Lady Mountain - Zion National Park

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Difficulty: Difficult
Length: 1.3 miles / 2.1 km
Duration: Half day

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Overview: Lady Mountain is the southern peak overlooking the Emerald Pools. It was the first official trail in Zion National Park that went from valley floor to summit, but it was closed in the late 1960's because it was so steep and dangerous. The trail is no longer maintained but for those with some climbing experience, the old route can still be followed to the top.

Tips: Backcountry Route! Safely hiking backcountry routes depend on your own good judgment, adequate preparation, and constant attention to your surroundings. Your safety is your responsibility.

Take plenty of water, Lady Mountain is full sun exposure during the entire day.

Wear good sticky rubber shoes. This hike contains slickrock climbing and exposure. Good footing is a must.

The climbing sections consist of a blind overhead boulder move about 8' but has an 80 foot exposure so use the existing bolt to belay your lead climber. The second move is a 12' off width crack, about 5.7 rated.

The upper portion is class 4 scramble, I would recommend a helmet for the scramble as there is lots of loose rock, be sure to give plenty of warning to those below if you kick loose even a small rock, due to the steepness of the terrain even a small rock can do a lot of damage.
Note: I didn't have my GPS with me on this trip so the way points are hand drawn and may not reflect the exact route taken

Points of Interest

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Exit Shuttle at Zion Lodge

Exit the shuttle at the Zion Lodge. Lady Mountain is an unmaintained trail and there are no restroom facilities on route. Carry plenty of water, this hike is full sun for the entire day, the Zion Spring Water system is located behind the outdoor grill sitting area. I would recommend 4 liter. Now look up to the peak of Lady Mountain, this is your best chance to see the "Lady". Look closely at the red area below the peak and to the left of the white ">" shape in the white rock. You'll notice a dark spot close to the eye of the ">" this is her hair, the "Lady" is a portrait with her eyes looking "softly" down and to the right.

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Emerald Pools Trail and Bridge

Cross the Bridge and turn left! The emerald pools trail is a circular trail, if you turn left you'll reach the Lady Mountain Trail head in 1/4 mile, if you turn right you'll reach it in about 3 miles.

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Information Sign and Lady Mountain Trailhead

After reaching the upper portion of the trail (about 1/4 mile) you will reach an information sign. Lady Mountain Trailhead is 30 feet further along the trail into a little draw. Turn left and begin to work your way uphill through the pine trees. There are several trails that wander through these trees, but eventually a more defined trail emerges and switch-backs lead you back and forth higher up the hillside.

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First Obstacle

The first obstacle is reached when the trail seems to end and on your left is a rock wall with a crag leading to the upper ledge. This is the direction of travel. If you look close you will notice a yellow circle with an arrow pointing to the left. These markers will guide you throughout the hike so learn to recognize them. You will probably not need a rope to climb this section, but it is nice to have a rope to descend this hazard.

Picture: looking down from top of obstacle, in the second picture which is looking up the obstacle, dead center is the yellow & red trail marker.

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Moki-Steps and Bushwacking

At the top of the first obstacle, immediately to the right you'll notice a series of moki-steps carved out of the rock. This is the direction of travel. Use caution as the steps can fill with sand and be slippery. The exposure on this short climb is 80-100 feet.

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Picture Perfect

Working your way higher along the well defined trail, you emerge at a prominent point on the mountain. A sharp white stone point creates a fantastic view of the Lodge and valley below. The steps lead higher which allow for a perfect picture moment!

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Stairway to Heaven

Turning up mountain again, you are greeted with a series of steps, some additional moki-steps and what I think is the most beautiful part of the hike. An amazing route along a steep drop off which is breath taking as the panorama of the main Zion Canyon opens to your view.

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Second Obstacle

As you continue to follow the yellow and red 0-> leading the way, there is a point where it seems to stop, you can't go higher and the trail appears to end. If you'll look to your left across a small drainage area you'll notice a flat slickrock level area with a split boulder above it. This is the second obstacle. Work your way toward the level slickrock. Your direction of travel is up through the crack in the boulder. If you look close you'll notice a re-bar "eyelet" bolt about halfway through the cleavage and a bolt immediately to your right to belay from.

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One Thousand Steps

Once through the boulder move you'll begin to notice the route follows natural and moki-steps. I didn't count them, but one thousand is the common name, but it sure seemed like more. Working your way through the steps you'll reach the third obstacle.

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Last Obstacle

About midway through "one thousand steps" you'll approach the Last Obstacle. This 12' foot off-width crack is rated a 5.7 YDS. There is a nice belay station just above the wall to help weaker climbers to the top. As of this writing someone has tied a piece of cable diagonally to a bush which probably caused more issues than helped.

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Scramble to Saddle

One Thousand Steps continue and it is impressive how nature provided a natural step system to help climb Lady Mountain. The terrain gives way to softer ground, with 3 / 4th class scramble to the saddle.

Shortly after the Last Obstacle, we ditched our ropes, packs, & harnesses to lighten our load for the Summit climb.

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Saddle and Backbone to Summit

From the Saddle, a breathtaking Panorama of the canyon's behind Isaac Peak open to your view. These are views very few people have an opportunity to witness.

Picture: Looking back from the summit at the saddle and back bone, with Isaac Peak on the left.

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Summit

The summit for Lady Mountain is reached by crossing a back bone of rocks to your right. Follow the well worn path to the observation disk atop a rock overlooking the Valley Floor. From this point you will enjoy an un-paralleled view of Zion National Park.

Pictures in this guide taken by: RayFink, steve625

How does this work?

Lady Mountain was my first summit hike off the beaten path in Zion National Park. I was hooked the moment I stepped off the "freeway trail" of Emerald Pools into the solitude of a summit ascent.
Visited on Oct 16, 2010

by steve625 on Jul 02, 2011 at 09:59:46 am