Best Hidden Gem Trail in Zion
Zion National Park is very, very busy. We spent time in the west, center, and east exploring. In our opinion, the Stave Springs Trail in the east is the best way to experience it. If a long hike isn’t for you then an early morning e-bike ride in the central area of the park would be our top recommendation. Also, a quick note. The Weeping Rock Trail which connects to Stave Springs was closed when we visited. Please make sure to check the park’s current conditions before planning your hike.
The Stave Springs and East Mesa trails go to Observation Point and both are located near Zion Ponderosa Ranch. While East Mesa is shorter and has less elevation, it is far more popular than Stave Springs. And, for this reason we chose to tough it out and tackle the 9.3 miles up and down with 2,000 feet of elevation. You can find the trailhead at the end of West Pine Street. There’s a small lot which can fit about a dozen vehicles. There were only a few cars when we arrived.
The hike starts off in the woods then opens up before following along a cliff. Don’t worry, it’s wide here! Then the first big descent will be upon you. Some parts are steep but there are also switchbacks heading down. Once When you reach the bottom you’ll have 360 degree views of mountains around you. Including the one you’ll be ascending soon!
It is a bit daunting to see this especially when you know you have to climb back up what you just hiked down. There’s still some more trail before heading up though. You’ll follow a path that has plenty of cairns to help along the way. Eventually the trail starts to go up and the views of the surrounding mountains are great right away.
The best part of this trail is the great views you have the entire time. There are viewpoints around every corner when you ascend up the next switchbacks. It’s a steady climb here but take your time and stick with it as the end of this hike offers what many say is the best view in the park!
When you are nearing the top, things start to get a bit airy. There’s plenty of room to be safe, however if you are like me then this part will get to you a bit. Just stay close to the wall and don’t look out even though it’s beautiful. It will start to open up soon and give you plenty of room to take in the incredible views! Check out the main photo of this post to see what you can expect. Observation Point is “just around the corner“, or pretty close. Once you reach the top the trail will lead into the same path as East Mesa. And, this is where all the people are. We saw roughly a half dozen people during the entirety of Stave Springs and at least 30 during our short time when the trail meets and at Observation Point. However, when you get there you can see why people say it’s the best view in the park! Though, you can probably just stick to the spot in our main photo and avoid all the people if you want. It’s almost as nice and much quieter!
Angel’s Landing can be seen in the center of the above photo as well as the incredible valley below. The road in the middle is the one we e-biked for reference. Even though it was busy up top it was nothing compared to the short hike up to the narrows trail we had done previously. We must have passed a thousand people on that hike so 30 here isn’t too bad considering.
After eating our lunch we made our way back down. Same thing going down. Don’t look out, and stay close to the wall. This descent wasn’t too bad but there’s still a lot of up to go.
The weather started to turn as we made our way down. Luckily it went around us and we avoided the rain and lightning. Follow the cairns back to your next ascent and take a deep breath. This is when your legs will hurt and you’ll be ready to be back. I’m not going to lie, this is the worst part. The ascent feels much steeper going up than it did going down. We lost track of the trail a couple of times which didn’t help either. The hard part is over once you reach the top even though there’s still a bit to go. Hike along that cliff and through the meadow, back to the woods where the trailhead is.
This was one of the better hikes we’ve done. It’s challenging, lightly-trafficked, and has incredible views throughout. For those of you who want to escape the crowds to experience Zion and don’t mind a challenging hike, this is the way to do it!
