Emerald Pools Trail: Zion’s Classic Waterfall Hike
Ask a ranger for a Zion hike that delivers waterfalls, hanging gardens, and canyon views without a permit lottery, and you will hear one answer again and again: the Emerald Pools Trail. Zion has flashier names on the map, but the Emerald Pools Trail in Zion National Park is the hike almost everyone can actually […]
Angels Landing Hike Guide: Permits, Difficulty, and What to Expect
Angels Landing is the hike everyone asks about, and for good reason. The final half mile follows a narrow sandstone spine with chains bolted into the rock and thousand-foot drops on both sides. It is thrilling, it is famous, and it now requires planning, because you need an Angels Landing hike permit before you ever […]
Hiking The Narrows Bottom-Up: What First-Timers Need to Know
If there is one hike that lands on every Zion bucket list, it is hiking The Narrows in Zion, the famous slot canyon where the trail is the Virgin River itself. There is no dirt path here. You walk in the water, between sandstone walls that rise a thousand feet overhead and squeeze down to […]
Best Easy Hikes in Zion National Park for Beginners
Photo by ARNAUD VIGNE via Pexels Zion National Park has a reputation for big, dramatic adventures, and that scares off a lot of first-time visitors. Here is the good news. Some of the most rewarding trails in the park are also some of the gentlest, and you do not need trekking poles, a permit, or […]
Canyon Overlook Trail: Zion’s Best Short Hike
Zion has a way of making people feel like every worthwhile view costs half a day and a permit lottery. The Canyon Overlook Trail Zion visitors keep recommending to each other is the counter-argument. It is one mile round trip, it needs no permit, and it ends at a fenced cliff edge with the kind […]
Observation Point via East Mesa: The Best View in Zion
Ask a Zion regular to name the single best view in the park and most of them will not say Angels Landing. They will point you a few hundred feet higher, to Observation Point, where you look straight down on Angels Landing with the entire canyon unrolled beneath you. Since the 2019 rockfall closed the […]
Angels Landing Hike: Permits, Difficulty & Everything You Need to Know
Angels Landing is the hike that defines Zion National Park. It’s also one that demands respect – narrow ridgelines, 1,000-foot drops, and a permit system that limits who gets on the trail each day. Here’s everything you need to know before you go. The Basics Distance: 5.4 miles round trip Elevation Gain: 1,488 ft Difficulty: […]
The Best Hikes Near Zion National Park (Ranked by Difficulty)
If you’re planning a trip to Zion, you already know the landscape is something else. But knowing which trail to tackle – and when – makes the difference between a great day and a brutal one. These are the best hikes near Zion National Park, ranked by difficulty so you can plan your days like […]