Cross-Country 2018: Zion Canyon Overlook

One of the most famous views in America

In August 2018, my younger brother and I took a 2-week coast-to-coast trip across the United States. Being me, there was much hiking done along the way. A few posts scattered over the next couple months will focus on a handful of well-known easy- to moderate-difficulty hikes.

In this post, I'm going to highlight the Canyon Overlook Trail at Zion National Park in southwestern Utah. This short trail leads to one of the most famous national park views in the United States: an overlook of a spur canyon. The Canyon Overlook is a popular hike suitable for most skill levels, with most of the difficulty stemming from steep staircases and narrow paths with steep drops. As such, parking can be a challenge and I'd suggest arriving early. Round trip from the trailhead is 1 mile with 163 feet of ascent, but you may need to walk a longer distance from your car. We had to park at a pullout 1/4 mile or so west of the trailhead.

A few other housekeeping things here: most importantly, there is NO WATER available at the trailhead. As the trail is inside Zion National Park, there is a $35/car entry fee (good for 7 days). I purchased an annual pass for the national park system for $80, which pays for itself after 3 parks. Indeed, at this point, only four days into our trip, the pass had paid for itself. There isn't a lot of parking and you may end up having to park along the road. Cell service is pretty much nonexistent in the canyon and some parts of the trail have low overhangs.

We started up the trail around 9:30 AM local time on a Thursday. It may have been somewhat early, but the place was already getting busy.

View west from the trailhead (on left). The backup is traffic waiting to enter the single-lane tunnel.

Looking east toward tunnel

Well, here we go

Most of the ascent is right at the beginning, climbing from the canyon floor up to a ledge along the side.

Very early on, the wide range of desert plant life becomes evident.

Up on the Canyon Overlook trail, the views begin early and only get better.

We're already a good distance above the tunnel, visible to the left of the trail.

The trail continues to climb the canyon wall on steps hewn in the rock.

In many places, the trail is only wide enough for one person.

As much as I've climbed, I'm still far below the canyon rim 

Long way down...

About halfway along the trail, there is a sizable rock overhang.

Finally, we're at the overlook, where I'm going to show nearly every possible angle.

One final view of the canyon

All good things must come to an end and we had places to go, so back down to the car.

Lizard (?) seen on the way down

You know it's about over when you reach the steep stairs, but there are still some interesting things to see.

Oh, what's that?

Cacti!

The Canyon Overlook Trail is a short hike that only takes a short time, but the view is hard to beat for the amount of effort exerted. Definitely a must-see if you're visiting Zion National Park or are in the area.

Getting Here

The Canyon Overlook Trail is located along the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway (signed as Utah State Route 9) just west of the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel. Travel time to either the east or west park entrance is approximately 15-20 minutes.

References

Zion National Park Official Site: Park website. Check here for current conditions before you go.