The Ultimate Southwest Vacation includes Zion National Park, Utah!
Stay in Mount Carmel Junction, the heart of the parks, and
visit the treasures of the Southwest.
Zion Park 12 miles
Grand Staircase 9 miles
Sand Dunes 11 miles
Dixie Forest 22 miles
Cedar Breaks 45 miles
Red Canyon 47 miles
Coyote Butte 57 miles
Bryce Canyon 60 miles
North Rim 85 miles
Toroweap 90 miles
Plan your Zion National Park Vacation with our Utah Maps and
Information
In these pages you will find insiders information on Zion National
Park lodging, adventures and hikes. This detailed guide includes road maps, park
maps, pictures, trail beta, backpacking, history, fees, geology, flora, fauna,
campgrounds, things for kids to do and even information on Zion's hidden treasures.
Making summer memories in the Utah National Parks and National
Monuments.
Directions to Zion National Park From Salt Lake City: Travel I-15 south, past Beaver.
Exit on Hwy 20. Follow US-89 to Mount Carmel Junction. Take U-9 to Zion's east
entrance. From Arizona: Travel 89A through Fredonia, Arizona
and Kanab Utah. Follow US-89 to to Mount Carmel Junction. Take U-9 to the east
park entrance. From Las Vegas: Travel I-15 north. Take exit 16 and
travel through Hurricane. Make a right on U-9 at the second traffic light in
LaVerkin. Continue on U-9 to the south entrance of the park. U-9 through Zion
National Park is always open and is also called the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway.
The Lower Emerald Pool is a favorite of families with kids.
The path also leads to two more unique pools which are more difficult than Weeping
Rock or Riverside Walk, but it is still an acceptable hike for older children.
Trail History: The Emerald Pools Trail was completed in 1925
and named due to the green tint the algae gives the three pools. Rock slides
have changed the trail system over the years. Heaps Canyon and Behunin Canyon
were named after Mormon pioneers from the late 1800's. The old stone building
at the Grotto is the original Zion National Park Visitor Center, the second visitor
center is now the Zion Human History Museum.
Beta: Coordinates and other trail and canyoneering information
by Zion Park search and rescue veteran team member Bo
Beck and www.zionnational-park.com author Tanya Milligan.
To post trip reports, offer corrections, updates, or for more
information please visit the Zion
National Park Forum
Suggested
Gear: A sturdy pair of shoes are recommend to hike the trails in Zion National
Park. Many quality shoes will help grip the rocks and prevent injury. Experienced
Zion hikers and canyoneers like the La Sportiva Exum Ridge. This shoe is great
for hiking, bouldering and canyoneering.
Emerald Pools is one of Zion's sweetest signature trails. Generously endowed with breathtaking scenery, this trail is one that children and adults alike will have fun hiking. Waterfalls, pools and a dazzling display of monoliths create the Emerald Pools Trail System.
Emerald Pools at a Glance
Photo Album: Emerald
Pools Pictures Trail Map: Emerald Pools Map Map: Zion
National Park Map Day Hike: Yes Trail Distance: 3 miles round trip Lower Pool: .6 mile one way. 30 minutes. 69'
ascent. Middle Pools: 1 mile one way. 1 hour. 150' ascent. Upper Pool: 1.5 miles one way. 1.5 hour. 350' ascent. Kayenta
Trail: 1 mile one way. 1 hour. 150' ascent. Accessible Trail: The lower pool only. Trail Usage: Heavy in the summer. One of the three
most used trails in the park. Difficulty: Lower Pool - Easy. Middle Pool - Moderate.
Upper Pool - Moderately Strenuous. Sun Exposure: Full sun in most places. Permits:
Not needed Trail Conditions: Well maintained. Paved lower trail.
Dirt and rock, middle and upper trails. Trailhead: Footbridge across the road from the Zion
Lodge. Trailend: Exiting on the Emerald Pools Trails leads
to the Zion Lodge. The Kayenta
Trail exit leads to the Grotto Picnic area. Best Season: Year-round.
Trail Access: Late March to November, park at the Zion
Canyon Visitor Center, and ride the shuttle. The rest of the year, drive into
Zion Canyon and park at the Emerald Pools parking lot.
Off
the Beaten Path: No, this is
a popular trail. Classic Zion Hike: Yes Elevation Gain: Lower Pool - 69'. Middle Pool - 150'.
Upper Pool - 350'. Kayenta to Middle Pool - 150'. Restrooms: Zion Lodge and Grotto picnic area. Water Availability: Water bottles can be filled at
the Grotto picnic area or the Zion Lodge.
See our vacation planning section for classic Zion National Park trails or glance at our favorite Zion National Park trails list or choose from a complete Zion National Park hiking guide. Get on the Zion Canyon Shuttle to hike the trail on this page.
Emerald Pools Trail System
Lower Emerald Pool At the trailhead, choose the scenic Lower Emerald Pool
Trail rather than the steeper Middle Emerald Pool Trail. Much of the paved lower
trail is shaded by cottonwood and boxelder trees as it winds along the North
Fork of the Virgin River. It's just over a half-mile to the lush alcove of the
lower pool. Moisture seeps from sandstone and mist sprays from the falls, feeding
lush hanging gardens in the recessed rock. Ferns and moss sprout from the mountainside
with an occasional monkey flower, shooting star or delicate columbine peering
from the more subtle vegetation. The trail ducks behind twin waterfalls, spilling
from the middle pools, leaving black streaks of desert varnish behind. Droplets
dance off boulders that have fallen from above, now lining the pool of mossy
green water.
Middle Emerald Pools Trail Continue behind the falls. The unpaved trail
emerges into sunlight, leading to the middle pools. After a couple of short switchbacks,
and a gain of over 100' in elevation, hikers come to the plateau of the middle
pools. At the middle pools, shallow streams cross the trail, before the water
spills over the lip to the lower pool. The first middle pool is formed by the
Behunin Canyon watershed - one of Zion's drier canyoneering routes. Next, just
over the ridge, the second middle pool is created by the Heaps Canyon watershed
- one of Zion's most difficult canyoneering routes. After a storm, when water
is flowing in Heaps Canyon and Behunin
Canyon, the waterfalls become profuse.
Watch that children never stray near the overhanging ledge, past the chained
areas, where algae and slippery rock result in unsafe footing.
A gallery of Zion landmarks compete for attention from the lofty perch of
the middle pools, but Red Arch Mountain is center stage. Lady Mountain, one of
the original trails in Zion
Canyon, towers almost 3000' above the canyon floor.
The difficulty of maintaining the "via feratta" of Lady
Mountain and
nearly impossible conditions for rescue forced the park to disassemble the chains
and ladders along the trail and discontinue promotion of the hike in the 1970's.
Looking north, glimpses of Mount Majestic and Cathedral Mountain are observed.
Upper Emerald Pool Trail The trail leading to the Upper Emerald Pool is
on the ridge between the two middle pools. Though most of the foot traffic ends
at the spur to the upper pool, where the trail becomes more rugged and steep,
the upper pool at the end is worth every step. This secluded oasis is framed
by colossal cliffs on three sides. Watch for canyoneers rappelling from Heaps
Canyon down the backside of the boulder-rimmed pool.
Kayenta Trail
There are three ways to enter or exit the Emerald Pools Trail
System, so unlike most of Zion's trails there is no need to backtrack. For a
variation on the exit, take either the Middle Emerald Pools Trail back to where
the trail began or the Kayenta Trail to the Grotto. If exiting via the Kayenta
Trail, after the shuttles have shut down for the season, (November-March) follow
the .5 mile Grotto Trail back to the Emerald Pools parking area, located across
the road from the Zion Lodge.
Best Trail Features: The pools and waterfalls are the attraction here, but
the surrounding scenery is outstanding as well. The paved lower trail is a treat
for kids and nice for parents pushing a stroller.
And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet
and the winds long to play with your hair. Nature reaches out to us with welcoming
arms, and bids us enjoy her beauty; but we dread her silence and rush into the
crowded cities, there to huddle like sheep fleeing from a ferocious wolf.
