Overview:
The trail up Pine Valley Mountain is very steep - one of the steepest trails around, and quite a contrast to the relatively flat trails of Zion National Park and Snow Canyon. The scenery is also quite distinct from the red rock and desert of the surrounding area, with scrub oak, wildflowers and evergreen trees. In fact, this hike is more characteristic of a Wasatch or Northern Utah hike than a Southern Utah one. This is an all day hike, and not particularly kid-friendly, unless your kid is accustomed to long, grueling trails. The temperature is usually about 20 degrees cooler than St. George at the trailhead, and the breeze is quite cool on the way up. In wet years, expect to see snow on the north side of the ridge on the top until mid-July. Did we mention this is a steep hike?

This is also the trail that takes you to Signal Peak, the high point of Pine Valley Mountain and Washington County. Since the hike to the ridgeline at the top of the mountain is a full hike in its own right, the trail that goes on to Signal Peak will have its own page.

Note: You'll definitely want to bring a jacket on this hike - if not for the cool breeze along the way up, for the top of the mountain where the wind can be strong and cold.

GPS: 37°18'59.67"N 113°27'16.30"W
Distance: 1.9 miles to saddle
Difficulty: 5
Hike Time: 5-7 hours

Trailhead:
From I-15 South (St. George)

• Take exit 16 for St Hwy 9 towards Hurricane/Zion National Park


• About 2 miles later, turn left at 6300 West (Hwy 91)


• About 5 miles later, this road becomes Leeds Main St.


• Take a left on Silver Reef road about 1 mile later taking you under the freeway - eventually this road will become a dirt road


• 2 miles later, the road forks. Take the right fork towards Pine Valley Mountain
  
  


• Follow this road for about 5.4 more miles, to the Pine Valley Mountain trailhead at Oak Grove Campground
  
  

From I-15 North

• Take exit 23 for Silver Reef towards Leeds


• Coming off the freeway, take a right at Silver Reef Rd - eventually this road will become a dirt road


• 2 miles later, the road forks. Take the right fork towards Pine Valley Mountain


• Follow this road for about 5.4 more miles, to the Pine Valley Mountain trailhead at Oak Grove Campground
  
  
  

Detailed Description:
It's easy to follow this trail up to the ridgeline on the top of the mountain (if you're continuing on to Signal Peak, the trail is more obscure and marked by cairns, so a topo map or GPS is helpful). This trail can be divided up into sections where the scenery and trail conditions differ slightly:

Section 1: From the trailhead to the ridge that you follow up to the top of the mountain. Here the trail is the least steep, and you'll see an outcrop of red rock, and a sign that announces the start of the wilderness boundary. Also, the switchbacks are oriented in a north/south direction.

Section 2: The switchbacks bring you to the ridge that leads up the mountain. The trail during this section is steeper than section 1 and has patches of loose sand. There's not much shade in this section, and this, combined with the wind, will dry out a hiker, so water is especially important here. As far as vegetation in this section is concerned, scrub oak, and wildflowers cover the landscape. In the middle of this section, there is a large rock with a dead pine tree trunk propped up against it. This rock provides some good shade, and is a good place to stop for a snack- thus we have dubbed it, "Snack Rock." Just beyond Snack Rock is a grove of evergreens that the trail passes through before returning to the scrub oak landscape.

Section 3: Gradually the scrub oak will give way to evergreens, and here starts section 3. The air in this section becomes much cooler as the amount of shade increases. The abundance of evergreens and rocks makes the experience of this section feel more like a quintessential mountain hike. This section carries you to the top of the mountain, and you'll know you're there when the trail stops going up. From here, the views of the surrounding terrain is unparalleled. Off to the south you can see the Virgin River Gorge; to the east you can see Zion and Kolob canyons, the Grand Staircase, and even the distant Kaibab Plateau. (Where the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is located). From this point, you can search for the Summit Trail which takes you to Signal Peak, or you can have lunch, and make the voyage back to the trailhead.

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