Hiking the Watchman Trail in Zion National Park
Distance: 3.4 miles / 5.4 km
The Watchman Trail in Zion National Park is a fun and beautiful day hike near the Zion Visitor Center that climbs its way up to a panoramic plateau overlooking both Springdale to the south and Zion Canyon to the north!
However, what truly sets the Watchman Trail apart from other adventures in Zion National Park is that it is the best day hike to see the hidden and elusive Crawford Arch, perched high on a remote cliffside above Zion Canyon!
That said, the Crawford Arch is visible from other areas of the canyon, including the Zion Visitor Center and the Pa'rus Trail, but if you don’t know where to look, you’ll likely never see it, as seeing daylight through the arch is only possible from a handful of very select locations—none being better than the very short portion of the Watchman Trail discussed in more detail below!
It’s for this reason that I highly recommend reading this post in detail so that you can look for the best short stretch to see Crawford Arch, a little-known secret that most Zion visitors never see!
Watchman Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Watchman Trail is located at the Zion Visitor Center, the same parking area that visitors use to ride the shuttle up Zion Canyon.
This is exactly why the Zion Visitor Center is one of the most difficult places to find parking throughout most of the year in Zion National Park, as the lot typically fills completely by 7:30 a.m., with nearby parking spots filling shortly thereafter.
Google Maps Directions: Watchman Trailhead (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 Watchman Trail
Walking to the Trailhead
Depending on exactly where you find parking, the Watchman Trail can begin from any number of different directions, but this is the most direct route to the start of the trail when walking away from the Zion Visitor Center toward Watchman Campground Road.
Watchman Campground Road
The Watchman Trail begins directly across the main road that leads to the Zion Visitor Center and the Watchman Campground.
That said, this is also the same split that leads to the Pa'rus Trailhead located just to the left on the other side of the Virgin River.
Read My Separate Post: Pa'rus Trail
Watchman Trailhead
Once on the far side of Watchman Campground Road, hikers will see a sign indicating the start of the Watchman Trail.
Immediately upon beginning the hike, the Watchman Trail splits with a short path that leads down to the Virgin River, but to continue up to the loop at the top, go right toward the oversized-vehicle parking lot.
Then, just a few steps past the first split, the Watchman Trail splits again, with a path that connects to the oversized-vehicle parking lot.
Once here, go left, and the Watchman Trail will become much more straightforward as it leaves the visitor center area.
This is where the Watchman Trail starts to leave the busyness of the Zion Visitor Center behind, as it makes its way over to the start of the ascent that climbs up the beautiful plateau.
Watchman Road
After about 0.3 miles (0.5 km), the Watchman Trail crosses Watchman Road—the second and final crosswalk on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) hike to the start of the Watchman Loop Trail at the top.
After the second crosswalk, the Watchman Trail truly starts to feel much more like a hike than the beginning sections closest to the visitor center.
Do You See It?
Shortly after the initial incline above the road, the Crawford Arch, located to the left of Bridge Mountain, starts to become more and more visible on the cliffside above the trail!
That said, it is very far away and, as a result, somewhat difficult to see.
However, when you finally do see it, watch closely over the next 0.1 miles (0.2 km), as the daylight through the arch only gets better with each step, until it quickly starts to fade at the spot I highlight below.
Crawford Arch
This very short stretch, located a little less than 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from the trailhead, is the best place on the Watchman Trail—and all of Zion National Park—to see the Crawford Arch!
If you are trying to get a photo of the arch, I can speak from experience that only phones with the best telephoto lenses are capable of getting good pictures, or a 600mm lens for those with professional cameras.
Even 300mm lenses, or less, do not get close enough to bring the Crawford Arch into view.
By this point, the view through the Crawford Arch starts to lose its daylight and blend in with the rest of the mountainside, as it does when looking at the arch from the visitor center and most of the Pa'rus Trail.
After the Watchman Trail crosses the typically dry wash, the trail begins a more significant climb up to the loop trail at the top, gaining roughly 425 ft. (130 m) over the next 0.9 miles (1.4 km).
Unlike most trails farther up Zion Canyon, the Watchman Trail is located near the mouth of the canyon, which really means the canyon walls are much farther apart than they are on other day hikes, like the Riverside Walk.
This in turn means that the Watchman Trail receives much more direct sun exposure than almost every other day hike in Zion Canyon, which is why I highly recommend wearing a hooded sun shirt to stay safe, unless you plan to get a very early start shortly after finding parking at the Zion Visitor Center in the morning.
This is where the Watchman Trail turns the first of four switchbacks on the hike up to the Watchman Loop Trail at the top.
This is where the Watchman Trail turns the fourth and final switchback, which is also the 1.0-mile (1.6 km) mark and a nice sign that there is only 0.5 miles (0.8 km) left before the loop trail at the top.
This is where the Watchman Trail crosses back over the same wash from the beginning of the ascent, but at this upper crossing, the trail passes a little-known, 'spring-like hanging garden' tucked beneath the sandstone boulders!
After the wash, the Watchman Trail levels out considerably, as it winds its way up to the start of the loop.
This is the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) mark where the Watchman Trail finally reaches the top of the plateau.
Watchman Loop Trail
Just a few steps after reaching the top, the Watchman Trail splits, marking the start of the 0.4-mile (0.6 km) loop around the perimeter of the plateau.
In my opinion, the trail around the loop is more obvious going straight (right), which is why I chose to hike counterclockwise around the loop in this article.
Initially, the Watchman Loop Trail starts to head downhill, but the elevation changes atop the plateau are nothing worth highlighting, especially considering the much more significant climb required to get to this point.
Watchman Loop-Watchman Overlook Junction
At the far western end of the mesa, the Watchman Loop Trail passes the junction for the Watchman Overlook, located just off the main trail.
Personally, I recommend going right to check out the overlook, as it is only a few steps off the loop.
Watchman Overlook
This is the Watchman Overlook, which has beautiful panoramic views of Springdale to the south, the Zion Visitor Center to the west, and the rest of Zion Canyon to the north.
Is the Watchman Trail a Good Sunrise or Sunset Hike?
Unfortunately, no!
This is certainly just one person’s opinion, and if you choose to hike the Watchman Trail early or late in the day, there will be beautiful colors on the very tops of the peaks that surround the canyon.
However, the Watchman Trail is not high enough, and the shadows in Zion Canyon are too long for me to consider the upper plateau to be a great place to catch sunrise or sunset—and yes, I have tried!
This is a sentiment that I feel is true of most trails in Zion Canyon, with the exception of the Canyon Overlook Trail.
This is also why I recommend other sunrise and sunset adventures higher on the rim, like the Observation Point Trail via East Mesa or the Cable Mountain Trail. On top of this, the Timber Creek Overlook Trail is arguably the best sunset hike in Zion National Park, so my thoughts are not to say there aren’t great options!
It’s just that the Watchman Trail isn’t one of them.
Watchman Loop-Watchman Overlook Junction
After returning to the previous junction, go right (straight) to begin the second half of the Watchman Loop Trail.
This very short stretch is the most exposed part of the entire Watchman Trail.
This is where the Watchman Loop Trail begins the very short ascent back to the beginning.
Watchman Loop Junction
After 0.4 miles (0.6 km), the Watchman Trail returns to the beginning of the loop.
Once here, go right to begin the roughly 1.5-mile (2.4 km) hike back to the Zion Visitor Center.
