About Pine Creek Falls
Pine Creek Falls was a pleasant little waterfall (possibly 25-30ft) downstream from its technical slot canyon near the giant alcove known as the Great Arch (not really a natural arch as the name implied).
What stood out to us about this waterfall was that we typically didn’t expect to find quiet waterfalls like this in Zion National Park (a park not exactly known for waterfalls), especially given its close proximity to Zion Canyon (i.e. the main touristy part).
But perhaps that was the very reason why this quiet little spot was the perfect escape to enjoy the relative quiet and cool off from the desert heat, or at least provide an opportunity to enjoy a waterfall with a pool to play in.
Julie and I visited this waterfall back in April 2003 and then again in April 2018.
Based on our limited sample size, we can say that the flow of Pine Creek is highly dependent on how much snowmelt would drain into Pine Creek.
During the Summer monsoon season, there can be a flash flood risk, which was why we tended to time our visits to avoid rain.
That said, we can’t say much else about the reliability of its flow at other times of the year.
Anyways, I suspect that the reason why this waterfall wasn’t very well known (relatively speaking when you consider how crowded the Zion Canyon and its shuttle system can be) was because it wasn’t all that easy nor obvious to reach.
First, it wasn’t easy to find as there was no signpost indicating its presence (see directions below).
Second, we had to get through some fairly rough scrambling obstacles involving some mild dropoffs.
Indeed we had to exercise a little patience with the rough parts despite the relatively short distance we were covering on this excursion.
Then, there was the flash flood risk, which wasn’t lost on us as the boulder obstacles seemed more frequent on our latest visit than they were on our first visit 15 years prior.
Accessing Pine Creek Falls
This excursion started innocently enough with a fairly well-used informal trail that left the UT9 at a bridged hairpin turn traversing Pine Creek itself.
We then followed the trail as the wide canyon quickly narrowed, and pretty soon we found ourselves walking on sandy terrain belonging to the Pine Creek Wash.
Beyond the wash, the canyon narrowed even more to the point that we had to cross the creek a couple of times then negotiate some boulder obstacles.
In perhaps the most difficult obstacle of the excursion, we had to go around a fairly large stagnant pool that was wall-to-wall.
Both times we were here, we had to scramble up a wedged boulder on the right side of the pool, then cling onto a somewhat dicey sandstone ledge, which allowed us to climb even higher up the wall before finally getting to flat enough ground to continue further upstream past the pool.
With the ever-present drop-off danger, a misstep here (especially with the potential for a slick surface due to rain) could mean a real nasty fall, and this was the one part where it was pretty sketchy for kids.
That said, according to some people we encountered here, there might be an easier path going around the left side of the stagnant pool though it was not as obvious to us.
And since we didn’t do it, we can’t really say more about it.
In any case, beyond the difficult pool and bouldering obstacle, we had to do a little more awkward scrambling.
One such bouldering obstacle involved getting through a stack of big wedged boulders that forced the adults to sprawl and crawl onto the bottom boulder while trying not to hit our heads on the upper boulder as we squeezed through the tight opening.
Since the kids were smaller, this was one obstacle where they actually fared much better than the adults.
When Julie and I first came here back in April 2003, I didn’t recall having to go through these additional boulder obstacles before.
So this suggested that years of flash flooding may have deposited more boulder obstacles, which wound up making this scramble a bit trickier than in the past.
Who knows if in the coming years whether this excursion will be even more difficult or perhaps easier depending on the whims of Mother Nature?
So that difficulty rating above (which we actually bumped up from our first time here) is really a snapshot of our assessment given our latest visit.
After the crawl obstacle, we then finally made it to the secluded Pine Creek Falls. With the waterfall’s plunge pool, the kids wasted no time chucking rocks as well as also playing in the water.
The Return Scramble and Final Thoughts
On our latest visit, there was another family who arrived just as we did, and they seemed to already know this place.
So the father scrambled his way all the way to the backside of the waterfall, where he then used the sloping surface as a waterslide to slide right into the plunge pool immediately at the base of the waterfall.
In addition to being a fun little play waterfall, the reddish ledges and the hint of even more tall sandstone cliffs in the distance made the falls pretty friendly for photographs.
Once we had our fill of the well-earned visit to Pine Creek Falls, we then scrambled back the way we came.
We had to be careful not to miss the tricky pool and scrambling obstacle on the return (or else risk going to a dropoff dead-end as my Dad almost did), then carefully maneuver our way back to the flatter terrain at the mouth of the pool.
Beyond the difficult scramble obstacle, the rest of the hike was pretty much a cake walk.
Overall, we spent on the order of 90 minutes on our latest April 2018 visit, and we probably spent closer to a little less than an hour on our first visit back in April 2003.
According to my GPS
Finally, we were aware that there was another more strenuous way to reach the waterfall, but that would require technical gear as it would involve canyoneering through the Pine Creek slot canyon.
While canyoneering is a pretty popular cult sport in the slot canyons of the desert southwest, this probably wouldn’t be an option for those of us who haven’t taken up the sport and would not be well-equipped enough to handle the technical obstacles.
Authorities
Pine Creek Falls resides in Zion National Park. For information or inquiries about the park as well as current conditions, visit their website.
Related Trip Reports
Related Top 10 Lists
No Posts Found
Related Itineraries
Trip Planning Resources
Nearby Accommodations
This content is for subscribers only. See Membership Options.Featured Images and Nearby Attractions
This content is for subscribers only. See Membership Options.Visitor Comments:
Got something you'd like to share or say to keep the conversation going? Feel free to leave a comment below...No users have replied to the content on this page
Visitor Reviews of this Waterfall:
If you have a waterfall story or write-up that you'd like to share, feel free to click the button below and fill out the form...No users have submitted a write-up/review of this waterfall
Nearest Waterfalls
