Not every hike in Zion National Park shows up on a postcard. Some of the best ones are barely marked at all. The Triplets Trail on Zion’s east side has become one of our favorite hikes in the park, and it might be one of the least-crowded, most technical hikes Zion has to offer, without giving up any of the incredible views. It is not a long hike by Zion standards, but do not let that fool you. Between the scrambling, the route finding, and the elevation gain, it earns every bit of its reputation as a strenuous outing.
Trail at a Glance
Location: East side of Zion National Park, off the Zion-Mt. Carmel corridor
Distance: Up to about 6.8 miles round trip for the full route to all three peaks
Elevation Gain: Roughly 2,300 feet
Difficulty: Strenuous, with Class 3 scrambling and off-trail navigation
Best For: Experienced hikers comfortable with exposure and route finding
A Frozen Waterfall in the Canyon
The hike starts by dropping into a slickrock amphitheater, two sweeping sandstone walls curving up on either side of a wash. Partway up the left wall, a waterfall was frozen solid, a ribbon of blue-white ice clinging to the rock where the water usually runs. We hiked this in winter, and the ground through the wash still had a layer of snow packed down on it. The evening light was hitting the top of the far wall in warm gold while everything below stayed in cool shadow. It might be one of the prettiest things we saw all day, and it is only a short walk in.
Scrambling Up the Petrified Dunes
Past the waterfall, the route climbs straight up a slope of petrified sand dunes, ancient dunes that hardened into slickrock thousands of years ago. There is no maintained trail here, just smooth orange and red rock that curves and folds in every direction, with scattered junipers and pines holding on wherever there is enough soil. We ended up doing more of a scramble than a walk for this stretch, using our hands almost as much as our feet to work up and over the domes. The sky opened up completely once we were on top, with more slickrock ridges and forested slopes stretching out in every direction. It is a steep way to spend the middle of a hike, but it sets the tone for how different this trail feels from the more established routes in the park.
Into the Pines
After the dunes, the trail eases into a stand of ponderosa pines. It felt like a different hike entirely, quiet and shaded, with a dirt path winding between the trees and low junipers. As the sun dropped lower, it lit up a pale sandstone peak in the distance so it almost glowed through the branches. This stretch gave us a break from the scrambling and a chance to actually enjoy the surroundings before the terrain opened back up toward the overlooks.
Bighorn Sheep Along the Way
One of the best parts of this hike had nothing to do with the trail itself. We came around a bend and found a herd of desert bighorn sheep grazing on a sagebrush hillside just off the route, a mix of ewes and younger sheep working through the brush, completely unbothered by us. East Zion sees a lot less foot traffic than the main canyon, and it shows. We did not see another group of hikers the entire day, just the sheep.
Our Experience
Full disclosure, we did not finish the entire route. Between the scrambling and stopping constantly for photos, we were losing daylight faster than we expected, and with a hike like this, getting caught out after dark is not something you want to deal with without a clear way back. We turned around before reaching all three of the Triplets and still made it back to the car right around sunset. Even without finishing it, this was one of the most adventurous hikes we have done in Zion. It gets your adrenaline going in a way a lot of the more popular trails do not, and having the trail almost entirely to ourselves made it feel like we had found something most people never see.
I will be straightforward about the difficulty. There is no marked trail for most of this route, and it is genuinely easy to lose it. We used AllTrails to stay on track and still had a few moments of backtracking to find the way. There are also sections along the ridge where a fall would mean a serious injury, so this is not a hike for anyone afraid of heights, and I would not recommend attempting it without a phone with a navigation app and a full charge. Bring more water than you think you need, tell someone where you are going, and give yourself plenty of daylight.
Final Thoughts
The Triplets ended up being one of our favorite hikes in Zion, and that is saying something considering how many incredible trails the park has. It is the kind of hike that rewards a little extra effort and a willingness to get a little lost. If you have already done the classics like Angels Landing or the Narrows and you are looking for something quieter and more technical, this is worth adding to the list. We came home with some of our favorite photos from any hike we have done and a story we still bring up. For more of our favorite spots around Southern Utah, check out our full St. George outdoor activities guide. Just be careful, come prepared, and give yourself enough daylight to enjoy it.
