The Watchman

The Watchman Trail is a family friendly 3 mile trail. This trail is often ignored by the visitors even though it goes along the famous pa’rus bike trail. Zion visitors are attracted to other interesting trails such as The Narrows and Angel's Landing, etc. The trail does not take you completely to the top of the Watchman Mountain, but the view of the south peak from the viewpoint is outstanding. The trail is not shaded as it continues through the desert surroundings, with prickly cactus and other cacti plants along the route. You can observe several landmarks along the route including Towers of the Virgin, Beehives, Altar of Sacrifice and West Temple. At the finish point you can view a red spear mounting with an altitude of 6,545 feet.

Detailed Description:

The trail begins at the Zion Visitor Center. Take a few steps towards the Route-9 road which take you to the trailhead along the east bank of the Virgin River. The trail may seem a little inconvenient starting out, as it follows along the banks of the Virgin River, before going behind housing construction materials. Once the trail leads into the hills, there you can enjoy the real beauty of the area. The scenery is enchanting. After a mile of hiking, the trail gets tougher as you have to climb uphill where you’ll go across a small valley to reach the top at the first level of the cliffs beyond the main canyon.

Additional Info:

The Visitor Center was in a different location before 1990, when it was moved to its current location. Before the Visitor Center moved to it’s new location, the Watchman trail was located further towards the north. After the visitor center was relocated, the NPs had closed the old trail section down. According to some old reports, the trail was originally made as a route leading south into the Parunuweap Canyon.

Many people don’t know about this trial. For hikers who are looking for an easy, pleasant hike, can enjoy this hike especially during mornings. Those looking to be away from the crowd can choose this route for a peaceful trip. The trial is an easy hike. The hike only gets tough in a few spots, otherwise there are no narrows or terrifying sections, but you may have to climb on cliff edges in some areas of the trail. Visit The Watchmen Trail for a unique experience.