The Many Pools route is not a designated trail in Zion National Park, but it is an interesting route that is easy to follow.   The start is at a pullout on the East Zion Road about 0.8 miles east of the small tunnel.   Walk along the road and look for an informal trail dropping into the drainage/wash on the north side.   Once in the drainage, follow it upstream, up the slickrock following a string of potholes.

When it rains, all of the runoffs funnel into the drainage in a continuous stream.   As the stream dries up, potholes of water remain, one above the other.

The route continues all the way up to the top of the plateau for anyone interested in some bushwhacking and scrambling.   On this return trip to this hike, we chose to go up to a viewpoint of the cross-hatched white cliffs on each side before returning the way we came.   On the previous time, I chose to scramble up the cliffs on the east side for a higher viewpoint (link to previous story).

A curious resident watched our progress.

Many Pools is not a destination hike, but it makes a nice change from the longer, steeper trails if you spend some time hiking in Zion.   The sculpted potholes and the surrounding views make a rewarding, but short (2 mile) hike.

More information:

• Trailhead – N37 13.292 W112 54.876