Hiking the Weeping Rock Trail in Zion National Park
Distance: 0.4 miles / 0.6 km
The Weeping Rock Trail in Zion National Park is a very short out-and-back hike in Zion Canyon that leads to a uniquely beautiful desert spring, where freshwater seeps out of the sandstone cliffs, giving life to a number of beautiful plants and animals in an area that the National Park Service calls the Hanging Gardens!
That said, the Weeping Rock Trail is one of the most accessible day hikes within Zion Canyon, as the short distance and fairly minimal elevation change all combine to make the hike one of the easiest family-friendly adventures in all of Zion.
On a different note, it’s important to mention that the Weeping Rock Trail and the cliffs above it are among the most unstable areas in Zion Canyon in terms of rockfall, which has closed—and will likely continue to close—the trail from time to time.
Additionally, it’s important to note that the waterfall in these pictures does not flow year-round, as it is dependent on seasonal spring snowmelt and heavy rain. This is why you should consider yourself lucky if you happen to be visiting Zion National Park at a time when the waterfall is flowing!
Weeping Rock 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 Stop 7. 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 Weeping Rock Trail can be found in a small parking lot just past Shuttle Stop 7. 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: Weeping Rock 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 Weeping Rock Trail
The beginning of the Weeping Rock Trail crosses a bridge over Echo Canyon Creek, where the trail immediately meets the junction with the East Rim Trail on the other side.
Weeping Rock-East Rim Junction
The one and only time the Weeping Rock Trail splits on the short hike up to the natural spring is right at the beginning, where it passes the junction with the East Rim Trail.
Once here, go left to continue up the Weeping Rock Trail, but know that the East Rim Trail has been closed for many years, as rockfall has plagued this section of Zion Canyon more than any other area off the 6.2-mile (10.0 km) Zion Canyon Scenic Drive.
Will the Switchbacks up the East Rim Trail ever Reopen?
The switchbacks on the East Rim Trail between the Weeping Rock Trailhead and the East Mesa Trail have been closed since a major 2019 rockfall event that severely damaged the trail beneath Cable Mountain.
According to the National Park Service, a massive slab of Navajo Sandstone broke away from the cliffs above Weeping Rock in August 2019, burying large portions of the East Rim Trail system under thousands of tons of debris.
Additional rockfall occurred again in November 2023 near Weeping Rock, reinforcing concerns about long-term instability in this area of Zion Canyon. The NPS continues to describe the lower East Rim Trail connection into Zion Canyon as a "long-term closure."
Today, visitors can still enjoy the Weeping Rock Trail, which reopened in September 2025 after repairs from the 2023 rockfall event. However, this portion of the East Rim Trail between Zion Canyon and the Observation Point Trail remains closed, with no current plans to reopen it in the future.
After the initial junction, the Weeping Rock Trail begins a very gradual, uphill path, with just a few sets of stairs before the natural spring at the very end.
Across the Southwest U.S., there are a number of day hikes that lead to beautiful, similar desert springs, such as the Dripping Springs Trail in Grand Canyon National Park and the Neck Spring Trail in Canyonlands National Park.
However, none are as short and easy as the Weeping Rock Trail in Zion National Park, which is why I think this hike is such a hidden gem compared to countless others!
This is where the final set of stairs begin that lead up to the Weeping Rock!
Weeping Rock
This is the end of the Weeping Rock Trail, and it’s where visitors can see firsthand how water reaches this impermeable layer in the rock and is forced out of the sandstone.
However, during spring snowmelt and summer monsoonal storms, Weeping Rock can transform into a raging waterfall called Echo Canyon Falls, which pours down from the cliff above!
This is why visiting Zion National Park throughout the year can truly be something special, as there is so much to enjoy with the changing seasons across all sides of the park!
