Clear Creek
The
highway 9 reaches Zion National Park from the Southeast though the
far down valley formed by Clear Creek—a big, forked drainage that
winds through gorgeous setting of huge white Navajo sandstone walls
and vaults. It next links the prime Zion Canyon following the Pine
Creek slot. Clear Creek is not normally very enclosed, still has
many good short areas of narrows—all between a few minutes walk of
the road, and nearly a dozen minor canyons which may or may not
have slot sections though they tend only to be deep and skewed. To
explore the creek, you have to pay the Zion National Park entry
fee.
The
creek flows right to the south of UT 9 for most of its stretch—from
the connection with Pine Creek—a venue where the valley is nearly
one thousand feet deep; crosses to the north side next to the park
access station and cuts off into the covered bends of the Kolob
Terrace. The pebble-filled streambed is normally twenty to fifty
feet beneath the road and traverses many narrow sections—possibly
the finest of which is on each side of the Washington/Kane country
line. The creek here has two meters wide passages below high
red/grey rock walls.
Almost a mile’s walk on either part of the valley should
encounter some like sections, and even if not narrow, the creek is
always very beautiful. Though you will find in few places the
peaceful atmosphere is polluted by sound from the traffic on the
nearby highway. A few portions are accountable to have long pools
that last for several days following rain—may confine hiking to
some extent, and you will need to take care about this fact if you
are planning for hiking during those weather conditions.
There are around twelve side canyons of the Pine
Creek/Clear Creek valley—from Garfield Canyon in the West, just
next to the end of the road mine, to an anonymous gorge in the East
opposite Checkerboard Mesa. Keyhole Canyon—1/4 miles West of the
Washington/Kane country line, is the only other with a formal
title. It is almost unguided but famous because of a short
technical slot section that requires three simple rappels to slant.
No wonder that you can enjoy the slot canyons and other small
canyons according to the availability of time, and at the same time
can also enjoy the beauty of Zion National Park.
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