Northgate Peaks Trail

Best Time to Hike Northgate Peaks Trail

The trail is accessible from March through November; the high elevation and Kolob Terrace Road closure make it a three-season rather than year-round route. Summer is the most popular window, with the elevation providing meaningful relief from the canyon-bottom heat that makes lower Zion trails uncomfortable in July and August. Cell service is unreliable along Kolob Terrace Road and nonexistent on the trail itself; download offline maps and check conditions before driving up. Fall visits offer quieter conditions, and the open meadows along the route take on different character in autumn light. Early morning visits in summer give the best chance of parking without competition from other hikers using the same trailhead for different destinations.

Trail Tips for Northgate Peaks Trail

• Dogs are not allowed on this trail — Northgate Peaks lies within the Zion Wilderness, and the no-dog rule applies. Plan accordingly if you are traveling with pets.
• Group size in Zion Wilderness is capped at 12 people; this applies to the Northgate Peaks Trail from the point it enters wilderness designation.
• No water is available on the trail — bring everything you need from the start. Despite the trail's easy rating and modest elevation gain, the distance and remote setting demand adequate hydration.
• The trailhead has pit toilets; download your maps and check nps.gov/zion for road and trail conditions before making the 40-minute drive from Springdale, which saves a wasted trip if conditions have changed.

Getting There

The trail begins at the Wildcat Canyon Trailhead, reached by driving 15.5 miles up Kolob Terrace Road from the town of Virgin. This is not a shuttle-accessed trailhead — access is by private vehicle only, and the drive up Kolob Terrace Road is itself a scenic experience worth taking slowly. An entry fee is required for this Zion National Park trailhead. Kolob Terrace Road is paved but closes seasonally when snow makes the upper sections impassable; access is generally reliable from March through November. Check current road conditions with the park before visiting in late fall or early spring. Parking at the Wildcat Canyon Trailhead holds roughly 20 to 25 vehicles and can fill on summer mornings, when the same trailhead also serves hikers heading toward other routes in the area.

What to Expect on Northgate Peaks Trail

Northgate Peaks Trail covers 4.2 miles out and back with only about 150 feet of gentle elevation change — an unusually flat route for a Zion wilderness hike. The trailhead sits at roughly 7,000 feet on the Kolob Terrace, a high plateau section of the park that looks and feels entirely different from Zion Canyon below. Temperatures here run noticeably cooler than the main canyon, and the terrain moves through a mix of open meadows and scattered pines rather than the red walls most visitors associate with Zion. The route follows the Wildcat Canyon Trail before splitting south toward the Northgate Peaks themselves — two rounded sandstone domes flanking the trail's end. The destination is a cluster of volcanic boulders with views of the surrounding canyon and plateau. The trail surface is packed dirt with some rocky sections near the viewpoint; no scrambling or exposed ridgeline.