Canyon Overlook Trail (Zion) Hiking Guide
Canyon Overlook is Zion's best short payoff on the east side: half a mile of ledges and sandstone steps from the east end of the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel to a fenced cliff edge looking down Pine Creek into lower Zion Canyon. It isn't on the shuttle line, parking is tight, and right now the highway that normally links it to Springdale is closed west of the tunnel.
Permit: No permit is needed for the trail, but driving the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway counts as entering the park, even just to pass through. A private vehicle pays $35 (good for up to 7 days) and a motorcycle $30; the $70 Zion annual pass and the America the Beautiful pass are accepted. Non-US residents 16 and over add $100 per person unless they hold one of those annual passes. Cards are preferred, but cash is accepted.
Length and Footing
AllTrails lists the out-and-back at 1.2 miles with 275 feet of gain and 30 minutes to an hour on foot. The park's East Rim trail page gives 1 mile round trip, 163 feet of elevation change and about an hour. Footing is mostly bare rock with some packed soil and loose sand, starting with sandstone steps and a metal handrail above a dark slot canyon. There are long drop-offs, mostly fenced, a few tall steps and spots where the rock overhangs the trail at head height.
The View
The trail ends at a railed overlook facing west down Pine Creek Canyon toward the main canyon, with the Towers of the Virgin across the way and the cream and red slickrock opening up around you in the last stretch. The park asks hikers to keep an eye out for bighorn sheep along the trail; if you spot some, give them room.
Highway Closure After the 2026 Rockfall
A large rockfall on September 30, 2026 closed the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway. The park has since reopened the road from the East Entrance as far as the Great Arch pullout, which includes the tunnel and this trailhead at its east end, but the stretch down to Canyon Junction remains closed to cars, bikes and walkers with no reopening date. Until that changes, you can't drive here from Springdale through the park; come in through the East Entrance and confirm current status on the park's alerts before you go.
Parking and Vehicle Limits
The small lot sits beside the highway just east of the tunnel, and the park describes parking as extremely limited, so be ready to loop back and try again. Pit toilets are in the parking area. The park enforces size limits on the whole highway between Canyon Junction and the East Entrance: vehicles wider than 7 feet 10 inches or taller than 11 feet 4 inches, including mirrors and racks, or longer than 35 feet 9 inches as a single vehicle, are turned around.
Best Times
Early arrivals have the best shot at a parking space, and the hike takes about an hour, so it fits around a drive. Most of the footing is bare rock in full sun, which heats up on summer afternoons; in winter, snow and ice can coat the steps and ledges, and the park says the highway itself sometimes closes for snow, ice or rockfall.
Hiking tips for Canyon Overlook Trail (Zion)
- Measure your rig before the trip; mirrors, bike racks and rooftop boxes all count toward the tunnel limits.
- Keep children close; the park notes long drop-offs along the route, and not all of them are fenced.
- If the lot is full, don't park on the shoulder; the park cites and tows vehicles outside marked spaces.
- Wear shoes with grip; the sandstone steps get slick with sand and, in winter, ice.
- Check the park alerts the morning you go; the highway reopening plan can change week to week.
Nearby trails to explore
- Observation Point via East Mesa Trail
- Pa'rus Trail
- Riverside Walk (Zion)
Hike this trail with TrailMates
Canyon Overlook is a quick hike that's easy to pair with an east-side road day. Use TrailMates to find Zion hikers driving in from the East Entrance. Download the TrailMates app to connect.