Hiking the East Mesa Trail to Observation Point in Zion National Park
Distance: 7.0 miles / 11.3 km
The East Mesa Trail to Observation Point is one of best hikes in Zion National Park for a number of reasons!
First, this area of Zion sees far fewer visitors in than the Zion Canyon, which is something that can’t be said about the other, more popular trails like Angels Landing.
Second, the Observation Point Trail is easy! The majority of the hike is flat, with very little elevation change, meaning that the total seven-mile roundtrip distance is a bad indicator for difficulty on this hike.
Finally, when southern Utah is at its hottest during the summer, the East Mesa Trail is truly a break from the heat. The drive from the bottom of the canyon climbs several thousand feet, meaning that you can expect summer temperatures to cool off significantly by the time you reach the trailhead.
Getting to the East Mesa Trail
The East Mesa Trail to Observation Point is open year-round, but the dirt road past the Ponderosa Ranch Cabins is not plowed during the winter months. This means that if you truly wanted to hike Observation Point in the winter, you would be snowshoeing an extra 2.8 miles (4.5 km) each way.
However, during the summer and fall when the snow is gone, most two-wheel drive vehicles should be able to make the drive to the East Mesa Trailhead.
This obviously applies to dry conditions only, as the dirt road to the trailhead can get very muddy during spring snowmelt, as well as in the summer during heavy monsoonal rains.
East Mesa Trailhead Parking
Access to the East Mesa Trail is made possible through a public-private partnership with the Zion Ponderosa Ranch. This arrangement means that the parking lot for the trailhead is entirely on private property.
That being said, there are number of signs to tell you where and where not to park when you arrive.
Google Maps Directions: East Mesa Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Zion
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Zion National Park.
Hiking the Observation Point Trail
Along with the East Mesa Trail being cooler than the bottom of Zion Canyon, I highly recommend hiking the trail during the late afternoon/ evening, like these photos show in this post.
Not only is Observation Point one of the best sunset hikes in Zion, but when the shadows get long at this time of day, the hiking gets much more comfortable during the summer.
Zion National Park Boundary
Almost immediately after beginning the hike, the East Mesa Trail will cross over the official National Park boundary, which makes for a nice mental checkpoint on the hike back.
From the trailhead to the final descent out to Observation Point, the East Mesa Trail gains about 300 ft. (91 m) of elevation, but the trail is so gradual that the elevation gain is not noticeable over the first 2.5 miles (4.0 km) where the descent begins.
Additionally, these photos should show you that shade is minimal on the East Mesa Trail, which is why I always prefer to hike Observation Point in the evening.
Then, at about the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) mark, the Observation Point Trail starts descending gradually for most of the remaining hike.
This gradual ascent on the hike back out is also the most challenging part about the East Mesa Trail.
Not long after beginning the descent, the views of Zion Canyon start to get better and better the closer you get!
The distance on this sign is definitely not accurate.
Observation Point
Of all the times I have hiked to Observation Point during the evening, I have arrived to an entirely empty viewpoint!
Officially, the survey marker has Observation Point at 6,508 ft. compared to about 4,000 ft. of elevation down by the Zion Canyon Visitor Center.
