Overview
Unlike other National Parks, Zion is fairly small and therefore only offers a few multi-day treks. This multi-day point-to-point trek takes you from one corner of the park to the other. It is known as the longest hike in Zion and allows you to see incredible scenery that many day hikers never witness. Along the way you will see many of Zion’s most beautiful sites including: Bear Trap Canyon, Kolob Arch, Hop Valley, Wildcat Canyon, Northgate Peaks, West Rim, and Angel’s Landing.
Logistics
Location: Zion National Park, Utah
Distance: 47.3 miles roundtrip
Difficulty: Difficult
Our Hike Time: 4 days, 3 nights (recommend 5 days/4 nights)
Route Type: Point-to-point (Lee Pass Trailhead to East Entrance Trailhead)
Elevation gain: 10,252 feet
Trailhead: Lee Pass Trailhead (NW corner of park). Note since the trailheads are relatively remote, your best bet is to have 2 cars within your group and leave one at each end of the trail. Otherwise, you can schedule a paid drop-off and stash your car at the other entrance.
Costs: $35/car park entrance fee + $5 online reservation fee + permit fee (based on group size: $15 for 1-2 people, $20 for 3-7 people) + shuttle arrangement (optional)
When to go: April – June or September – October
Permits Required: Yes. Make reservations in advance to guarantee your spot on the trail. They are available 3 months in advance. Apply via the National Park Service’s Zion Wilderness Reservations page. Note: Even if you have a reservation, you must check-in and pick up your permit(s) at the Zion National Park Visitor Center or Kolob Canyons Visitors Center before starting the trek. Only 2 of the 4 campsites on the trek can be reserved in advance (La Verkin Creek Camp Area & West Rim Camp Site), the other 2 nights require permits that are awarded on a “first-come-first-serve” basis. These spots are along Wildcat Canyon and the East Rim Trail for nights two and four respectively. When you check-in and pick up your reserved permits at the park, the rangers will issue the additional 2 permits — essentially allowing you to camp on certain sections of the trail. There are no designated campsites for these 2 nights but the number of people allowed to camp on the trail is limited so aim to grab your permits in the morning. More info on applying for permits here. If you are unable to make a reservation, you may get lucky because one-third of backpacking permits are reserved for walk-ups (available the day before or day of your trek).
Dogs Allowed: No
Wildlife on Trail: Mule deer, foxes, bats, bighorn sheep, rock squirrels, and mice.
Food Storage: Rodent resistant container
Water: Needs to be well-planned, as your trip approaches be sure to check out Zion National Park’s water source info. When retrieving your permits you can ask park rangers for advice and check out the signs at the Visitor’s Center indicating which springs are flowing. Be sure to filter/clean your water with Chlorine Dioxide Drops and a Sawyer water filter.
Fires: Banned
Tips
Drop water off at Hop Valley Trailhead before starting the trek so you don’t have to carry as much water. There is grazing cattle along Hop Valley and therefore the water is not safe to drink. You will reach the Hop Valley Trailhead right before hopping on the Connector Trail. From the town of Springville, it's a 40 minute drive one way to where you will drop the water off.
Save offline Google Maps of Utah to navigate when you lose service (as there is no service in most of the park backcountry).
Don’t forget to pack: water shoes, sun screen, handkerchief (it gets dusty), water-flavoring like MiO (the water isn’t great in Zion).
Current Trail Conditions
Day-By-Day Breakdown
Day 0:
Pickup permits from Visitor Center, drop water off at the Hop Valley Trailhead (as a water refill), and arrange transportation to trailhead.
Day 1: Lee Pass to La Verkin Creek
Optional add-on: Kolab Arch (additional 1 mile, .5 each way). Although this is the fourth longest arch in the world, I personally didn't think it was worth the trip. The arch sits high off in the distance so you don't get a great view of it and the flies were attacking us so we took a quick picture and got out of there. If you decide to add the hike, be sure to leave your bags at the base to give your shoulders a break.
Optional add-on: Bear Trap Canyon waterfall hike (East of campsite 13) from campsite 12 it takes approximately 2 hours to go there and back. Although it made for a strenuous first day, the hike through the red canyons were beautiful and the waterfall was lovely. We set up camp and took a breather before heading out. Be sure to bring water shoes as you have to cross many streams.
Day 2: Le Verkin Creek to Hop Valley to Connector Trail to Wildcat Canyon Trail
If you cached water at Hop Valley Trailhead, you will pick it up today. Note: There’s no clean water along Hop Valley Trail due to the livestock grazing. We camped along Northgate Peaks trail.
Day 3: Wildcat Canyon Trail to West Rim Trail
Noteworthy sites: The West Canyon
Tip: Try to get campsites numbers 1-6.
Day 4: West Rim Trail to Angel’s Landing to East Rim Trail
From the base of Angel’s Landing, you can take the Zion Canyon shuttle to the Zion Lodge for a nice break and a cheeseburger! After eating, take the Grotto trailhead to the Weeping Rock trailhead to start hiking up the East Rim Trail. Note: No camping is allowed in Echo Canyon, so you’ll have to reach the top of the east plateau.
Noteworthy sites: Angel’s Landing
Tip: Be sure to start early, as this will be the most difficult yet most beautiful day of the trek!
Day 5: Finish the East Rim Trail to East Entrance Trailhead
The East Entrance parking lot is where your car should be parked!
