Spencer McMullin is originally from Connecticut but has deep ties to the Southern Utah area. His passion for adventure and photography has lead him to HikeStGeorge.
Spencer McMullin is originally from Connecticut but has deep ties to the Southern Utah area. His passion for adventure and photography has lead him to HikeStGeorge.
For those seeking a different perspective on Zion National Park without all the development and the large crowds, Kolob Terrace is a wonderful alternative.
A recreation hub today, especially for those who own cabins in the area, at first, the high ground of the Kolob Terrace was a summer grazing range for 10 original families who made it their home in the warmer months, beginning in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Some local cattlemen would stage three-day cattle drives from the Arizona Strip to get their herds there and sometimes would leave the cattle on the range into November, which with the leaves off the trees meant better visibility to keep track of their herds but also meant the possibility of blizzardy weather when moving them to lower pastures.
Fields on Kolob where ranchers still graze their cattle.
Corral on Kolob Mountain with cabins in the background.
The area once boasted a sawmill and the families who made the annual trek with their cattle apparently made to-die-for butter and cheese.
Kolob is also home to Kolob Reservoir, popular for fishing and water recreation for those who frequent the area, as well as a girls camp.
View of Zion National Park from Kolob Lava Point.
Kolob Terrace includes Lava Point, within the boundaries of Zion, which provides a breathtaking view from the north into the most popular part of the park – Zion Canyon. Lava Point includes the trailhead of the West Rim Trail, the start of a 14-mile path whose terminus is Zion Canyon, as well as a primitive campground.
The area is reached by turning north onto the Kolob Terrace Road from State Highway 9 in Virgin.
For a more in-depth history and photo gallery of the Kolob Terrace, click here.
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Spencer McMullin2020-10-15 15:39:282023-05-12 19:14:47McMullin Trail - Red Cliffs Desert Reserve
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Spencer McMullin2020-09-14 21:52:172023-05-12 19:16:38The “D” on the Hillside
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Reuben Wadsworth2019-04-04 20:22:512019-04-04 20:23:31Kolob Terrace
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Reuben Wadsworth2019-03-30 14:28:122019-04-03 22:14:26Hurricane Canal History
Canal workers at Pah Tempe Hot Springs
The story of the Hurricane Canal IS the foundation story of the city of Hurricane itself. Without the water the canal provided, there would be no Hurricane. As early as 1865 surveyors said a feat such as the construction of a canal to provide water to the Hurricane Bench was impossible but in 1893, a group of settlers from towns further up the Virgin River, seeing the large tracts of land they could farm if water could be supplied, banded together to form the Hurricane Canal Company. Canal workers literally paid for the canal with their work and with the promise of 20 acres to farm once it was completed. Using only rudimentary hand tools and dynamite, they began constructing what would become a 7-mile ditch clinging to the gorge above the Virgin River into what would be the future town.
The company started running into financial difficulty in the early 20th century and the canal was saved only when its company president traveled to Salt Lake City to convince leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day to invest $5,000 worth of stock in the company so work could continue, which it did soon after. The canal was completed in August 1904 and the town of Hurricane was settled in 1906.
Historic photo of Hurricane Canal watermaster William Hinton taken circa 1952. He is standing near the headgate at the diversion dam at the start of the canal.
Sometimes forgotten in the canal’s history are the “ditch riders” who patrolled its route via horseback to ensure it’s proper flow from the very beginning. When there was a leak, sometimes all it would take is tamping down a few shovel fulls of dirt and rock, but other times, it took closing the headgates to stop the flow of water in the canal completely. But when that happened, there were plenty of people who volunteered to help fix the canal – the city’s farmers – because their livelihood depended on it.
Volunteers working to repair the canal
Workers repairing flume on a section of the canal.
The canal became obsolete in the late 1980s and early 1990s when pressurized irrigation was installed in town, but its legacy will never be forgotten as interpretation of the canal is prominent at the Hurricane Valley Heritage Park and Museum on the southwest corner of Main and State streets in Hurricane. Those wishing to see a portion of the canal, including one of its old flumes can walk the Canal Trail, whose trailhead is at the easternmost end of 200 North and includes a bowery and monument.
Read More about the Hurricane Canal here.
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Spencer McMullin2020-08-06 18:05:512023-05-12 19:18:37Eagle Crags - Zion National Park
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Spencer McMullin2020-08-03 13:21:262023-05-12 19:19:11Kayenta Trail - Zion National Park
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Spencer McMullin2020-07-16 19:10:382023-05-12 19:22:27Grotto Trail - Zion National Park
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Spencer McMullin2020-07-09 14:08:472023-05-12 19:23:11Archeology Trail - Zion National Park
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Arika Bauer
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Arika Bauer2019-02-05 00:11:012020-08-18 14:20:48Watchman Trail - Zion National Park
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Arika Bauer2019-02-04 23:54:422020-08-06 23:34:29Left Fork North Creek - The Subway Bottom Up - Zion National Park
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Arika Bauer2019-02-02 07:51:062020-08-15 21:22:56Lower Pine Creek Falls - Zion National Park
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Arika Bauer2019-02-02 07:41:532020-08-24 13:39:12East Mesa Trail To Observation Point - Zion National Park
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Tim LeBaron2018-01-26 00:00:582020-08-06 21:52:49Angels Landing
