Watchman Trail

Fun trail with great views. It’s a moderate hike. The trail has narrow parts with a stream running below.

This was one of the last hikes we did at Zion. After doing Angel’s Landing, Riverside Walk and chilling near The Narrows, we wanted to do something less strenuous and this was the perfect hike for it. Although this trail pales in comparison with other trails at Zion, I enjoyed a pretty calm and relatively safe hike. It starts near the Visitor Center and along the river. After that, there is a clear trail uphill and you just follow. It took us about 30min to get to the top of the Watchman Trail. At the top, there is a nice scenery of the canyon which is perfect for photos.
I enjoyed this trail but I wouldn’t say is a must hike. I recommend it if you have extra time at Zion. Definitely fmaily friendly hike!

I started out early hoping to get a good view of the rising sun. Although the trail is relatively easy compared to some of the other hikes at Zion, it doesn’t offer the same jaw-​dropping views. Nevertheless, It’s a good warm up hike. The park also offers ranger-​led hikes up here so check with the visitor’s center for more info.

The trailhead is across from the visitor center. It runs along the river, then crosses a road and the up some hills. It’s a moderate trail but I wouldn’t take anyone younger than 5 or 6. There’s a part with a narrow, steep slope up the mountainside. One wrong step and kids or anyone else would tumble a long way down. Good photo ops along the way and ends at an overlook with a great view of the canyon.

My husband and I picked this trail at random, because we had time to kill and did everything we wanted to do in both Zion and Bryce Canyon. It’s a pretty easygoing hike, but compared to everything else in the area, nothing spectacular. I wouldn’t go out of my way to do this trail.

First stop and a great warm up for what’s to come at Zion. We stumbled upon this trail because we thought it lead up to trails further up in Zion. We were wrong, BUT, we are a pretty easy going couple so it didn’t phase us too much. My advice, if you are new to Zion and want to hike some of the bigger trails inside, make sure to read that little newspaper they give you, many of the trails inside you’ll have to take the shuttle to get to. We didn’t know that but that’s okay, it was one hike down and a few more to go.
The weather when we arrived in Utah was beautiful, slightly overcast with breezes to boot. The perfect weather for this type of hike. I would say that this hike is manageble for most people. We saw children and families coming up when we were heading down so it’s certainly one the whole family can enjoy. There are some nice views of the campgrounds and the mountains towards the beginning of the hike that set you up for more gorgeousness deeper in the park. The length of the trail is more on the short side but I think there must have been an offshoot somewhere because we saw another couple heading down from somewhere and we had no idea where they came from. Fun times when you see random people coming out of the mountain.
Another thing to look out for here or when hiking any trail with trees, there was a tree that fell about 50 up and to the side of the trail, so be careful and keep your eyes and ears open and aware at all times. It’s nature and though it’s a park, animals are wild and erosion happens.
Like the other trails in Zion and in the desert make sure you’re stocked up with water and provisions, it gets hot after hiking the rocky terrain towards the top.
We did this hike right before Angel’s landing, just so you know, don’t do this. We were exhausted and really hungry after Angel’s landing! BUT, it’s very doable if you do this hike and maybe the hike up to the first emerald pool :)

I agree with Philip N’s review that if you’re comparing this place to other hiking spots it may be a solid 4 because of the great scenery of the orange rocks and mountains. However, compared to other spots in Zion it definitely does not compare.
I hiked this trail in 104 degree weather which made it much more strenuous. At first it runs along the brown stream of water and then it hits and runs along a road. You can see a home/​campsite during the trail which makes you feel like you’re less in nature. You’ll see a lot of cacti along the trail which is nice.
There are slight inclines with rocks as steps. This is the trail right next to the Visitor Center so it’s not deep into Zion.

If you are going to compare this trail with ones you find nearby cities like San Diego or Los Angeles, it’s a solid 4. However, in Zion, it’s a 2.5 because there are many other trails I would recommend if your time is limited.
It’s very tempting to go on this trail because it’s right next to the Zion Visitor Center and it’s only 2.7 miles round-​trip (with a net elevation change of only 370 ft). For both those reasons, it was the first trail I hiked in Zion and I was so disappointed. I had heard so much hype from my friends that Zion was gorgeous – even more gorgeous than Bryce or the Grand Canyon. Having just gone to both, all I thought was «Uh, no it’s not» while I hiked this trail. But since I was going to be in Zion two days, I tried my darndest to be optimistic from the start.
I saw a pretty red flower and I was like «Oh, this is gorgeous!» It wasn’t that gorgeous.
When I reached the top, I tried to convince myself «This is stunning!» It really wasn’t. Not shabby, but not stunning either.
This trail is not the most exciting hike nor does it have the most stunning viewpoints. It is mainly a moderately-​easy hike (IMHO) that was earthy and pleasant. For me, Zion is all about the lush green and this trail does not do the that representation justice.
I would not recommend starting nor ending your trip with this hike.