4 Hikes You MUST Do in Zion National Park

This summer on our road trip we knew we had to spend a few days in Zion National Park. We have lived in Utah for years and never made it down south! This year we changed that and visited almost all of the National Parks in Utah.

Zion National Park was hands down one of my favorite places we went on this road trip. It definitely makes it into my top 5 all time favorite national parks. The views on every single hike at Zion is amazing. But these were our 4 favorites & the ones we would do again and again!

One thing to keep in mind is you will need to purchase shuttle passes as early as possible! Most hikes are beyond the roads you can drive on which means you need to take the shuttle to get there. The early shuttle times fill up quick so be prepared so that you don’t end up hiking in the mid afternoon heat!

Canyon Overlook Trail

This is a fairly short hike right off the road before you get to the Zion visitor center/shuttle stop. I suggest doing this hike at the end of your day or as close to sunset as possible. It took us about 45 minutes of hiking time and is about a mile roundtrip!

This is really a beginning hike but the view of the canyon is so worth it. I can’t even think of another hike that I love the view quite this much! Definitely worth a stop on your way into the park or on your way back to camp.

Kayenta Trail / Emerald Pools

The reason I love this hike so much is because you will see all the different landscapes of Zion! The Kayenta Trail leads you to each of the Emerald Pool Trails and then you will just detour a bit to see each of the pools. Each one has it’s own little ecosystem so you will see totally different things at each!

You definitely want to make sure to plan a decent amount of time for this hike. Especially because we stopped at each pool and admired it and took all the pictures! Actual hiking time was maybe 2 hours but overall it took us a little over 3 hours because of all the stops we took along the way!

And bring your camera on this hike! It is so worth it and the views are amazing. Forest, canyon, water falls are all available to be found along this trail!

Riverside Walk

This trail is about 2 miles round trip and stops at the river! If you would like to continue to hike through the river and do the full Narrows trail make sure you check the water condition and have water shoes because you will get wet!

We stopped at the river and went back but it was definitely worth the hike! It took us just over an hour of actual hiking time. We definitely added another 20-30 minutes taking pictures along the water though! The trail itself is fairly easy but you will want to be prepared for different terrain. It was sandy, rocky, uphill, paved, and who knows what else along the way!

Angels Landing

Now the chain used to actually get to Angels Landing was closed when we went due to COVID so we didn’t do much of this hike. We wanted to check it out a bit as so many people had recommended it so we still went about a mile along the trail to get a feel for it but ultimately decided not to continue past that.

It is definitely a strenuous hike and you may want to plan your day around this trail! I suggest packing lunch to eat once you get to the view point! And if you are a beginner hiker/not a fan of heights this trail is not for you! You do have to scale a ledge in order to get to the end and many people stop before that point.

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Overall, you can’t go wrong with any of the hikes at Zion! We loved every single thing we did and saw there and will 100% be back again soon. We camped just a little ways outside of the park at a beautiful dispersed camping area that was totally free! But if you want to camp inside of the park you will want to reserve you site as early as possible.