Hiking the Sand Bench Trail in Zion National Park
Distance (via Shuttle Stop 4): 4.0 miles / 6.4 km
Distance (via Shuttle Stop 5): 5.8 miles / 9.3 km
The Sand Bench Trail, also called the Sand Bench Loop Trail, in Zion National Park is a bit of a longer but beautiful day hike in Zion Canyon, and it is one of my personal favorites, as the relatively flat loop trail off Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is one of the best ways to escape the crowds at other more popular day hikes, like The Narrows and Angels Landing!
That said, there are two ways to hike the Sand Bench Trail, which largely comes down to whether you’d prefer to hike the full trail that begins at the Emerald Pools Trailhead or hike from Shuttle Stop 4, effectively cutting out 1.8 miles (2.9 km) by not starting from Zion Lodge.
In either case, the Sand Bench Loop offers numerous beautiful viewpoints of both Zion and Pine Creek Canyon and is, in my opinion, one of the better trail-running hikes in Zion National Park because the elevation changes are quite mild compared to countless other adventures across the park!
Sand Bench Trailhead Parking
When the Zion Canyon Shuttle is operating, parking for any trail off Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is only possible with a valid parking pass. This is because the 6.2-mile (10.0 km) road up Zion Canyon has very small parking lots at each trailhead and simply cannot handle the number of vehicles that Zion National Park receives on a daily basis. Even those with reservations to stay at Zion Lodge are not permitted to drive past the lodge to park at any of the trailheads farther up the canyon.
That said, the vast majority of visitors will need to find parking outside of Zion Canyon Scenic Drive and ride the free shuttle to either Stop 4 or Stop 5. The Zion Visitor Center and Zion Human History Museum are the best two spots to find parking inside the park.
During the busiest times of the year, the Zion Visitor Center parking lot typically fills completely by 7:30 a.m., with nearby parking spots filling shortly thereafter.
If you do have a valid Zion Canyon parking pass, parking for the Sand Bench Trail can be found in either the same two parking lots that serve the Emerald Pools Trail or there is a small roadside parking area near Shuttle Stop 4 to start hiking closer to the start of the loop. The Zion Lodge is the only trailhead in Zion Canyon that guests at the lodge can legally park. I have been given a valid Zion Canyon parking pass before, and I can tell you from experience that you don’t get one just because you want one. Parking passes for Zion Canyon Scenic Drive are handed out on a very limited, case-by-case basis, and frankly, it is not appropriate for me to disclose any more details.
Google Maps Directions: Sand Bench Trailhead (Shuttle Stop 4) / Sand Bench Trailhead (Shuttle Stop 5) / Zion Visitor Center
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 Sand Bench Trail
As previously mentioned, the Sand Bench Trail can begin either at Zion Lodge via the Emerald Pools Trail or at Shuttle Stop 4, near the Court of the Patriarchs.
Since it is most popular to begin hiking the loop from Shuttle Stop 4, this article begins here.
To start read about the Sand Bench Trail via Emerald Pools, click here.
Sand Bench Connector-Wrangler Junction
After just a few steps, the Sand Bench Trail reaches the junction for the Wrangler Trail, a short riverside trail that runs north from this point to Zion Lodge.
To continue on the Sand Bench Trail toward the Virgin River and the start of the loop, go straight at this split toward the Court of the Patriarchs.
About 0.1 miles (0.2 km) before the Sand Bench Connector crosses the bridge over the Virgin River, the trail passes the Birch Creek Utility Area on the left-hand side, a water, sewer, and maintenance facility used to serve park infrastructure.
The Virgin River is roughly the halfway point between the Sand Bench Trail via Emerald Pools and Shuttle Stop 4, where this article began.
On the far side of the bridge, go right to continue toward the true Sand Bench Trail, roughly 0.2 miles (0.3 km) away.
This short stretch beneath the Court of the Patriarchs is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful and photogenic parts of the entire Sand Bench Trail—not to mention, it’s only 0.3 miles (0.5 km) from the trailhead off Zion Canyon Scenic Drive!
Sand Bench Connector-Sand Bench Junction
After 0.4 miles (0.6 km), the Sand Bench Connector Trail from Shuttle Stop 4 reaches the true Sand Bench Trail from the Emerald Pools Trailhead.
At this split, go left to continue on the Sand Bench Trail toward the start of the loop, about 0.3 miles (0.5 km) away.
Birch Creek
This is where the Sand Bench Trail crosses Birch Creek, which can be a fairly muddy section during spring snowmelt, and it’s why some hikers may want to use trekking poles when hiking the loop.
Similar to Birch Creek, these short switchbacks leading up to the start of the loop can be some of the muddiest parts of the Sand Bench Trail during the spring or after heavy rain.
Sand Bench Loop Trail
After about 0.7 miles (1.1 km) from Shuttle Stop 4, or 1.6 miles (2.6 km) from the Zion Lodge and Shuttle Stop 5, the Sand Bench Trail reaches the start of the Sand Bench Loop.
Personally, I like to go right in the counterclockwise direction around the loop, and I say this for two reasons.
The first is that there is more uphill on the western half of the loop, and I like to save the easier half for the end. On top of this, the east side of the loop has better views of Zion Canyon, which I also think are best saved for the return hike.
This is the view looking back toward the Court of the Patriarchs.
Initially, the first 0.4 miles (0.6 km) on the west side of the Sand Bench Loop passes through a Utah Juniper–Pinyon Pine-dominated forest, but the landscape soon changes, opening up to beautiful views across the elevated plateau and Zion Canyon beyond!
This is where the Juniper-Pine forest begins to thin, which is a nice sign that some of the best views on the western half of the Sand Bench Loop are not far ahead!
If there’s one thing I hope these photos show more than anything else, it’s that there is very little shade on the Sand Bench Trail throughout much of the day.
In fact, the Sand Bench Trail and the Emerald Pools Trail are the two day hikes in Zion Canyon that see the sun earlier than most other trails in the canyon, which is all to say that I highly recommend hiking with a hooded sun shirt to stay safe!
This long, open downhill stretch through the Sagebrush is one of my favorite parts of the entire trail, and it’s a nice sign that the far southern end of the Sand Bench Loop is not far ahead!
As the Sand Bench Trail nears the far southern end of the loop, the trail passes a hitching post and the only bathrooms on the entire hike.
This area is commonly utilized by visitors on a horseback ride in Zion National Park.
To learn more about what the National Park Service says about horseback tours in Zion National Park, as well as all your options in and near the park, I encourage you to learn more using the links below.
National Park Service: Horseback Riding
This is where the Sand Bench Trail reaches the far southern end of the loop, and it’s where the trail starts turning back toward the beginning about 0.2 miles (0.3 km) from this point.
This is where the Sand Bench Trail starts making its way back up the east side of the loop, which is also where a number of beautiful viewpoints can start to be found on the canyon side of the trail.
I mention this because if there appears to be a short side trail off the main loop, there’s probably a viewpoint worth checking out!
In comparison to the west side of the loop, the east side of the Sand Bench Loop is much less hilly, which, again, is why I like to save this section for the return hike!
Unlike the long, open stretch through the Sagebrush on the west side of the loop, the east side is mostly confined to the trees.
However, there are more viewpoints on the east side of the loop, all of which are found at random points where the trail runs right along the edge of the plateau.
With about 0.7 miles (1.1 km) left before the loop returns to the beginning, the Sand Bench Trail begins a long, drawn-out descent.
This is what can make trail running on the Sand Bench Trail really fun and relaxing, as both the uphill sections and descents like this are never too steep—something that certainly cannot be said about countless other adventures across Zion National Park.
If trail running is something you’re considering, I recommend using the shoes I have linked below, as they work well for both hiking and trail running on all the best adventures across Zion and the greater area!
This is where the descent back to the beginning of the loop becomes much more noticeable.
For reference, Angels Landing cannot be seen from any part of the Sand Bench Loop because it is blocked by the peaks that make up the Court of the Patriarchs—the peaks on the left side of the photo below.
Similar to the switchbacks and Birch Creek at the beginning of the loop, these final sections can be quite muddy during spring snowmelt or after heavy rain.
This is another reason why it may be best to carry trekking poles, which can certainly be very useful for countless steep adventures across Zion National Park.
This is where the final descent to the beginning of the Sand Bench Loop begins.
Sand Bench Loop Junction
This is where the Sand Bench Trail returns to the beginning of the 2.6-mile (4.2 km) loop.
From here, go right to return to both the Sand Bench Trailhead at Shuttle Stop 4 and the Emerald Pools Trailhead at Zion Lodge, located roughly 0.7 miles (1.1 km) and 1.6 miles (2.6 km) away, respectively.
Sand Bench Trailhead (Emerald Pools)
For those interested in hiking the full Sand Bench Trail via Zion Lodge, the trail begins at the Emerald Pools Trailhead, which it follows for about 0.2 miles (0.3 km) before branching away from the popular loop.
Lower-Middle Emerald Pools Junction
On the far side of the Virgin River, the Emerald Pools Trail splits into a loop, with the Lower Emerald Pools Trail branching away to the right and the Middle Emerald Pools Trail branching to the left.
To continue hiking toward the start of the true Sand Bench Trail, go left at this split to begin the Middle Emerald Pools Trail toward the junction where the two trails head in separate directions.
Read My Separate Post: Emerald Pools Trail
Middle Emerald Pools Trail
After crossing the Virgin River, the Sand Bench Trail continues on the Middle Emerald Pools Trail for roughly 0.1 miles (0.2 km) before the two trails go their separate ways.
Sand Bench-Middle Emerald Pools Junction
This is where the Sand Bench Trail and the Middle Emerald Pools Trail split from one another.
That said, go left to continue hiking along the Virgin River toward the start of the Sand Bench Loop Trail, as the path heading up and to the right is where the Emerald Pools Loop begins its somewhat steep ascent to the Middle Pool and the Upper Pool beyond.
Read My Separate Post: Emerald Pools Trail
Sand Bench-Horse Corral Junction
Almost immediately after leaving the Emerald Pools Trail behind, the Sand Bench Trail splits again at a short connector that leads over to the horse corrals.
This is where the horseback tours on the Sand Bench Trail begin.
Once here, go right to continue hiking toward the start of the loop, about 1.4 miles (2.3 km) away.
For the most part, there isn’t much to know about the Sand Bench Trail between the Emerald Pools Loop Trail and the junction with Shuttle Stop 4.
The Sand Bench Trail simply winds its way along the Virgin River and around the Court of the Patriarchs, which is exactly why I previously mentioned that Angels Landing cannot be seen from any point on the loop.
Similar to the Sand Bench Loop ahead, there is very little shade on the Sand Bench Trail between the Emerald Pools Trail and the Connector Trail, which is why I want to say again: a hooded sun shirt is the best way to stay safe when hiking in Zion—especially for a multi-day visit here and across the Southwest.
The hill on the left side of the photo below is the elevated plateau where the Sand Bench Loop Trail is located.
This dip in the trail is a nice sign that the two routes from each trailhead are about to come together!
Sand Bench-Sand Bench Connector Junction
This is where the Sand Bench Trail via the Emerald Pools Trailhead meets the Sand Bench Trail via Shuttle Stop 4.
Once here, go straight to continue hiking toward the start of the Sand Bench Loop Trail, roughly 0.3 miles (0.5 km) from this split.
To skip back to this same junction shown previously, click here.
