If you’re looking for stunning views in Zion National Park, good news—you don’t need to tackle a super challenging hike. Instead, the Canyon Overlook Trail is a short and easy hike that leads to one of the most jaw-dropping views over Zion Canyon in the park. If you want to include this trail on your Mighty Five itinerary, here’s everything you need to know about the Canyon Overlook Trail, the most bang-for-your-buck hike in Zion National Park.
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About Canyon Overlook Trail
True to its name, the Canyon Overlook Trail leads you along a ridgeline to the rim of the canyon, overlooking the heart of Zion Canyon and the switchbacks of the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway below. I love that you can get one of the best views in the park on a trail that’s accessible to hikers of all skill levels!
Here are some quick stats about the trail:
- Length: 1.0 mile
- Elevation gain: 213 feet
- Difficulty: Easy to moderate
- Trail map
- Dog-friendly? No, like most of the hikes in Zion National Park, you’ll need to leave you furry best friend at home for this.
How to get to Canyon Overlook Trail
The Canyon Overlook Trail is located here, on the eastern side of Zion, right past the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel.
The park closes Zion Canyon Scenic Road, where most of its popular trailheads are located, to private vehicles from March through November and during the holiday season near the end of December. So, during most of the year, you need to take a free shuttle to access the majority of the hikes in the park.
However, due to Canyon Overlook’s location on the eastern side of the park, the shuttle does not reach this area, so you’ll have to drive your own vehicle here. It’s about a 15 minute drive from Zion’s south entrance or 25 minutes from its east entrance to the trailhead.
Across from the trailhead, there’s a tiny parking lot that holds about 10 cars. If you’re coming from the Springdale area, the parking lot for the trailhead is on the right-hand side almost as soon as you exit the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel.
There are a few overflow lots further east down the road (located here and here). There are no sidewalks along the road here, so be careful of oncoming cars as you’re walking from the overflow lot to the trailhead.
I’d suggest getting here super early (like, 7 AM or earlier), as there’s DEFINITELY not enough spots for how popular the trail is. You can also get lucky with snagging a parking spot in the late afternoon (i.e., 6 PM or later).
Please do not park on the narrow section of the shoulder along the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway. The road is already narrow and twisty (and we’ve personally had to swerve out of the way to avoid a big-horn sheep standing in the middle of the road), so parking where you’re not supposed to makes this road even more dangerous!
Insider tip: If you’re coming from the park's east entrance, you can’t turn left into the parking lot near the trailhead, so I’d try to snag a parking spot in one of the overflow lots up the road, instead.
Entrance fee for Zion National Park
Zion National Park charges a $35 entrance fee per private vehicle, which is good for up to a week in the park.
However, if you have plans to visit three or more national parks in the next year (like, say, if you’re planning on doing a road trip to Utah’s five national parks?!), I’d strongly recommend picking up an America the Beautiful Pass, which costs $80 (for U.S. residents) and gets you into all of the national parks, plus 2,000 other federally managed public lands, for an entire year!
Oversized vehicle restrictions
Oversized vehicles are not allowed on the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway between Canyon Junction and the East Entrance in the park (i.e., which includes where Canyon Overlook is located).
Zion classifies anything bigger than the following as an oversized vehicle:
For single vehicles
- Length: 35 feet and 9 inches
- Width: 7 feet and 10 inches
- Height: 11 feet and 4 inches
- Weight: 50,000 lbs
For combined vehicles
- Total Length: 50 feet (trailers cannot be longer than 26 feet, from their hitch to their rear axle)
- Width: 7 feet and 10 inches
- Height: 11 feet and 4 inches
- Weight: 50,000 lbs
If your RV is bigger than these limits, you can still enter Zion, but you’ll usually need to park in the large vehicle lot near the visitor center and get around using the park’s shuttle (i.e., you unfortunately won’t be able to access the Canyon Overlook trailhead).
You can find more information about oversized vehicle restrictions, like how to get from Zion to Bryce Canyon or why these restrictions are in place, here.
What to expect along the Canyon Overlook Trail
From the trailhead, you’ll immediately climb up a steep series of stairs to hike along the ridge of a rocky outcropping. This initial section may feel pretty challenging, but good news—after this elevation gain, the trail mostly flattens out until the endpoint, with a very gradual incline throughout the trail.
As you hike along this ridgeline, there’s a sandstone cliff to your right hand side and, to the left, open views of the Pine Creek Narrows.
There’s a few spots where there are steep drop-offs along the trail, but, for the most part, railings have been installed on the sketchiest parts. Still, I’d keep an eye on any little ones that you have hiking with you!
Insider tip: Be sure to keep your eyes peeled as you hike along the Pine Creek Narrows—we saw a bighorn sheep hanging out on one of the cliffsides during our hike!
My favorite part of the trail is a wooden catwalk through a cool grotto that eventually opens up to a small cave, carved into the sandstone. The majority of the trail is exposed to the sun, so this is a great place to take a breather in the shade, especially if you’re visiting on a hot day!
From here, you climb up a gentle incline to the viewpoint, where the Pine Creek Narrows open up and you have expansive views of the East Temple, which towers 2,200 feet above the canyon floor below, as well as the West Temple, the Towers of the Virgin, and the rest of the Zion Canyon.
There’s a railing that you can lean against or you can hike around the clearing, along the exposed cliff’s edge. Just remember that you’re almost 1,000 feet above the canyon floor below, so don’t get too close to the edge!
When you’re done drinking in the views, simply retrace your steps back to the trailhead.
When to hike the Canyon Overlook Trail
One of the best things about the Canyon Overlook Trail is that you can hike it year round.
During the hot summer months, Canyon Overlook can be a good option, given that it’s an accessible trail for most hikers, and it can be a bit cooler than some of the hikes located on the canyon floor. If it’s a super hot day, I’d suggest hiking it in the afternoon, as there’s a lot more shade along the trail during that timeframe.
You can definitely hike Canyon Overlook in the winter months, but, due to the trail’s higher altitude, it’s not uncommon for there to be snow or ice along the trail, especially in the shaded areas. Accordingly, I’d suggest throwing a pair of microspikes in your bag to provide extra traction and support on any slippery areas you might run into.
I hope you enjoy the Canyon Overlook Trail—it’s wild to me that you can get this STUNNING view of Zion National Park from such an easy trail! Do you have any questions about hiking this trail? Let us know in the comments below!
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