Checkerboard Arch - Zion National Park

This last weekend we decided to go and find an arch near Checkerboard Mesa that my friend Gabriella spotted when hiked to Parunuweap. It was a cool February day and Zion has been having record amounts of precipitation. Even the start of the hike was gorgeous with water running in and through the many potholes. We started down the slot between Checkerboard Mesa and Quilt Mountain trying to avoid the muddy parts. We kept our feet pretty dry all the way to the arch. This is not a trail, but an unmaintained route crossing back and forth across the drainage. There is a nice view of Parunuweap in the distance from the saddle. To find the arch hike to the southern end of Checkerboard Mesa and then to the left. There is a path there and a few cairns. On a topo map look for 6273. This is the mountain the arch is on. It’s a large freestanding arch on the left side of the mountain. We took an alternate route back instead of retracing our steps. We were not sure if the slot would allow it, but we took our chances and we were lucky. This exit is only for hardcore hikers. Expect bushwhacking and an uphill hike until almost at the end then it’s a steep descent. The exit is 2 mile long like the approach was.