East Rim Trail

The East Rim Trail runs along the eastern rim of Zion Canyon, connecting a trailhead just inside the park's East Entrance to Weeping Rock deep in the main canyon — 10.8 miles end to end, with roughly 1,000 feet of climbing on the east side and a steep 2,400-foot drop into the canyon on the west. Right now it isn't possible to hike the whole thing: the section through Echo Canyon down to Weeping Rock has been closed since a 2019 rockfall off Cable Mountain, and a second rockfall in the area in November 2023 reinforced concerns about ongoing instability — there's no announced reopening date. Day hikers can still go out from the East Entrance Trailhead to Cable Mountain, Deertrap Mountain, and Observation Point without a permit. Overnight camping on the East Rim, Cable Mountain, or Deertrap Mountain requires a wilderness permit from the Zion Canyon Visitor Center (camping is not allowed in Echo Canyon itself).

Know before you go

• No permit needed for day hikes; overnight stays require a wilderness permit
• Weeping Rock–Echo Canyon section closed due to rockfall hazard
• Water is unreliable — Stave Spring is the only seasonal source