Observation Point

Wow, I love this trail! At 46, average fitness level & not exactly an avid hiker, Observation Point was definitely challenging for me — but it was totally worth it. The view from the top is, admittedly, amazing. But you’re rewarded throughout this hike with all kinds of awe-​inspiring scenery.
The trail head is at the Weeping Rock shuttle stop; there are restrooms but no water filling station, so be sure to fill your water bottles at the Visitors’ Center before boarding the shuttle. The trail starts with relatively steep switchbacks cut into the canyon wall, but it’s so well maintained at this section that it’s really not too bad. I just took my time & admired the surroundings. (But don’t burn up your battery taking pics; it gets so much better.) By the end of this first section, you’ll have gained about 1,000 feet in elevation & you’ll be looking down on Angel’s Landing. Next you’ll go around the corner to the right & you’re in another world, approaching Echo Canyon. This trail is like that, it changes dramatically at least four times. As you enter Echo Canyon, you’ve gone about one mile. The slot canyon is beautiful; it’s a little flatter & cooler — a nice break! As you emerge from the slot, you’re in the more open Upper Echo Canyon, surrounded by red Navajo sandstone. As the trail climbs higher, you’ll notice that the trail change again; the red sandstone yields to lighter stone and some evergreens. When you see the sign for the East Rim Trail, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is you’re almost half-​way there. The bad news is this is where the trail begins the relentless climb to the top. The final three, long switchbacks are cut into the white rock cliff face above Zion Canyon. On the last of these was the only place I was really nervous. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of space, but I just got scared for some reason. (I’ll post a pic of this switchback.) At the top of the white rock cliff, you’re finally done climbing! The last mile (maybe a bit less) is pretty flat. There are a couple of side trails here before you reach Observation Point, in case Mother Nature calls. It’s a good place to stop before you head down too. You’re super close now, the hard part is over! Have fun!
Tips that kept me off the Struggle Bus:
*Start early.
*Wear good hiking shoes/​boot (obviously), layers, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen.
*Have plenty of water and snacks. Electrolyte tabs to add to the water are helpful too.
*A hiking staff was very helpful for me, especially on the way down.
* Rest & drink water often.

This 8 mile roundtrip hike is gnarly and strenuous! You have been warned! But was it all worth it at the top? yes yes and… yes! This was the first hike my friends and I did when we arrived in Zion. It is also one of the hardest hike to do and I did this hike on little to no sleep. I must have been running on adrenaline or something.
Start the hike at Weeping Rock Trailhead (7^th stop for the Zion Canyon Shuttle). It shares the trail with Weeping Rock and Hidden Canyon. We started our hike around 1pm and although there were a lot of people already on the hike, it was quite dispersed so it didn’t feel crowded. The hike can range from 4 – 6 hours roundtrip depending how fast you go. It took my friend and I 5 hours to complete. From the start, the trail is already uphill and there are a lot of switchbacks from various points of the hike. The trail can go from rugged to sandy. One cool thing I liked about the hike was you get to go through this canyon-​like area where you will see standing water. Be careful to not drop your things in the water. I would recommend starting this hike early since it was quite sunny throughout the hike for us. The sun definitely made itself known. Bring at least 2 liters of water! You’ll know when you’re almost at the top since the trail flattens. When it flattens, you are basically at the rim of the mountain, continue hiking under you finally hit Observation Point. You’ll know since you can’t go anywhere else haha You can see Angel’s Landing from here! Observation Point is 6,508 feet above sea level! Throughout the hike, you are surrounding by these beautiful mountains so there are plenty of great views to see as you stop and take breaks.

The hike to Observation Point is 4 miles one-​way from the Weeping Rock shuttle stop. It was a bit chilly and windy, so I wanted to get going. The hike is, as I soon found out, quite unforgiving on the knees (especially going back down). Unlike Angels’ Landing, the Observation Point Trail begins with uphill and more uphill. It wasn’t until, I’d guess, 1.0−1.5 miles in was there any flat trail.
Along the way, I passed by the Hidden Canyon trail, which unfortunately was closed for repair. What I believe to be Echo Canyon came next. It offered a brief glimpse of what I’m assuming The Narrows look like. There’s a narrow path here that goes in the opposite direction, and it’s something I’d like to check out in the future. I had thought about taking it on the way back down from Observation Point, but I was short on water, food, and bladder volume.
Onward towards more switchbacks, which eventually took me 2,100 feet above where I started. While the hike doesn’t induce the same adrenaline rush as Angels’ Landing, it is harder and is definitely a decent workout. Plus, the view at the top was more than sufficient to warrant the wear and tear on the knees. Or so my younger self tells me.

I hate to write a review for this hike because it’s not crowded and I don’t want people to know about it. LOL. Anyways…
This hike is no joke. Not many people do this hike and do Angel’s Landing instead. We hopped on the first shuttle at 6AM and it was packed. We decided to go with the Observation Point hike instead of Angel’s Landing when the entire bus got off at the Grotto stop. Seriously.
Completed this hike on Saturday, 9÷12÷15. The shuttle stop is Weeping Rock. You will soon start to make your way up the trailhead. This hike is no joke. 8 miles round trip and about 3 ½ of those miles is uphill — very uphill. I believe the elevation gain in that short span of time is over 2100 feet. The views along the way and to the top are breathtaking. It’s cool because you actually look down on those Angel’s Landing folks… ha ha we’re higher than you!
My only complaint is we went early which was great to beat the heat (very hot that weekend) and whatever «crowds» would start heading up, but the lighting at the top did not provide the best canyon view because of all the shadowing. If I do this hike again it would have to be later in the day.
Remember I said that the hike is 3 ½ miles up hill? Well, that means you must go 3 ½ miles downhill which to me is always worse. Make sure you wear appropriate hiking shoes so you toes don’t get chewed up.
We saw two rams which was cool — they were just climbing up the stone walls.

This hike is absolutely beautiful! It is strenuous and I highly recommend starting early. We were on the first shuttle and started hiking right before 7am. You get the mountains to yourself that way, and less time in the scorching sun. It took us 5hrs, we stopped many times, because the views are breathtaking! When you get to the top, you can sit on the flat rocks at the edge of the cliff (obviously don’t do this if you are afraid of heights). It is by far my favorite hike in Zion. You get to see so many different parts of the canyon. It’s much less crowded than angels landing (a lesser view in my opinion).

We did this hike today and it’s gorgeous. It was 78 degrees and we are strong hikers. It took us 2.5 hours to get to the top and once there it looked like a storm was coming so we booked it down in an hour and 15 minutes. The suggested time is 6 hours and I’d say to plan for 5 – 6 hours to do it justice. It’s 2,000 feet of elevation with a lot of switch backs. There are parts that are very steep and have a cliff on the one side. Bring at least a gallon of water per person, snacks, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, wear good hiking boots and bring your camera because the views are beautiful. Another plus is this is not a crowded hike.

2 and a half hours up and 1 and a half back down with short breaks.
Recommended to bring:
At LEAST 2 liters of water.
Granola/​protein bars.
Sun hat.
Sun screen.
LifeStraw. (last resort water source under the bridge where you start)
Im giving this hike 5 stars based on the view you get throughout the hike. The worse part for me and my posse was that the weather was scorching hot that day.
Coming from Las Vegas we knew it would be cooler so we decided on this hike (still 100 degrees at Zion).
I wanted to start the hike at 7 in the morning although you should know, the more people you have, the more waiting around tends to happen. Starting the trail at 9am right off the bus, we started out with some shaded cover provided by the mountain on the east. About 1.8 miles into the hike, you will go through a little canyon that is only shaded in the morning so TAKE A BREAK and some pictures BEFORE you keep going up because there is NO SHADE besides trees after this point. At the end of the third mile, you will be able to see the point where everyone is standing and taking pictures. Once you pass these steep inclines, you’re pretty much golden for the last mile since its flat. The point is very beautiful and an additional 500 feet higher than Angels Landing. If you have great eyesight (or some binoculars) you can see people hiking to the top of Angels Landing.
I highly recommend doing this hike only if the high in the area is in the 80s. Other than that, be prepared because on the way down, there were many (burnt/​sweaty/​desperate) tourists asking me for either water or food.
Something you can look forward to when you do this hike is that its not crowded full of people like Angels Landing;) (passed about approximately 30 – 40 hikers the whole 8 mile trip)

Great hike with lots of elevation gain, 2,200 feet or so, total hike length is about 8 – 9 miles round trip. Took us about 4 hours to complete round trip hike plus one hour at top to enjoy lunch and views (total of 5 hours). Take Zion Park shuttle to Weeping Rock trailhead and follow trail signs. There are some spots along trail where drop offs are very steep but trail is wide, so I felt pretty safe. The walk through Echo Canyon is a nice welcome flat stroll mid-​way through the hike. Also, not as crowded if compared to Angels Landing. Hiking in April in Zion is great, weather is cool and wild flowers are blooming.

This is a BRUTAL 8 mile hike, with quick elevation gain, and never ending switchbacks. Start as early as possible, because there isn’t a lot of shade along the trail. Use hiking poles if you can, because this was pretty tough on our knees, especially during the descent. We liked that it was a lot less crowded than hiking to Angel’s Landing, and the view at the top is incredible.

Observation Point is a whooping 8 mile round trip, but I highly recommend it. This hike is less popular than Angels Landing and I feel that it deserves more appreciation from Zion’s visitors.
The NPS guide rated this hike as strenuous and I agree. The hike does not involve extremely steep switchbacks in comparison to Angels Landing, but I thought it was strenuous because it requires stamina. My boyfriend and I completed the hike in a total of 5 hours round trip. The trail is mostly paved and there are very few sections where you have to maneuver over rocks. There is plenty of sun exposure throughout the hike, but there are also sections where you cool down, walking between canyon walls.
After gradual switchbacks, you end up facing West. The view consists of Angels Landing, Big Bend, and the river flowing Westward. What I loved about this hike was that it was not congested. We counted a total of 8 people on this hike, excluding ourselves.
Wear sunscreen, bring a lunch, and enjoy the view at Observation Point!

My boyfriend and celebrate our anniversaries at Zion, and this is one of our favorites. Lots of wildlife, and a very fun hike. Some spots look trickier than most, but dont let that scare you! Worth it to get all the way up top :) The view is just simply spectacular. Make sure you bring plenty of water (and snacks if you want to have a mini picnic like we do), good shoes and a jacket — the weather can change pretty rapidly, specially at the end of the day.

I’m not a hiker and neither is my boyfriend, but we did Observation Point at noon on a hot day in April 2012. We were foolish. This point was drive home as we passed tons of hikers on the way up (smart hikers, who hike before the heat of the day) and rarely saw anyone on the way down.
Bring water and sunscreen. This is something that we did right. We actually saw people less prepared than us, with only one water bottle and clearly not as fit. Yikes!
Observation point is a difficult hike. There is a lot of walking uphill and more switch backs that i ever thought possible. It’s like a Disney queue, you always think that you’re almost there, and then you see another switchback!
That being said, the reward is magnificent. Stunning. It’s not just the view at the top, the whole hike is gorgeous, filled with amazing geology and terrain. It’s worth the sweat, achy muscles and blisters.

This was my very first hike I ever did in Zion at the ripe old age of 19, so this will forever hold a spot in my heart. Best summer of my life! Working for the Boy Scouts and living in Kolob Res. for summer… ahhhh the good old days. Anyways, I hadn’t done this hike since then (I won’t mention how long ago that was) and I was feeling nostalgic, so I decided to do it. Starting at the Weeping Rock parking lot, you can see the trail on the West side but once you pass the Hidden Canyon trailhead, this trail goes onto the backside of the mtn. This is a definite a$$ kicker I lost count at 500 switchbacks (just kidding) but seriously, it’s mostly steep, hard surface trail and it gains elevation pretty quick. Once you get to the backside the terrain changes slightly, the trail is a little more rocky, but still decent. This is where you pass through Echo Canyon, which is a dry slot canyon most of the time (unless there is snow fall) which is so pretty my pictures don’t even do it justice. Once you get to what you think is the home stretch, the switchbacks become a little more sketchy, they’re steeper and there are steep drop offs and I found myself saying «this has to be the end» nope, keep going, once you reach what looks like a plateau, you will walk around a bizarre terrain of sand that looks like you should be at the beach. Hooray you reached the summit! From here you have AMAZING views Angels Landing and the West Rim, Cathedral Mountain, Castle Dome and the Three Patriarchs, East Rim (Cable Mountain), and Great White Throne. Watch out for the little chipmunks that are thiefs! One climbed in my camelback I set down and took my food!
Stats:
8 miles RT
Wear good shoes, going down is a killer on the toes and knees when they’re getting jammed.
2000 ft elevation
Strenuous, but I saw many different shapes and sizes doing this hike
Aprox 5 hours to finish