Cedar Pocket Wash Overlook and Narrows Trails

Location: This Arizona hike is located in the Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness and managed by the Bureau of Land Management. It is in the Virgin River Gorge and close to the Virgin River Canyon Recreation Area.

Difficulty: A mostly easy hike except the steep strenuous descent and ascent climbs into and back out of the wash and narrows and some rock scrambling in the narrows.

Average Hiking Time: About two hours at a leisurely pace with many rest stops when exiting the wash.

Elevations: The trailhead is 2,730 feet elevation with about a 350 feet elevation change from the trailhead to the lowest point in Cedar Pocket Wash.

Family Friendly: It is family friendly if you do not go down into the wash. The trial into and out of the wash is steep and strenuous.

Finding the Trailhead: From St. George drive south on Interstate 15. At 10.5 miles from the signed Utah-Arizona border you reach Exit 18, the turnoff for Cedar Pocket and the Virgin River Canyon Recreation Area. After exiting turn right (north) on the first road encountered, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Road 1005, paved for a very short distance and then a dirt road.

Road 1005 is decent, although washboard almost the entire way to the trailhead. Stay on the main road and after 1.5 miles you will see the large “Cedar Pocket Wash Trailhead” sign on the right (east). There is parking for seven or eight cars.

If you are driving north on Interstate 15, simply exit at Exit 18. Then, at the first turn, go left (north) to cross the freeway and continue straight (north) on BLM Road 1005. Then follow the directions above.

Need an off the beaten path outdoor adventure, where you will probably not see another person (we only met one other hiker on the trail), featuring a Joshua Tree forest, spectacular mountain views, and the impressive Cedar Pocket Wash narrows? If yes, then you are a prime candidate for Cedar Pocket Wash Overlook and Narrows Trails in the Virgin River Gorge. The trailhead is 1.5 miles from the Virgin River Canyon Recreation Area (aka Cedar Pocket) about mid-way between St. George and Mesquite.

This hike is somewhat unusual. Many hikes are top looking down or bottom looking up. Think of Bryce Canyon National Park for the former and Zion National Park for the latter. The Cedar Pocket Wash trails take you to an impressive overlook, top looking down, and along Cedar Pocket Wash for a bottom looking up experience.

The trail is in the Beaver Dam Mountains Wilderness, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The wilderness area became part of the National Wilderness Preservation System in 1984 and has approximately 2,600 acres in Utah and approximately 15,000 acres in Arizona.

My wife, Deb, and I left St. George on a sunny early October weekend morning. We arrived at the trailhead about 9:30 am with the temperature in the mid-60s under a blue Arizona sky. The parking area is surrounded by a small forest of Joshua trees. Near the large trailhead sign is a small trail marker sign pointing to the trail. This hike has two potential destinations, Overlook Trail (about 1.1 miles round trip) and the Narrows Trail (about 2.2 miles round trip). We did both. Since the two share a common beginning, about .3 mile, the round trip was about three miles.

The trailhead elevation is 2,730 feet  with about a  350 feet elevation change from the trailhead to the lowest point in Cedar Pocket Wash. Both trails are well defined and marked.

We hopped over the stepover onto the trail heading east. At .3 miles along the combined trail we came to a junction. The right (south) fork goes to the overlook in .2 mile. The left (north) fork goes to the narrows. We went right on the Overlook Trail, an easy hike with little elevation change. Befitting its name, the overlook had great views of cliffs to the east, mountains to the north, and the Virgin River to the south. After a few photos, we retraced our steps to the junction and headed northeast on the Narrows Trail.

The trail quickly and steeply descends to the bottom of Cedar Pocket Wash, not a fun part of the hike. Once in the wash we headed downstream to the right (east) and then south and entered the narrows.

The narrows is aptly named. Mostly limestone rock, 50 or more feet tall defining the narrows. The narrows twists and around each bend was a new experience. We had to do some rock scrambling at a couple of dry falls. After a half mile or so in the wash (about 1.1 miles from the trailhead) we reached the end of the narrows where the wash widened and becomes open desert. We explored a bit and then headed back,

We arrived back at the trailhead after almost two hours on the three mile round trip hike. We were in no hurry and stopped often to admire the scenery and  take photos.

I highly recommend this hike. The views are great and Cedar Pocket Wash Narrows is amazing.