Hobbit Hole Hike
37.21548, -112.93606
In a hole in the ground… (First line of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit)
Parking is pretty hard to secure, especially during the busy season for Zion National Park. This is a good hike to start early in the morning. If your lucky enough to get a parking space at the mouth of the tunnel, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to combine this hike with the overlook hike that starts at the Park Ranger building at the tunnel.
The Hobbit Hole is a easy out n’ back hike that has you going through a tunnel under the highway and exploring a slot canyon until you eventually reach a small hole at the end nicknamed, “The Hobbit Hole.”
Notice, for the most part dogs are not allowed on any of the trails in Zion National Park. Best to keep the 4 legged family member at home for this trip.
On the map below, you will see the best spot to park, the trailhead, and the route that we took. From the Hwy you will come across a couple of stairs. This is your starting point. Follow the trail down the hillside until you reach the bottom of the creek bed. As this point you should see a tunnel that goes under the Mount Carmel Hwy. Go through the tunnel. Use caution during times of flash floods.
As you make your way through the tunnel, the Pine Creek bed opens up pretty wide and is very sandy. Continue on until you reach the opening of the slot canyon.
At this point there is pretty much only one way to reach the Hobbit Hole, go through the slot canyon. Again, use caution during times of flash floods. There is a slight chance that you will have to cross some small pools of water that gather at some of the low points within the slot. We explored during early spring and had Ice and water blocking our way and ended up having to double back and walk along the top edge of the slot.
As you reach the end of the small slot, you will see a small hole that you can climb through. Welcome to the Hobbit Hole.
If you are still wanting to explore this area a little bit more. Keep heading up stream and take the left hand fork which will lead you to some really big pockets that both water and wind has carved out of the hillside and creek bed.
Hope that this is helpful in finding one of our favorite spots in Zion National Park. Please leave a comment below with any additional help aids you have.
