This list of easy hikes in Zion proves you don’t have to break much of a sweat to enjoy some of the park’s most impressive views. We put this Zion National Park hiking guide together to help you plan at least a few short and sweet trails.
Towering sandstone cliffs, deep rugged canyons, and stunning vistas that seem to stretch to the horizon are Zion’s keystones. But believe it or not, you don’t need to be an experienced hiker to enjoy this park’s iconic beauty.
Yes, Zion is home to several epic, bucket list-worthy hikes (we’re looking at you, The Narrows, Angels Landing, and Subway). However, there are also many easy hikes in Zion perfect for beginners and families.
Whether you want to wander along the Virgin River, shimmy through a slot canyon, or catch sunset from a scenic overlook, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to hiking in Zion.
As a major bonus, most trails here are accessible year-round!
Zion Hiking Guide
We’ve included some extra info for planning your hiking trip to Zion National Park. Jump to the following sections (or just keep scrolling to see it all!).
- Best time to visit
- America the Beautiful Annual Park Pass
- What to pack
- Roundup of easy hikes in Zion
Whether you simply aspire to the visit the parks in your neck of the woods or want to hit them all, be sure to download our FREE national park checklist by clicking below to keep track of your progress!
1. Zion Canyon Overlook Trail
- Distance: 1 mile, out and back
- Elevation gain: 187 feet
- Difficulty rating: Easy
- Alltrails trail notes
Don’t be put off by the short distance — this trail comes with a massive payoff and many people consider it one of the best hikes in Zion! Enjoy a scenic, mostly flat trail surrounded by towering red rocks and sprinkled with natural stepping stones and a few bridges with railings.
Don’t be surprised if you literally gasp once you reach the summit, as this is by far one of the best viewpoints of Zion Canyon.
2. Zion Narrows Riverside Walk
- Distance: 2.2 miles out and back
- Elevation gain: 193 feet
- Difficulty rating: Easy
- Alltrails trail notes
No, this isn’t THE Zion Narrows hike, but it does take you right to it. In fact, it’s called “The Gateway to the Narrows!” As its name implies, this easy, scenic walk meanders alongside the Virgin River, leading to the official entrance of the Narrows.
As you get closer to the end of the paved path, the canyon walls get steeper and narrower. You’ll know you’re at the transition point between the Riverside Walk and the Narrows when there’s no riverbank on either side, and the only options are to turn back or get in the water.
You’re welcome to do so, by the way — you’ll likely see lots of other people, particularly families, wading and splashing.
3. Pa’rus Trail
- Distance: 3.4 miles, out and back
- Elevation gain: 157 feet
- Difficulty rating: Easy
- Alltrails trail notes
Often overlooked in favor of more popular trails, Pa’rus Trail is highly underrated. It’s the ONLY multi-use trail in the entire park, open to both hiking and biking (and dogs!), and it’s also one of very few wheelchair- and stroller-accessible hikes in Zion.
Enjoy the footbridges and wildflowers that make this a relaxed, must-hike trail. On hot days, you can also wade in the Virgin River to cool off, but note that the water contains a type of algae that’s toxic to dogs.
4. Lower Emerald Pools Trail
- Distance: 1.4 miles out and back
- Elevation gain: 127 feet
- Difficulty rating: Easy
- Alltrails trail notes
Important: As of May 2023, the bridge at shuttle stop 5 is under construction. Visitors can access Lower Emerald Pools from The Grotto (shuttle stop 6), taking the Kayenta Trail to the middle pool, then the lower.
All of the Emerald Pools trails (yep, there are multiple!) are among the most popular easy hikes in Zion, but the lower one is the shortest and most accessible. When the bridge is open, the entire Lower Pools trail is even ADA-accessible.
Because the pools sit in the bottom of Zion Canyon, the entire trail bursts with verdant green, like an oasis. In the spring or after heavy rain, you even walk behind a waterfall created by the Middle Pool flowing down!
If you’re visiting Zion in the summer or fall and deciding between hikes, you can skip this one. The shallow pools and waterfalls nearly dry up in the dry season.
5. Timber Creek Overlook Trail
- Distance: 1.1 miles, out and back
- Elevation gain: 255 feet
- Difficulty rating: Easy
- Alltrails trail notes
Tucked into the less-visited Kolob Canyons of the park, this is a pleasant and leisurely hike for when you’re looking for something a bit lower-key.
A sandy, fairly level loop, this trail offers expansive views of several smaller “finger canyons.” The trail also passes a nice picnic area and is a locals’ favorite for watching the sunset.
6. Zion Grotto Trail
- Distance: 1.2 miles, out and back
- Elevation gain: 78 feet
- Difficulty rating: Easy
- Alltrails trail notes
Zion Grotto Trail is just a short trail that connects two shuttle stops, but that hasn’t stopped local wildlife from making the most of this particularly scenic area. Sightings of deer and bighorn sheep are common, making it an excellent choice for a quick, family-friendly hike in Zion.
The Grotto also has amazing views of Zion Canyon. As a bonus, it stays cooler here and offers a respite from the crowds, as most hikers focus on popular nearby trails.
7. Lower Clear Creek (The Hobbit Hole)
- Distance: 1.3 miles out and back
- Elevation gain: 147 feet
- Difficulty rating: Easy
- Alltrails trail notes
In a national park as popular as Zion, hidden gems are extremely rare. But the Hobbit Hole hike is a delightful exception. This easy hike leads you through a hidden tunnel and into a totally unmarked slot canyon.
You’ll start near one of the busiest trailheads in the park, Canyon Overlook, where parking is difficult to come by. If possible, park along the road near the white “Tunnel ahead” sign.
Once you get downhill, look for the large brick tunnel. The slot canyon comes out of nowhere just beyond the tunnel, and spans about a quarter-mile. You’ll know when you find the ‘hobbit hole,’ a small (but big enough to walk through!), distinct arch in the rock.
The trail forks and continues, but it’s honestly pretty uninspiring. The hobbit hole makes a perfect turnaround point.
8. Archaeology Trail
- Distance: 0.3 miles out and back
- Elevation gain: 80 feet
- Difficulty rating: Easy
- Alltrails trail notes
This super short hike packs a nice little punch, with a bit of a climb, surprisingly great views of the canyon, and starting right near the visitor center.
The trail leads up to a mesa, where you’ll see the remains of an ancestral Puebloan structure. Really, it’s just the foundation, but keep your eyes open for pottery shards or arrowheads. Interpretive signs on the path give details about what archaeologists dug up here.
9. East Mesa Trail to Blew by Peak
- Distance: 4.2 miles out and back
- Elevation gain: 300 feet
- Difficulty rating: Easy
- Alltrails trail notes
The East Mesa Trail is on the much quieter east side of the park. It’s best known as an alternative for getting to Observation Point (the main trail has been closed since 2018 due to a major rockfall) and for reaching Mystery Canyon, a major rappelling destination.
On this easy hike to Blew by Peak, you’ll get to enjoy one of the best Mystery Canyon viewpoints but with little effort. The trickiest part is actually finding the right overlook!
You’ll come to the Mystery Canyon Trail right at the two-mile mark, but DON’T take it — that’s the highly technical canyoneering trail. Instead, look for the Blew by Peak viewpoint just after it.
As a major bonus, this is one of just a few easy hikes in Zion that don’t require taking the shuttle (or competing for parking!)!
10. Emerald Pools Trail
- Distance: 3 miles, loop
- Elevation gain: 620 feet
- Difficulty rating: Moderate
- Alltrails trail notes
Emerald Pools is perfect for families and offers plenty of opportunities to spot wildlife, including mule deer and bighorn sheep. This straightforward loop starts on a paved trail in The Grotto, taking you first to Lower Emerald Pool and then to a rockier trail to Upper Emerald Pool.
This is one of the best hikes in Zion in the summer, as there are plenty of chances to splash in the natural pools and relax or picnic in the surrounding shaded areas.
11. The Watchman Trail
- Distance: 3.1 miles, out and back
- Elevation: 636 feet
- Difficulty Rating: Moderate
- Alltrails trail notes
The Watchman Trail starts at the Zion National Park Visitor Center, near the southern Springdale entrance. It’s family-friendly and fairly short, but packs enough of a punch to get your legs (and lungs!) burning just a bit.
You’ll conquer a few dozen switchbacks before reaching the overlook, which has an excellent view of the visitor center and campgrounds. There’s ZERO shade on this trail, but the head-on views of famous Watchman Peak are a welcome distraction.
12. Lower Pine Creek Waterfall Trail
- Distance: 0.7 miles out and back
- Elevation gain: 59 feet
- Difficulty rating: Easy to moderate
- Alltrails trail notes
Lower Pine Creek Falls is the definition of a hidden gem. It isn’t recognized by the park as an ‘official’ trail, so you stand a very good chance of having it to yourself!
The unmarked trailhead is about 1.5 miles past the visitor center as you head into the park, at the base of the first switchback. It starts as an obvious dirt path, but you’ll quickly have to do some stream-hopping and the trail becomes trickier to follow.
At some point, stream-hopping becomes bouldering. It’s fun and not as difficult as it sounds, but you will need to scramble and scale some rocks to get to the waterfall and small sandy beach.
13. Middle Fork of Taylor Creek Trail
- Distance: 4.9 miles, out and back
- Elevation: 590 feet
- Difficulty Rating: Moderate
- Alltrails trail notes
This is a hidden gem in the Kolob Canyons. The trail passes two 1930s log cabins and involves several creek crossings, so it’s one of the more family-friendly hikes in Zion.
Just past the cabins, the trail gets especially beautiful as you start to go into one of the sandstone finger canyons. Where the trail ends is actually its best point: Double Arch Alcove. Try to time it for golden hour just before sunset, when the sandstone looks like it’s glowing.
14. West Bank of the Virgin River
- Distance: 5.9 miles out and back
- Elevation gain: 610 feet
- Difficulty rating: Easy
- Alltrails trail notes
The West Bank trail gets overshadowed by more famous easy hikes in Zion, namely Lower Emerald Pools and the Grotto Trail. But for just a bit more distance and hardly any additional effort, you can see both of them on this one hike.
Get off at either the Canyon Junction or Court of the Patriarchs shuttle stops (#3 and #4, respectively), then walk along the river and finish at the Grotto. If you prefer an even shorter hike, catch a shuttle back from here instead of walking back.
15. Northgate Peaks via Kolob Terrace
- Distance: 4.2 miles out and back (*note that the AllTrails route includes extensions to both East and West Peak, which is why it’s longer with more elevation gain)
- Elevation gain: 100 feet
- Difficulty rating: Easy
- Alltrails trail notes
Tucked away in the least-visited section of Zion, the Northgate Peaks hike is drastically different from the rest of the park.
The trail starts at about 7,000 feet elevation, so it’s several degrees cooler and has alpine terrain, with ponderosa pines and wide-open views.
Start on the Wildcat Trail (the same one where the famous top-down Subway hike starts) and go an easy two miles through shaded forest and open wildflower meadows. Finish at Lava Point, a stunning viewpoint looking at the Northgate Peaks and far beyond them, Zion Canyon.
Best time to go hiking in Zion National Park
For the best hiking experience, visit Zion in early or late spring (February or April), or the fall (October and November). These “shoulder seasons” help avoid the heaviest crowds, plus take advantage of spectacular weather. Daytime temperatures are comfortable and cool, but still sunny almost all the time.
If you must come during the busiest summer months, get to the park as early as possible. Not only does Zion get extremely crowded (so much so that entrances frequently close temporarily), but temperatures creep into the 90s most days.
Another thing to know is that Zion is prone to monsoons and flash flooding from July through September. It can still be a great time to visit, but have a backup plan in case weather forces the park to close, as well as an emergency exit plan. Flash floods truly come out of nowhere and could leave roads or trails impassable.
America the Beautiful Annual Park Pass
If you’re planning to visit more than one of Utah’s “Mighty 5” National Parks, we’d highly encourage you to look into getting an annual park pass. At $35 per vehicle, entering Zion, along with most other national parks in the U.S., can be expensive.
For just $80 per year, you can purchase the America the Beautiful park pass. This pass grants you free access to all of the national parks. Plus it also covers your entrance to over 2,000 natural, historical, and recreational sites across the United States.
If you still need convincing, check out our article: America the Beautiful Annual Park Pass: Is it Worthwhile?
What to pack for hiking in Zion
- Navigation: we recommend using Alltrails+ to download the offline trail map
- Get your first week of using Alltrails+ for FREE when you sign up using our link!
- National Park Pass (if you have one)
- Hiking daypack
- Water bottles and/or bladder for your Camelbak
- Bug repellant
- Sun protection: sunscreen, hat, sun glasses
- Headlamp
- Camera/tripod (this one’s our favorite for hiking)
- Hiking layers (here is a great resource if you’re wondering what to wear hiking)
- Comfortable hiking shoes or Chacos
- Hiking poles (optional)
- Plenty of snacks: check out our favorite hiking snacks here!
Be sure to download our FREE hiking packing list before your next trip and never leave another essential behind again!
Roundup of easy hikes in Zion National Park
Here’s a roundup of all the easy hikes in Zion National Park so you can see everything in one place.
- Northgate Peaks via Kolob Terrace
- Zion Canyon Overlook
- Zion Narrows Riverside Walk
- Pa’rus Trail
- Lower Emerald Pool Trail
- Timber Creek Overlook
- Zion Grotto Trail
- Lower Clear Creek (The Hobbit Hole)
- Archaeology Trail
- East Mesa Trail to Blew by Peak
- Emerald Pools
- The Watchman Trail
- Lower Pine Creek Waterfall Trail
- Middle Fork of Taylor Creek Trail
- Westbank of the Virgin River
You may also like…
- Cool Utah Slot Canyons You Can Hike Through
- The Narrows Hike: Trail Guide for Zion National Park
- Ultimate Zion to Bryce Canyon National Park Road Trip Itinerary
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We want to hear from you!
Have you done any of the easy hikes in Zion on this list? What was your experience like? Are you planning a trip to Zion National Park and want more advice? Comment below and let us know!
