Imagine the women of the 1920’s in their heels and long dresses trudging up this steep trail. Between 1923 when the trail was made and 1960 when the trail was abandoned and the ladders and chains were removed, there were deaths and many rescues along this trail.
Lady Mountain is located across the highway from the Zion Lodge in Zion Canyon. It is the towering monolith seen at the entrance of the Emerald Pools Trail. This hike is not for everyone, in fact few do and should ever attempt it. Although I am among those that should not attempt the route (no longer a trail), our guides Tim and Bo Beck kept our friends and myself safe.
The park no longer maintains the route so the few that attempt the climb/hike must be experienced climbers. Joe Braun Sr., a member of our group, had hiked Lady Mountain when he was 21 years old, when the chains and ladders were in place. He did not recognize much of the hike as being the same.
The remnants of the trail now involve 4th and 5th class exposed climbs and pitches and the walking section of the trail is steep with slippery slopes and long drop offs. Our group was led by Bo Beck, a member of Zion’s search and rescue team, who has climbed Lady Mountain more than a dozen times. Bo was our lead climber and protecting our backside was Bo’s friend Tim Tabor, a Photography instructor at Dixie College and a 5.11 climber. The rest of the party was Joe Braun, who has a Zion photography site, his dad and myself. We met at the Zion Canyon Visitors Center at 7am on Saturday October 2nd. It was chilly in the morning for the first two hours which was ideal for this hot, sunny trek uphill. The descent of the hike is about 3,000’ in a little over 1 mile!
The first obstacle comes early in the hike (see the photo of Bo climbing), which would cause most to turn around and and find a safer hike. Bo scaled these precarious rocks like a cat and secured a safety line for the rest of us. Tim made sure every stayed safe from the back. After our first climb we were ready for anything.
We continued the uphill trek, climbing up the most precarious places I had ever imagined going, but we were always kept safe by Bo and Tim. Joe and his dad were characters and kept us all laughing and having a good time. I adore them and hope I get to spend more time with them in the future. The entire group was wonderful and I could not imagine spending the day with a better bunch of men!
The view from the top of the mountain was spectacular! Angels Landing was far below us. In front we could see Red Arch Mountain, the Great White Throne, Deer Trap Mountain, Cable Mountain, East Temple, West Temple and the Zion Lodge. To our left was Castle Dome (although we could not agree on which mountain it was)and Behunin Canyon. A antique dial sits on top of a stack of rocks pointing to the dominant monoliths viewed from the point.
We stayed at the top for quite some time, talking and enjoying each others company as well as the view before we began the steep descent. The problem with climbing up things is you have to go back down them eventually. We down climbed most of the places using a safety line that we had left behind during our ascent. Bo decided to give us all a climbing lesson on one of the tough spots. He assured us if we fell he would catch us. We all made it without him having to rescue us, to my amazement.
Bo must be quite the instructor! I knew I was going to fall, but I did not mind falling into his arms. The rocks were not as bad to climb down as the bottom part of the trail was to hike down. The slope was steep, sandy and covered in loose rocks. When we made it to the Middle Emerald Pools Trail my legs were wobbly. The hike/climb up to Lady’s Mountain is one that I will always remember and cherish.
Thank you – Bo, Joe, Joe Sr. and Tim!
Zion National Park
Complete Trail Descriptions and Photo Album
Lady Mountain Hike/Climb
Zion National Park hiking guide
