Trip report
May 6, 2023 — Nippletop and South Ariel Butte are two lightly traveled backcountry Zion peaks on the east side of the park. Both are located just off UT-9 and their summits are visible from the road. Using the same trailhead and both having Class 3 routes, they pair nicely as two short out-and-backs.
Yoshi and I started with Nippletop first, leaving our cars at a pull-out and hiking south along some slickrock and into the Pine Creek drainage. We located a sandy, eroded slope on the opposite side and emerged onto the northern reaches of Nippletop on sandstone slickrock that characterizes much of the area. Hiking up the initially lower-angle slab, ahead we could see two ramp ascent options. We trended to the right in order to reach the western one since the eastern option seemed too steep. These two ramps would merge higher up anyway. We found it easiest to stick to our chosen ramp for the majority of our ascent to the ridgeline. The slickrock ascended progressively more steeply, slowly becoming Class 2/3 around the 6000′ contour. Here we trended left and away from a very steep-looking face, and ultimately made it to the ridge crest of Nippletop.
There are a few little cliffs along the crest, but Class 2 wrap-arounds kept the going tame, only one or two low Class 3 moves required. We reached a little hump that provided an amazing view of the spine leading to Nippletop. We could see the mesatop rim ahead, a little cliff band of darker sandstone that would serve as the route crux. Dropping from this hump, we took in the fantastic views as the ridge narrowed and became more like a wide sandstone land bridge. To the left was a significant drop, while the right side was more sloped and provided an easier alternative rather than staying on the crest directly.
The beautiful ridge widened into a slope at the base of Nippletop, and then a social trail became more apparent. Climbing steeply, the sandy slope required some Class 2, followed by a Class 2+/3 move up a tiny obstacle. At the top of the slope, the crux of Nippletop appeared, a Class 3 set of moves on mostly solid sandstone blocks to overcome the mesatop cliff band. Once on the mesatop, we headed south in search of the summit. A couple of social trails lead in various directions, but it’s pretty obvious where to go and the brush is avoidable. The summit block (the thing that vaguely resembles a nipple when viewed from the road, I guess) required a Class 3 move, and the views were outstanding.
Yoshi and I backtracked to the car, then started up South Ariel Butte. This being a short scramble just off the side of the east entrance road, its southern slabs might have people wandering around taking photos, but far fewer continue to the summit. The gorgeous slickrock climbs ridiculously steeply, our calves aching from a full day of Zion fun finally catching up to us. Keeping to the right of a small outcropping a couple hundred feet up seemed the best start, but past this you can ascend a variety of ways. Our first goal was to reach the base of the south end of the summit block. We found that following the crest to be the most straightforward option, but an easy Class 3 move might be necessary depending on the way you go.
Reaching the base of the summit block’s south side, it became clear we couldn’t ascend directly this way. Instead, we circled around to the left of the outcropping, contouring on an initially wide slope. Progressively, the massive drop-off to the left becomes more exposed and the slabs become more sheer, the terrain more loose. We kept to a vital sweet spot above the wildly steep slab to our left, but below the vertical face housing the summit block on our right. A couple of trees and plants have chosen to grow here, an indicator that there’s at least possibly some purchase amongst the slickrock.
A particularly steep, exposed move with thin holds shook us both a bit (Class 3), but with enough shoe traction and stupidity we made it through the traverse on South Ariel Butte’s west face. The route then wraps east to gain the peak’s north ridge. Again, there’s a sweet spot below that stays low enough angle to be navigable, so be careful with route-finding here. The terrain is also very loose during this section, but no longer exposed. Once we reached the north ridge of South Ariel Butte, we scrambled along an impressive set of slanted blocks, ending with a Class 3 move to gain the summit.
2026 Update: On a re-visit to this peak, we descended via the north side as an alternative. This involved Class 2 slab to the saddle with Aires Butte, then heading south onto a slickrock slope. We then wrapped around the Keyhole Canyon drainage and navigated Class 2/2+ terrain to reach the road. This was a much safer route than the ascent we had taken. I included it on my attached map/track, but don’t have photos of the descent.