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Watchman Trail

The Watchman Trail is a Zion classic. The dirt path is a moderate two-mile hike with a mild 456 foot ascent that travels along the foothills beneath massive Bridge Mountain and ends at a bench near the base of the Watchman spire. Most of this trail is in full sun and through a hot desert environment, dotted with prickly pear cactus and a few other less common cacti. Many Zion National Park landmarks are visible along this hike including: Beehives, Towers of the Virgin, West Temple and the Altar of Sacrifice. The end of the trail stops at a view point of the Watchman,  a red spire rising to an elevation of 6545 feet.

Watchman Trail at a Glance
Photo Album: Watchman Pictures
Maps: Trail Map - Backcountry Map - Overview Map
Day Hike: Yes
Trail Distance: 2-mile round-trip plus there is a short, optional loop around the bench at the end of the trail.
Average Hiking Time: 2 hours
Trail Usage: Moderate
Difficulty: Easy
Sun Exposure: Full Sun.
Permits: Not required.
Trail Conditions: This is a dirt, but well maintained trail with some exposure.
Trailhead: The trailhead is near the Zion Canyon Visitor Center road, down by the Virgin River.
Trailend: Same as trailhead.
Trail Access: The Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway is open year-round.
Best Season: This is a good year-round trail, but it does get hot mid-day in the summer. When hiking in the summer months go early in the morning or later in the evening.
Off the Beaten Path: This is one of Zion's Classic hikes. Before the Jr. Ranger program, the people that ran the kid's program at the Zion Nature Center would take kids for a hike up the trail in the mornings.
Classic Zion Hike: Yes, but it is not as well advertised as most of Zion's classic hikes.
Starting Elevation: 3963 feet Highest Elevation: 4419 feet Elevation Gain: 456 feet
Restrooms: Zion Canyon Visitor Center

Trail - Park at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center located at the far south side of Zion National Park. Note the small sign north of the Visitor Center, by the Virgin River, pointing out the path to the Watchman Trailhead. Follow the dirt path that runs along the river. Walk across the employee use road to the trailhead.  This is a good early morning or late evening trail, but mid-day hikes are not recommended in the summer because the trail is in full sun and high temperatures are generally encountered that time of day.  Allow two hours for this hike. Begin the hike by heading north up the trail. Follow the path as it switchbacks past layers of sandstone, junipers, pinon pines and prickly pear cactus. The path itself runs steadily uphill toward a drainage at the bend then winds around and connects with the start of the loop trail, finally revealing the Watchman spire. The hike is not to the Watchman itself, but a view point to see it.

Directions to Zion National Park From the North: Travel I-15 south, past Beaver. Exit on Hwy 20. Follow US-89 to Mount Carmel Junction. Take SR-9 to Zion's east entrance. From Arizona: Travel US-89A through Fredonia, Arizona and Kanab Utah. Follow US-89 to Mount Carmel Junction. Take SR-9 to the east park entrance. From the South: Travel I-15 north. Take exit 16 and travel through Hurricane to LaVerkin. Continue on SR-9 to the south entrance of the park. SR-9 through Zion National Park is always open and is also called the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway.			Zion Photo: My son and grandson at the trailhead for the Watchman Trail. This is a great hike for the cooler seasons of the year. It is located near the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, rather than in Zion Canyon.
	Zion National Park Lodging Lodging and services are available in East Zion. The main road through Zion, the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway (SR-9) is open year-round, and is not a route the Zion Canyon Shuttle takes. Zion Canyon is deep inside the park. Towering 3000' walls form a slot canyon, forged by the violent rush of torrent water over millions of years. From late March to late October access through the six mile stretch of road is via the Zion Canyon Shuttle, the rest of the year the canyon is accessed in private vehicles.

Trail History - The Watchman Trail was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, or better known as the CCC.  The finished  1934. At one time there was talk about extending the trail into Parunuweap Canyon but environmental conditions would not allow further construction. There was a trail built that went up the gully to the north of the actual Watchman. It was built with wooden ladders and was supposed to eventually lead to Parunuweap. The trail was never completed. In 1998 you could still hike up the gully to the shoulder using the ladders, but a year later a debris flow washed out a lot of the historical ladders.

History of the Thunderbird