Land of Liberty Explorers

Overview

Zion is Utah’s first national park! It was first established as Mukuntuweap National Monument in 1917 by President William Howard Taft. After acquiring more land, the Park Service proposed making the monument a national park using the name Zion – the name given to the canyon by the local Morman community. In 1919, Congress elevated the monument and renamed it Zion National Park. The park preserves the beautiful canyon country along the Virgin River.

Emerald Pools Trail & Kayenta Trail

The trail is intended to be a 2 mile, easy loop that takes hikers around the Emerald Pools. We visited Zion in the spring of 2017, right after a rock slide closed a portion of this trail. We couldn’t do it as a loop, so our hike included portions of the Kayenta Trail as well. We still enjoyed seeing the Emerald Pools and the large waterfall that falls into the Lower Emerald Pool. The Kayenta Trail was equally wonderful as it follows the Virgin River and provides lovely views of the canyon. The trailhead for the Emerald Pools Trail is located just across the bridge from Zion Lodge.

Zion Lodge & the Park Shuttle

We stayed in a cabin at Zion Lodge. The cabin was very nice and the package we book came with breakfast, but the biggest perk of staying at the Lodge was being able to get an early start from inside the park. Traffic is not permitted into the canyon past Canyon Junction, so visitors who do not stay at the lodge need to park there and take the shuttle. The park shuttle buses are very nice and stop at or near all the major points of interest in the canyon. Check out our post about historic national park lodges for more about Zion Lodge!

Weeping Rock

The shortest trail in the park leads to Weeping Rock – a large sandstone rock that is hallowed out. The rock “weeps” because water permeates the sandstone and trickles down until it hits an impermeable layer of rock that forces it out the side. Later in the season, a hanging garden forms.

Riverside Walk to the Narrows

The Riverside Walk is a paved, accessible path that leads from the Temple of Sinawava to the Narrows. It is 2 miles round trip. We liked hiking along the canyon wall and seeing the entrance to the Narrows. (The Narrows was closed to hikers on our early spring visit).

Canyon Overlook Trail

The trailhead for the Canyon Overlook Trail is located on Highway 9, just east of the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel. The trail is one mile round trip. It offers fun views down into the Pine Creek slot canyon and ends at an impressive overview of the canyon from the top of the Great Arch. We saw a family of big horn sheep down in the slot canyon along the trail.

Watchman Trail

The Watchman Trail is a moderately strenuous 3 mile round trip hike that leads to a nice overlook of the Watchman – one of Zion’s most famous peaks. The trail doesn’t actually go to the top of the Watchman, but the fun hike climbs about 300 feet above the canyon floor for impressive 360 degree views.