Fife Cabin

Fife Cabin is a small 1930s homestead on the Middle Fork of Taylor Creek, one of two old cabins along the canyon hike. It’s a worthwhile pause if you’re already walking the route, but a long approach for a brief stop: the out-and-back is about 5 miles and takes 3–4 hours. The cabin sits on a wooded bench above the creek’s north bank, so look among the trees as you pass.

Arthur Fife and Gustive Larson claimed homesteads here and built their cabins together around 1930–31. Fife’s cabin is the one farther up the Middle Fork, about half a mile beyond Larson’s. It’s a simple 12-by-24-foot log structure with a wood-shingle roof, built from timber cut in the canyon. Fife left the homesteading project in 1934 or 1935; Kolob became a national monument in 1937 and joined Zion in 1956. A view from the front corner shows the low roof and projecting log ends; keep to the outside.

The trail crosses Taylor Creek repeatedly, so spring crossings can soak your feet and winter ice can make the footing tricky. The route continues past the cabin into a narrow box canyon, ending at Double Arch Alcove. Kolob Canyons is about an hour by car from Zion Canyon and has no shuttle service; pets aren’t allowed on its trails. Fill water at the visitor center and use the pit toilets at the trailhead before setting out, then carry what you need for the hike. The old cabin is an exterior stop—don’t enter.