Hike Cougar Mountain and The Bishoprics Zion National Park, UT

Nov 28, 2021 — A few years ago we hiked The Bishopric West, starting from the Right Fork Trailhead. I originally intended to get all the peaks in the area, but the group I was with wasn't interested and so we settled on just hiking that one peak and returned the way we came. As soon as we had turned back, I vowed to return as soon as I could. And so here we were, this time with a different group more thrilled for massive days in the backcountry. This trip report is a longer and more difficult/adventurous undertaking. It follows mostly the same route as my previous trip report, but includes Cougar Mountain, plus a couple of short loops to get other peaks nearby, including Zippy, The Hamster, and The Bishopric East. I kept both trip reports on my site because our previous hike is shorter and better describes the route up/back via Trail Canyon since we ran out of daylight on this hike, and because the route we took today is a bit more extravagant than that original out-and-back. I highly recommend making sure you aren't navigating in the dark on the way back if it's your first time in this area because the terrain has hidden cliff bands to avoid as well as other navigation hurdles, so plan accordingly.

We decided first hiking up to Cougar Mountain would make the most sense because we weren't sure we could locate a weakness in the its northwestern cliff face and that would be pretty horrible on the way back if it were dark, and because I'd already hiked Trail Canyon and was therefore familiar enough with getting back that way later in the day/night. Additionally, we would be able to keep our feet dry until the way back.

We set out from the Right Fork Trailhead and descended from the Kolob Plateau and down into North Creek via a poorly-maintained trail. The Left and Right Forks of North Creek have already met at their confluence at this point, so this section is flowing pretty heavily. We followed the creek for a short time, then rock-hopped across the flowing water and ascended a steep slope that only seemed like it would ascend all the way if looking at a topo map. It was tempting to start up early, but that would result in lots of side-hilling later on. We managed to find animal trails, which helped us get up the slope more quickly. After about 1200 vertical gain, we made it to the steepest and actually pretty dangerous base of Cougar Mountain's cliffs. There was a short section of Class 3/4 to get over a minor cliff band, but you might be able to find easier options to ascend to the major cliff band higher up. The terrain is loose and dirty. Now at the base of Cougar Mountain, we located a major crack that included a Class 3 set of moves followed by a crawl-through under a massive boulder. It's a bit tight, but the alternative would have been a difficult climb. Past the boulder was a short drop before a couple hundred feet of Class 2/3 on loose rock within a chute. The bottom of the chute seems to drop off to nothing, so if you're descending this way, don't forget about the boulder crawl-through.

Now above the chute, we found ourselves on the rim of Cougar Mountain. The views were instantly fantastic in all directions. We followed the rim more-or-less to the summit of Cougar Mountain. Along the way, the ridge crest had rock outcroppings that offered some Class 3, but most of this was avoidable by sticking to the left of the obstacles on flatter ground. From Cougar Mountain's summit we could see The Bishoprics far away. Our next goal was to reach the head of Trail Canyon, which we'd be descending later. This spot also marks the saddle of Cougar Mountain and Zippy. Reaching this saddle wasn't too difficult, but the terrain on the east side of Cougar Mountain can get pretty complex. There are a bunch of hoodoos below preventing easy direct access, so we descended to the southeast on Class 2/3 sandstone slabs and outcrops until we reached a minor wash that we followed until it would have led west and off the mesa. Instead we ascended below a bump and then had a wide view of the very open terrain ahead. We jogged through the pretty field riddled with tiny cacti bombs for about a half mile until the ridge crest became strewn with a rocky outcrop. We side-hilled along its west slope and wrapped around, then taking a quick and easy descent to the saddle. This is the perfect time to judge how much time you required for the hike so far. It doesn't get easier, and the upcoming peaks are still very far away. You could just descend Trail Canyon now and make a nice little loop, even though you'd be missing out on the prettiest and meatiest stuff of the day.

From the head of Trail Canyon, we started up a loose Class 2 slope complete by an animal trail. I recommend starting at the head. On our previous visit we started too early and it was less fun. Toward the top we were funneled into a set of hoodoos, the only viable-looking option for gaining the top of the mesa, Class 2. Now on the mesa, we could see Zippy ahead, but we'd be saving it for last, hoping to be able to find a route up from its southeast side later (an endeavor which we were later successful in doing). For now, we would instead drop into Terry Wash to the south of Zippy. We headed along the mesatop through pretty meadows without hiccup, following a fairly prominent social trail until it reached the top of a wide slickrock bowl. Don't descend this too early or you'll be pushed in the wrong direction. The bowl narrows into a very interesting canyon with Class 2/3 downclimbs within a hoodoo maze of sorts. The difficulty here is escaping the canyon at a key spot. Ultimately this canyon leads nowhere, so once the walls on the left (east) side seem low enough to scramble (Class 3), head on out. On my first trip out here we found one option that worked, and today we located a different one that also worked. So choose your own advneture to escape the hoodoos.

Once above the hoodoos, we bushwhacked for a short time before an animal trail led us down into Terry Wash below, Class 1/2. Accessing Terry Wash this time went slightly differently than last time. Now within Terry Wash, we headed easy mostly within the drainage on either side of the watercourse. It was obvious where to go, but there was a bit of bushwhacking. Terry Wash continues between The Hamster and The Bishopric West, but we left it early in order to head cross-country toward the base of The Bishopric East. We got to the base of the The Bishopric West's slickrock as soon possible to avoid excessive brush, taking animal trails whenever available, then wrapped around its base and headed up the slickrock between the West and East summits.

Now between The Bishoprics, in what's labeled as Jennings Wash on maps, we gawked at the view toward the sheer faces of the (likely) unclimbed Bishopric North nestled between our two peaks. We started up to the ridgeline of The Bishopric East, encountering some Class 3 to gain the ridge crest. Routes can vary likely from Class 2-5 to the crest, depending on where you decide to head up. The ridge of The Bishopric East was abolutely wonderful. The colorful slickrock under our feet and the drastic views to the south toward the towering peaks of Zion were breathtaking. Plus, it took a long-ass time to get out here, so I guess that adds quite a bit to the appeal.

Aside from a bunch of quad-killing steep slickrock, more than the first 2/3 of the ascent went easily. Then we encountered a steep slab move (Class 3/4) with minimal exposure up a dihedral, and then a narrow Class 2 section of ridge led to the crux. On the way down we were able to keep the last few hundred feet to Class 2/3, but on the way up we pulled at least a couple Class 3/4 moves. Basically I recommend keeping left of the crest much of the time because it becomes very steep and scary, but the left side is loose sand and rock and is also pretty nerve-wracking. Just move slowly and don't pull any scary moves. There's a thousand feet of exposure on the west face, but a slip will likely not put you off the edge; it just feels that way. Toward the top keep farther to the left and ascend Class 2 rather than the alternative Class 3/4 stuff if you manage to find it. We emerged at the flatter summit area, but the true summit of The Bishopric East is set back and requires a tiny bit of bushwhacking. We moved a misplaced summit register to the true high point.

After returning from The Bishopric East, we dropped off its ridge on a Class 2 slickrock slab (easier than our earlier ascent to the ridge) and crossed through some light brush to reach the base of The Bishopric West. We tortured our quads a bit more with the steep slickrock as we made our way up to the summit. On my previous trip to The Bishopric East, we kept to the right of the crest, resulting in a Class 4 slab section that I wasn't keen on repeating. This time, instead we stayed to the crest and encountered a pretty scary-looking Class 3/4 move, but it ultimately went quite easily compared to how it appears from below. Past this we had more slickrock and made it to the summit faster than anticipated.

We headed back down The Bishopric East, and at the first opportunity we could, dropped off its northwestern slab in order to get to The Hamster with as little vertical loss as we could manage. Horrible brush to the base of The Hamster was what greeted us. You might want to consider dropping another couple hundred feet lower to avoid this bushwhacking, but we were getting concerned about time. The Hamster was a glorious Class 2 slickrock wonderland without anything scary. If you're not thrilled about the cruxes on The Bishoprics, The Hamster might be a good alternative if you've made it way out here. The hiking was straightforward and the summit had excellent views.

We backtracked from The Hamster and descended back into Terry Wash. Now we were headed to Zippy. We originally hoped to find a route up Zippy without having to go all the way back into Terry Wash, but its southeastern cliffs would prevent us from doing so. Instead, we descended Terry Wash for a while and decided to head north when the terrain at the base of Zippy seemed more tame. The slopes of Zippy looked fine, but the problem was getting above its cliffy hoodoos around its base. After a bit of trial and error, Sam found a Class 3/4 narrow chute between a couple of the hoodoos. I assume there are more possibilities, but I included photos of our choice below. Let me know if you locate a better option please! I'm curious to know. Now past the hoodoos at the peak's base, we headed up Class 2/2+ slabs which led all the way to the base of the summit. Luke and Sam went directly up Zippy's steep south face, but I opted to wrap around and located a Class 2 alternative. Great view, especially back toward The Bishoprics. We could also see Elephant Head due south. Earlier in the day we toyed with the idea of attempting it, but from this angle we realized it would certainly require some serious climbing gear.

Our short break on Zippy marked the end of the fun for the day. It was now time for the business of getting back with as much daylight as we could. We stuck just left of Zippy's western ridgeline, just choosing the path of least resistance around rock outcrops. It might look tempting on a topo map to just head east as long as possible along the ridgeline, but the crest was riddled with obstacles. Instead we dropped down in a small slickrock bowl (Class 3) into the sandy terrain below. From here it was just a matter of traversing the meadow and rejoining our earlier route across the open terrain, which led back to the head of Trail Canyon.

We started down Trail Canyon. I'll say first that ultimately I think we all agreed coming in and out over Cougar Mountain would have been preferable to the bushwhacking and aggravating terrain in Trail Canyon, but it's always nice to make loops. I won't describe this section of the route in-depth because it was too dark for photos and I describe it in better detail in my previous report. It's a slow-moving canyon. The watercourse is riddled with big boulders and loose rock, and lower down has a ton of bushwhacking and more massive boulders. There is a social trail that makes the descent easier, keeping to either the left or right side of the drainage, depending on where you're at. There is one massive cliff band that you need to avoid by staying high on the left (west) side. A series of animal/social trails avoid this on a steep and sandy slope. You'll see this major detour from the drainage on my attached map. Additionally, there's another short dryfall farther down avoidable on the left. Don't even try to stay dry or you'll just waste a lot of time. Eventually Trail Canyon widens a bit and provides a slightly less stupid experience as it enters the Right Fork of North Creek. The creek is a lot more open and pleasant, but still rocky and sometimes a little brushy. Once we reached the confluence of the Left and Right Forks, a trail materialized on the right bank (western). This trail is overall easy to follow and leads back to the Right Fork Trail.