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Checkerboard Mesa in Zion National Park

#4 of 25 sights in Zion

Sight · Zion National Park

Checkerboard Mesa

A quick roadside stop for Checkerboard Mesa’s crosshatched sandstone.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Type
Sight
Nearest trail
0.3 mi
Audio stories
4 nearby
  • Pullout
  • Parking
  • Scenic viewpoint
DirectionsMap

Hear the audio tour

Checkerboard Mesa

Overview

About Checkerboard Mesa

Why stop

  • Its crosshatched sandstone is visible from the roadside.

Heads up

  • A brief view, with little to do beyond the pullout.

Map

Where it is

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Full map
SightCheckerboard Mesa37.23025, -112.87875
Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Plan your stop

Before you go

3 active Zion alerts

  • CautionLarge-vehicle limits on Zion–Mount Carmel HighwayMentions Mount Carmel Highway, referenced in this guideVehicles exceeding Zion–Mount Carmel Highway size or weight limits cannot travel between Canyon Junction and the East Entrance; measure your vehicle and plan an alternate route if it exceeds any…Official details
  • CautionToxic cyanobacteria in Zion waterwaysDo not drink Zion in-stream water, submerge your head, or touch or ingest algae mats; cyanobacteria can produce harmful toxins.Official details
See all 3 alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Zion Tour Guide

Your drive to Checkerboard Mesa, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Zion National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

See the Zion audio tour

Recorded for this place

Checkerboard Mesa
0:00 / 0:18
“You're approaching Checkerboard Mesa, where a brief roadside stop gives you a clear look at the sandstone's crossing lines.”

Plays as you drive up to Checkerboard Mesa in the Parkwolf Zion Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • East Rim Trailhead and Jolley Gulch
  • Checkerboard Mesa Canyon
  • A Desert Turned to Stone
  • Clear Creek Wash
  • 45 audio storiesacross Zion’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor California Condor, Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Lion, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 54 trails, 36 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
★★★★★
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
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4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Guide

More about Checkerboard Mesa

The roadside viewCheckerboard Mesa is a prominent Navajo Sandstone formation beside the Zion–Mount Carmel…

Checkerboard Mesa is a prominent Navajo Sandstone formation beside the Zion–Mount Carmel Highway near Zion’s East Entrance. The stop is the roadside viewpoint facing the mesa, not its summit. If you’re already driving UT‑9, it’s a quick look at one of Zion’s most distinctive rock patterns; expect a view, not a hike.

Why it looks crosshatchedSlanted sandstone layers, called crossbeds, meet near-vertical fractures across the pale face.

Slanted sandstone layers, called crossbeds, meet near-vertical fractures across the pale face. Together they make the checkerboard pattern. Lower on the slope, the curved layers give the sandstone a broader, quilted look.

Getting the viewThe patterned north side is visible from the highway, so you don’t need a trail for the…

The patterned north side is visible from the highway, so you don’t need a trail for the signature view. For a photo, start wide enough to show the whole face in its setting, then frame the crossing lines more tightly.

Along UT‑9Use designated highway pullouts and park where space allows; don’t stop on the shoulder.

Use designated highway pullouts and park where space allows; don’t stop on the shoulder. Large vehicles face size and weight restrictions on this section of the Zion–Mount Carmel Highway, so check the current NPS limits before taking this route.

sandstonegeologyviewpoint

Wildlife

Wildlife in Zion

All Zion wildlife maps
California Condor291 sightingsCalifornia CondorMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapBighorn Sheep350 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapMountain Lion22 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapMule Deer1,326 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapGolden Eagle23 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting mapPeregrine Falcon15 sightingsPeregrine FalconMost seen around 7 AMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Zion. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Checkerboard Mesa

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

ModerateEast Rim Trail11.8 mi · 6 hr · 0.3 mi awaySandy climb to a sheer gulch and a quiet pine plateau.ModerateEast Rim Trail to Jolley Gulch Viewpoint5.8 mi · 3.5 hr · 0.3 mi awayA sandy climb to a canyon that seems to drop awayModerateCheckerboard Mesa Canyon2.4 mi · 3 hr · 0.6 mi awayA rough sandstone canyon climb to a two-sided saddle view.ModerateMany Pools Trail2 mi · 2 hr · 2.1 mi awayPothole pools and slickrock on an unmarked wash route.ModerateClear Creek Wash3.8 mi · 3 hr · 2.7 mi awayA low arch and three slots punctuate this rocky wash walk.ModerateCable Mountain Trail8 mi · 4 hr · 2.8 mi awayA long mesa walk to Zion's old cableworks above the canyon.ChallengingObservation Point via Stave Spring9.2 mi · 6.5 hr · 2.8 mi awayEcho Canyon makes the famous overlook a full-day hike.ChallengingDeertrap Mountain Trail10.8 mi · 5 hr · 2.8 mi awayA 10.8-mile out-and-back to Zion's exposed canyon rim.

More stops nearby

Sight · 0.9 mi awayEast Entrance SignA CCC-era marker worth a photo from a designated pullout.Sight · 3.6 mi awayZion–Mount Carmel TunnelA quick 1.1-mile crossing through sandstone, with windows into the canyon.Sight · 3.9 mi awayCanyon OverlookA short, exposed walk to the view over Pine Creek Canyon.Sight · 3.9 mi awayGreat ArchA broad sandstone alcove comes into view on the tunnel climb.Sight · 4 mi awayCable Mountain Draw WorksA cliff-edge timber tram terminal with a remarkable backstory.Sight · 4.3 mi awayWeeping RockA short climb to a dripping alcove and hanging garden.Picnic area · 4.4 mi awayThe GrottoA shaded picnic break with a Virgin River view and trail access.Food · 4.5 mi awayCastle Dome CaféA handy café for quick meals and picnic supplies.

Parkwolf’s Zion ranking

Top sights in Zion

All 36 places
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  3. 3Canyon OverlookSight
  4. 5Court of the PatriarchsSight
  5. 6Emerald PoolsSight
  6. 7Observation PointSight

Take Parkwolf to Zion.

The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.

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