Checkerboard Mesa

Checkerboard Mesa, a prominent summit in Utah's Zion National Park, stands at 6,520 feet above sea level and is located southwest of the park's east entrance, towering 900 feet above the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway. Essential to the local ecology, Checkerboard Mesa Canyon holds rainwater pools crucial for resident bighorn sheep. Its distinct checkered appearance, formed by cross-bedded white sandstone, is attributed to sandstone contraction and expansion due to various environmental factors like temperature changes, freezing and thawing cycles, and wetting and drying processes. Initially named Checkerboard Mountain, this peak is best visited in the spring and fall seasons. The Checkerboard Mesa Canyon Trail, an 8-mile out-and-back route, offers moderate hiking opportunities with views of the area's wildlife, rated as complex in difficulty.