Little Creek Mesa West Loop

Dogs Off-leash

Features Cave · Historical Significance · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

This hard-to-follow 8.9-mile loop guides you through Little Creek Mesa's West Loop. It traverses beautiful sandstone slabs, nears ancient petroglyphs, and passes beside towering cliff edges, offering explosive views of Zion National Park and its surroundings. It's an isolated trail, perfect for finding peace and quiet.

This trailhead has NO facilities so make sure to bring plenty of water, sun protection, and any food you might need during the day.

Park at the Little Creek Mesa Trailhead (37.05969, -113.22555). The road to reach here is rough, and a high-clearance vehicle is recommended, though not required—I've seen a skillful minivan make it out here many times.

Begin hiking out of the parking lot, heading west down a road for a short section before turning right onto the trail system. You'll immediately encounter a short hill to hike over before descending to the slickrock slab below. Turn left here and follow the well-marked cairns west toward the West Loop. Cross a road 0.7 miles into the trail, and continue navigating through slickrock slabs via cairns until reaching the more sustained footpath of the West Loop.

This trail offers unbelievable views of the surrounding valleys. The narrow trail edges within mere feet of the mesa's cliffside, and in one spot a cleverly stacked rock allows you to step over a void dropping to the valley below. Once the singletrack of the West Loop ends, you'll encounter more slickrock and sandstone. While the sandstone generally has marked cairns, straying off the path a few times is common. Luckily finding your way back to the trail is not too difficult.

After 6.8 miles of hiking, you'll reach the trail marked Magic Carpet on your right. Take this for 1.3 miles through slickrock fields marked with more cairns. Eventually, you'll rejoin the West Loop trail you came in on, crossing over the small hill and reaching the road where your car is parked.

Observe the variety of pools formed by rainwater. Sometimes, little aquatic creatures and unique plant life appear during the wetter months of the year.

Many petroglyphs exist in the area, and blackened caves from years of campfires are a common sight out here.