and the channels between them dry up, although they stay streaked with salts.   Sometimes channels from several drainages meet and larger potholes may form.

In the Many Pools Valley, water runs off 4 mountains and a series of pour-offs and pools can be followed upstream.   There are hundreds of sand-bottomed potholes, one above the other.   In B.C., we can follow a series of lakes and ponds up to snow slopes or a glacier.   Two good examples are the Joffre Lakes or the Valley of Tarns in the Trophy Range.   But in southwest slickrock country, the result is terraced bathtub and pool-sized potholes surrounded by red sandstone rock.

The route starts off the most scenic drive I know, the Zion-Mt. Carmel route (SR- 9) between the tunnel and the east gate.   Park past the second small tunnel (heading east) and walk 150m to the north-side drainage.   Descend into the wash (at N37 13.392 W112 57.846) and head upstream.   Follow the pools uphill for about 2km.   From the end of the pools, the canyon deepens and trees fill the drainage.   It is possible to continue on to the top of the East Mesa with some bushwhacking, but a more enjoyable option is to go up the slickrock ledges on either side of the valley for the wide views.   Hoodoos, stacked rock slabs, cross-hatched yellow and white slopes, tree-capped mesas, buttes, and orange, coral, red, and white rock faces await the explorer.   Cactus, pinon, and juniper dot the hillsides.   Lizards scurry to shelters under rocks.   A few wildflowers bloom into the fall.   Some images are shared here.   Click an image for a lightbox view.

This hike is so unalike the hikes of B.C., a refreshing (but hot) experience in the upper slickrock terrain of Zion, a favorite to be revisited again.