Welcome to Travel Tuesday! We had only 2 days to spend in Zion so we tried to pack in as much as we could! Along with Angels Landing and laying around in the Virgin River, we also did 3 short + easy hikes on our first day there!
3 Short and Easy Hikes in Zion National Park
Lower Emerald Pools Trail
Distance: 1.3 miles
Elevation: 114 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Duration: <1 hour
Trailhead Address: 37.250714, -112.959553
Parking: Limited unless you get there early; would highly recommend utilizing the park shuttles. Take the shuttle to the Zion Lodge Shuttle Stop!
This is a super easy paved (for most of the way) trail that leads over to the Lower Emerald Pool. It connects to the Middle Emerald Pools Trail, but that and the upper pools were closed when we went. The area where the falls are can get a bit slippery though, so be careful! (At the time of writing this, it looks like there was an avalanche in 1/2020 so this trail was closed.)
Court of the Patriarchs Viewpoint Trail
Distance: 0.1 miles (out + back)
Elevation: 19 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Duration: <5 minutes
Trailhead Address: 37.2370, -112.9606 (37Ā° 14ā² 13.2ā³N 112Ā° 57ā² 38.3ā³W) / Zion Canyon Scenic Dr, Springdale, UT 84767
Parking: Use the park shuttles!
Honestly, I wouldn’t really even count this as a hike, but it’s definitely worth a stop, and you might as well do it if you’re passing by! After you trek up a steep (but super short) switchback, you’ll get a great view of the Patriarchs — 3 neighboring sandstone peaks named after biblical fathers (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob).
Watchman Trail
Distance: 3.1 miles (loop)
Elevation: 646 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Duration: <2 hours
Trailhead Address: 37.20128, -112.986415 (37Ā° 12ā² 04.6ā³N 112Ā° 59ā² 11.1ā³W)
Parking: Use the park shuttles!
The Watchman Trail gives you an awesome view of The Watchman, a 2500 foot spire. I’d recommend against doing it in the afternoon like we did (ā¦) since there isn’t much shade, but we were trying to maximize the amount of hikes we could do it in a day.
The trail ascends at a manageable pace and there are a good amount of switchbacks that can get kinda challenging on a super hot desert afternoon, but…still doable. I hear it’s especially pretty to do this as a sunrise/sunset hike, so maybe next time, if we have more time!
- Have you ever visited Zion National Park? Stay tuned for the next 2 weeks (will be covering two of Zion’s most iconic hikes — Angels Landing + The Narrows!)
- What are some of your favorite short + easy hikes?
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I love your style, cramming as many hikes as you can into a single day! :D
I like the look of the Court of the Patriarchs Viewpoint Trail (even if it is super short!) And the Watchman Trail looks fantastic, if meltingly hot! But for the others…I wonder if the park shuttle buses are working this year? it must be much quieter than normal…
Josy A recently posted…Tikwalus Heritage Trail
hehe, I figure I may not have a chance to return, so might as well do everything I can fit in while I’m there! :P
It was definitely melting-ly hot. x_x Zion historically gets tonnssssss of visitors but it’s for-sure less this year. Last I checked, they were actually closed to visitors, but I think it’s more on a scaled-down level now.
Short and easy is good once in a while! The pool would be so tempting on a hot day.
haha, we were planning on trying to do one more hike but that river was way too enticing! :P
Farrah recently posted…3 Short and Easy Hikes in Zion National Park
I’m pleasantly surprised by how spectacular the views are given that these are easy hikes! Good to know that there is a shuttle to take you to the entrance too!
Agreed! I think the shuttle isn’t running at the moment due to COVID-19, but prior to this year, it was suuuper convenient!
Farrah recently posted…3 Short and Easy Hikes in Zion National Park
I haven’t made it to the western national parks yet, so saving this! I love that you too try to do as many hikes as possible when you have the chance, lol. I’m definitely a go-go-go traveler too!
Rachel recently posted…The Ultimate Guide to Tower Bridge
hehe, I figure it’s a good way to experience as much as possible while I’m there! :] I hope you get to go sometime! <3
Farrah recently posted…3 Short and Easy Hikes in Zion National Park
Iāve been to Zion but a long time ago and there was no hiking done. Sadly. As I enjoy hiking more nowadays, this kinda makes me want to back and see for real what I missed the first time around.
Charlotte recently posted…HOW TO SPEND ONE DAY IN STRASBOURG
Ahh, there are a lot of places I’d visited in the past where I wish I’d done more hiking (went with my family and my parents weren’t quite so into it, hehe).
Farrah recently posted…3 Short and Easy Hikes in Zion National Park
I have not made it to Zion and after hearing so much about it, I have put it top on my list for when I visit the States. Simple walks sound great, especially along the water.
I hope you get to go sometime! It’s super pretty over there! :]
It’s been so long since I went on a hike! Time to get back to it I guess :)
Hope you have fun when/if you do!! :D
Awesome post, thanks for sharing!
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