Zion’s Observation Point Trail- Challenging & Strenuous but Well Worth It! (St. George, UT)

As Utah’s first National Park, established by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, Zion National Park is not as big as the Grand Canyon, but still has many distinctive and amazing features.

Observation Point via the East Rim of Zion National Park is located in the northern part of Zion Canyon. It is a great trail that leads to a point overlooking one of the most stunning viewpoints offered by the list of Zion's classic trails. 

But this trail is the highest of the park's 5 "strenuous" trails with an 8-mile round-trip. The path is steep and gains elevation quickly, making it one of the most strenuous of the classic hikes in Zion National Park.

It takes about 5 hours to go up and back, with over 2,100 feet (650 meters) of elevation gain. Fall is the right time to try the trail- during winter it snows and summer can be too hot.

This strenuous trail features a steep ascent and absolutely stunning views for almost the entire trek. During the trail, the road splits into trails going to Weeping Rock and Observation Point. Echo Canyon is near the midpoint. People afraid of heights should avoid this trail- parts of it are carved into a steep cliff with no protection from the steep drops.

Echo Canyon looks like Utopia and the views from Observation Point are jaw-dropping. The trail has no bathrooms after the starting point and no places to refill water bottles.

Zion’s Observation Point trail is definitely not for the casual tourist, but for well-prepared people, this trail is a fun and challenging hike that will bring much satisfaction and memories.

You can see more pictures on Zion’s Observation Point Trail here.
- Stunning Views of Zion’s Observation Point