Observation Point has wonderfully high views over Zion National Park, as well as beautiful slot canyons hidden along the trail. Observation Point is an amazing hike that showcases the best of Zion National Park, without the crowds of Angels Landing.
Length: ~13km return (8 mile round-trip) with a 640m (2,100 ft) elevation gain
Time taken: 5 hours
Difficulty: moderate
Facilities: toilets at the carpark, otherwise none on the trail and no fresh water sources – make sure you take plenty of water and sunscreen.
How to get there?
See my post on Angels Landing for a more detailed description of how to get to Zion National Park, as well as information on park fees and shuttles. To get to the trailhead for Observation Point, take the park shuttle (or drive during the winter months when the Scenic Drive is open to private vehicles) to Weeping Rock, the sixth stop from the Visitor’s Centre. The trailhead is on the same side of the road as the shuttle stop.
Why this hike?
While my sister and I tackled Angels Landing, my husband, Matt, and my parents took on the longer hike to Observation Point on the other side of the valley. My parents had already climbed Angels Landing four years earlier, and didn’t feel the need to do it again, while Matt isn’t a fan of crazy drop-offs. Observation Point was the logical choice. It passes by a beautiful slot canyon and has less intense ledges than Angels Landing (although there are still some), however it is longer and has a greater elevation gain (but with a higher lookout as pay-off).
Since we only had one full day in Zion National Park, I wasn’t able to climb up to Observation Point – although it is now on my (long) list of hikes! Matt was kind enough to supply me with the words and photos (unless otherwise accredited) for this post, appreciate it bud!
The hike
Matt: Keith, Susan and I took one of the first shuttles of the day into the canyon, arriving at the trailhead at Weeping Rock just as the sun was touching the canyon rim. Only one other group got off with us (as opposed to the half-shuttle load that had departed with Alice and Heather to tackle Angels Landing one stop earlier), and the other group quickly started on their way, while we took advantage of the facilities – so it soon felt like we had the trail and the canyon to ourselves.
The first section of the trail was unrelenting switchbacks; I lost count of how many zig-zags we climbed up. Although the track was nicely graded and we were hiking in the shade, it wasn’t long before we had stopped to zip off the bottoms of our hiking pants to turn them into shorts – and for those of you making disgusted noises as you read this, zip-off pants are practical, ok. You should buy some. Seriously.
The switchbacks definitely warmed up the muscles, and took about 30 minutes. By the time we neared the top of them, the cliffs were really starting to tower over us and were much more impressive close up. We passed the turn-off to Hidden Canyon part-way up, an optional side-trip which was unfortunately closed due to slips – but our main goal was to make it to the top of Observation Point.
After gaining some serious elevation, the trail flattened off into Echo Canyon. It was a nice relief; walking along a large, flat shelf partway up the canyon wall with the stream below us. I enjoyed the change of scenery (although at this point we left behind the views of Zion Canyon) and the cooler air, but the real standout was towards the head of the canyon.
As we walked along the wide ledge, the canyon continued to narrow, turning into a typical slot canyon – the first one I’d ever seen. There were still pools of water sitting on the narrow canyon floor, and Keith and I had lots of fun taking photos of the interesting reflections.
We crossed the dry stream where the above photos were taken, hopping between the pools to reach the true right of the stream-bed. As we continued up the trail, the canyon narrowed below us on our right, until we were looking down at an opening of only about a foot wide; a true slot canyon.
Hiking in to Echo Canyon is worth the trip by itself, especially if you don’t want to go all the way (and keep climbing up) to Observation Point. We tried to convince Heather and Alice to check it out the next morning before we left Zion, but Alice’s legs were quite worn out from Angels Landing, and the steep switchbacks that you can see from Scenic Drive and the shuttle must have put them off.
After the narrow section of Echo Canyon, the valley widened again and we were walking through sandy terrain dotted with trees. The East Rim trail branched off to our right, but we continued along Observation Point trail, soon reaching some more dear switchback friends.
This time we were climbing the zig-zags in the sun, which was not quite as enjoyable. One of our sit-down breaks was in the shade of a tree that had been hit by lightning – one of the reasons you don’t want to be on the canyon rim in a thunder storm.
Initially, the views from the switchbacks were down over Echo Canyon, but as we gained more elevation and sidled around back towards the canyon rim proper, we were rewarded with views into Zion itself – the first we’d seen of it since entering Echo Canyon. The drop-offs here started to be a lot steeper and more intimidating than any of the others along the track, and a few people we passed looked distinctly uncomfortable and were walking as far from the edge as possible. I didn’t mind the height that badly, since the track was quite wide and smooth – I didn’t feel like I would trip, and even if I stumbled, the track was wide enough that I felt like it wouldn’t be an issue. However, the slow movement of the valley floor in my peripheral vision was a little distracting, and I can understand why for some people with a real fear of heights or who are inexperienced with hiking around drop-offs, even this would be too much.
At the top of this last set of switchbacks, we found ourselves on top of the canyon rim. The climbing was over! The track then turned away from the rim, continuing for another ten minutes or so along a flat, dusty trail until we finally reached Observation Point itself.
The views from the point were amazing and well worth the climb. We could see all the way to the canyon’s entrance far in the distance, along the opposite rim, and down towards the Narrows at the other end of the canyon. Angels Landing was far below us, and we could see the crowds gathered on its top. We tried to spot Alice and Heather, but by that stage they were long gone (Angels Landing being a lot lower and therefore taking less time than Observation Point). We could even see Scenic Drive more than 2,000 feet below us – I was careful not to get too close to the edge!
There were still quite a few people up at our viewpoint, probably around twenty or so. As we relaxed at the top taking photos and eating food, more and more people continued to arrive. It had taken us about two and a half hours to reach the top, and we hung around for about forty minutes, soaking in the views and resting our muscles.
Heading back down almost seems like a blur now, and much easier than the climb up – since the gradient was never steep enough that descending was difficult or sore on the joints. Halfway through the first set of switchbacks on our way down, we met Milne’s family friend, Nan, coming up to meet us – her husband Dave had kindly drove us into the park that morning.
Echo Canyon was a blessing with its shade and cool air. The different lighting now that the sun was higher in the sky, meant that it looked almost like a different canyon, and we spent some more time taking photos.
After that, it was just a hop, skip and a jump down the last set of switchbacks, and we were back at the shuttle stop. I can’t compare Observation Point with Angels Landing, since I didn’t brave the hike along the Hogsback to Angels Landing – however I don’t regret hiking up to Observation Point. It was an amazing, if unrelenting, hike with the most amazing views over Zion Canyon. I would argue that they rival the views from Angels Landing since you’re much higher up and don’t have to compete with so many people (/don’t have to risk your life along the razor’s edge that is the Hogsback).
Observation Point is a fantastic, challenging hike that I would definitely recommend considering if you are visiting Zion National Park.
Safety
As always, please stay safe when you’re out exploring. Follow the Outdoor Safety Code:
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- Choose the right trip for you (read my article on tramping safety)
- Understand the weather (don’t attempt this hike in stormy or snowy/icy conditions)
- Pack warm clothes and extra food (plus sunscreen and lots of water, especially if you’re starting late)
- Share your plans and take ways to get help (have an emergency beacon on your person)
- Take care of yourself and each other
Finally, please follow the Leave No Trace principles. Pack out what you carry in, don’t interfere with the wildlife (don’t feed the squirrels!) and don’t build cairns (at no point would you need them on this trail, plus the National Park Service considers them a mild form of vandalism).
If you’re not feeling super confident then you can always get in touch with me here on the blog or on my Instagram. Or take a look at my Tramping 101 series which includes this post about how to stay safe in the outdoors.
Stay safe and get outside!
