Best Viewpoint Hikes Without a Permit: The Watchman Trail & Observation Point (East Mesa)

What if you missed the Angels Landing permit lottery, or dislike heights and narrow chains, yet still want a panoramic viewpoint over Zion Canyon? Two remarkable trails require no permits, and one of them stands 215 metres (700 feet) higher than the summit of Angels Landing.

1. The Best Sunset Hike: 'The Watchman Trail' (5.0 km Round-Trip, 112m Gain, 1.5 to 2 Hours)

Starting 100 metres behind the Zion Canyon Visitor Center (Shuttle Stop #1, with no shuttle bus needed), the Watchman Trail climbs steady sandstone switchbacks up the eastern flank of the lower canyon to a loop plateau beneath the Watchman spire (1,995m):

• Why Everyone Loves It: there are no sheer drop-offs or chains, it stays snow-free all winter, and the upper loop viewpoint looks across at the Towers of the Virgin, the West Temple, Springdale and lower Zion Canyon. Start 90 minutes before sunset or early in the morning.

2. The Highest View in Zion Canyon: 'Observation Point via the East Mesa Trail' (11.2 km Round-Trip, 100m Gain, 3 Hours)

That famous top-down postcard photo of the S-curve of Zion Canyon with Angels Landing looking like a tiny fin 215 metres below you is taken from Observation Point (1,983m). While the old trail from Weeping Rock on the canyon floor is closed due to a 2019 rockslide, you can reach Observation Point from the upper plateau in East Zion via the gentle East Mesa Trail (no permit needed):

• How to Reach the Trailhead: drive 25 minutes east of the Mount Carmel Tunnel toward Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort. Because the final 3 miles of dirt road get deeply rutted, park at Zion Ponderosa Ranch and take their round-trip Hiker Shuttle Van (running spring to autumn; check the resort site for shuttle bookings) to the trailhead, then walk 5.6 km through flat ponderosa-pine forest out to the 600-metre cliff edge of Observation Point.