Pictures: Lyle Such
Camera: Canon 5d Mkiii
Trail Details:
Distance: 8 Miles
Difficulty: Strenuous but not difficult, paved/dirt packed trail the entire way.
Elevation Gain: 2100 feet
Our May trip to Zion National Park began with a late afternoon hike up to Observation Point via the West Rim Trail. It was overcast and a little cool, the perfect temperature for a long uphill climb. We had originally come to hike The Narrows, but without a permit and given the colder weather, we decided to tackle that one another time. Besides, Observation Point is easily one of my favorite hikes, so any chance go again and I'll take it.
You definitely don't ease into this hike. The switchbacks begin immediately climbing out of the canyon, and the view continually improves throughout the entire hike.
Lots of colorful flowers along the trail.
After a almost 2 mile of some serious uphill climbing, you descend into a surprise slot canyon. The bright green plants contrasted against the red sandstone cliffs create a unique landscape.
The walls of the canyon are a distraction from any fatigue you're feeling from the climb. I could have spent hours exploring the crevasses and different sections of the canyon, but we had to keep on moving.
After climbing out of the canyon, the backside of the trail revealed a very different landscape. The rocks were more horizontally sliced and started losing their red colors. The wind started picking up and it got a lot colder.
Rounding the corner, the view of Zion Canyon began to open up.
The final walk to the point was a flat stretch of sandy dirt. As we reached the final lookout point, we were greeted be a pack of extremely hungry and brave chipmunks.
The chipmunks are so used to being fed by humans that we didn't even need food in our hands and they would climb on looking for something to eat. At first they were a little skeptical, but once they understood that I wasn't there to hurt them, climbing on me was not an issue for them.
The chipmunks were fun, and the view wasn't bad either!
Switchbacks from the beginning of the hike.
Finally heading back down.
Once we began the hike back down from Observation Point, we really realized how much of a climb it had been. Aside from 2 somewhat flat sections, this entire hike is just one big vertical gain. Of course, that made the return take less than half the amount of time.
A tree hanging on for dear life.
Returning through the slot canyon.
Sunset looking back at the canyon from the visitor's center.
