Greatheart Mesa

Greatheart Mesa is a 7,405-foot tableland of white Navajo sandstone in Zion National Park's Left Fork backcountry, about 8.5 miles north of Springdale. Its sheer walls dominate the eastern skyline for anyone hiking the Subway route below, and the flat summit carries its own stand of ponderosa pine.

There's no maintained trail to the top. Hikers reach it by following the ridgeline that connects the mesa to nearby Rams Peak, then bushwhacking through dense brush across the plateau — reports put the final push at around 90 minutes once you're up on top. It's a route for experienced off-trail hikers comfortable with route-finding, not a signed day hike.

The name comes from Greatheart, the guide-and-protector character in John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress — a nod to the stout heart it takes to reach the summit. Spring and fall are the more forgiving seasons to attempt it.