The Zion Traverse is a 35 mile point-to-point backpacking route in Zion National Park in southwest Utah. It is a well-marked and well-maintained trail that can be hiked in 2-4 days, but requires permits and advance planning.
Region: Southwest (Zion National Park, Utah)
Distance: 35 miles (optional side trails for 5.4 additional miles)
Physical Difficulty: Moderate
- Two-mile section of trail is through sand
- Minimum distance hiked one day is ~12 miles
- Several long water carries
Logistical Difficulty: Moderate
- Permits are necessary
- Point-to-point, must shuttle or hitchhike
- Clearly marked trails
Season: Spring, Fall
Elevation (average): 6,500 feet
Total Elevation Gain: 4,885 feet (-6,670 feet)
Hiking the Zion Traverse Trail
This route crosses Zion National Park from the northwest to the southeast and showcases an amazing sampling of the park while avoiding the infamous national park crowds until the last three miles. The route is usually traveled from north to south and passes by Angels Landing near the end of the trail (hence the crowds). We started at Lee Pass Trailhead in the northwest corner of the park. This trailhead is not used as much as those along the scenic highway, and you will see very few people in this area of the park.
The trail starts with a long descent through a wooded area and has some incredible overlooks of the mountains and Kolob Canyons. Next, you come to the river and follow it through the canyon until reaching your campsite for the evening. There is an optional side hike to Kolob Arch, which I recommend. This is a beautiful area where you are surrounded by the colorful red rock Zion is known for.
The second day, you will continue through the canyon with some minor climbs and will end up in a cattle pasture on private land (they have an agreement with the national park). This sounds boring, but the views from this section were some of my favorites—lots of beautiful red mountains in every direction with happy cows grazing nearby! After this, you reach the section of trail through sand (great for working on those calf muscles). Here you get overlooks of rock-climbing areas. This section is very exposed and there is little shade. The trail continues into the center of the park where the landscape becomes more sparse. The second evening we camped alongside a canyon.
On day three, you pass through a dense forest, which was the only section of the trail I didn’t think had jaw-dropping beauty. However, the views of the afternoon made up for it as we reached the West Rim Trail and the 360-degree views of the heart of Zion. There are some great campsites here with amazing overlooks.
On day four, we continued along the West Rim Trail with some ups and downs carved out from the rock on the mountain. This brings you to Angels Landing and MANY tourists, which can be a shock after seeing almost no one. After your optional detour to Angels Landing (permits required), continue down a paved trail of switchbacks to reach the shuttle on the scenic highway. This trail is a wonderful showcase of the beauty and diversity within Zion.
Note: The Zion Traverse used to continue to East Zion, but a rockfall on the Weeping Rock Trail in August 2019 has made it impossible to continue the hike past the scenic drive. We asked some locals about when this trail could be reopened and the answers ranged from 10 to 40 years. Prior to the rockslide the trail was very unstable and getting approval to make a new trail in a national park is a very complicated process. I wouldn’t plan on being able to do the full Zion Traverse including East Zion for many more years.
Zion Traverse Permits
Zion National Park permits are found here.
We started looking at backcountry / camping permits in mid-September for any weekend in October (about 4-6 weeks out). There was only one weekend that still had available campsites. Camping in Zion is all reservation based, but there is some walk-in availability and some locations where you can choose your site when you arrive, though you still need to reserve in advance.
There are three main camping areas: Kolob Canyons, Wildcat Canyon, and West Rim. For Kolob Canyons, the ideal sites are 7, 8, 9, and 10 because staying here cuts down your mileage for the second day and allows you to take the short side trip to Kolob Arch.
Wildcat Canyon is an at-large camping area, so you do not need to book a specific site. We found it a little challenging to find a good campsite in this area, so be sure to ask the rangers for advice.
The West Rim campsites I would recommend are 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Campsites 1 and 2 are near a seasonal water source, we stayed at 2 and had an incredible view of the canyon.
For the Kolob Canyons and West Rim campsites, only half are available online, the other half are walk-ins. We booked sites online and “upgraded” to some walk-in sites when we picked up our permit. Personally, we were unwilling to risk not securing a permit.
Be prepared for permit pickup to take 30-60 minutes. The backcountry office issues many different permits that must be picked up in person, so this was a much longer line than I have seen in other national parks.
*Adding Angels Landing requires an additional permit which is fairly competitive. There are rangers stationed at the beginning of this hike checking permits at all times. You can learn more about the options for securing this permit here.
How to Get to the Zion Traverse
Closest Major City: Las Vegas, Nevada (150 miles)
Trailhead 1– Lee Pass Trailhead
Trailhead 2– The Grotto (you cannot drive here, must take the free shuttle from the main visitor center)
If you do not live within driving distance, I recommend flying into Las Vegas and renting a car. Zion is about three hours from the airport and this gives you the chance to add side trips to Valley of Fire State Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, or explore other areas of Zion. You can take a shuttle from Las Vegas to Zion, but it can take seven hours and involves a layover in St. George. We landed in Las Vegas at 10 p.m. and stayed at a dispersed camping site about halfway and finished the drive in the morning.
Because this hike is point-to-point, you must car shuttle, hire an outfitter, or hitchhike. We only had one rental car, so we hired an outfitter to shuttle us between the two trailheads. There were two options that we could find last fall, but now I see many other options. We used Red Rock Shuttle for a ride from Springdale to Lee Pass Trailhead departing at 9 a.m. The cost was $55 per person with a four-person minimum (including other parties) or they cancel. This is the lowest price I have seen.
We did meet two guys at Lee Pass Trailhead who hitchhiked. They said they got a ride to La Verkin, and then were able to pay someone about $40 to get a ride to the Lee Pass Trailhead. If you are flexible on time, this could be an acceptable option but it isn’t very reliable considering how out of the way the starting trailhead is from a town or another point of interest.
We parked our car at the main Zion National Park visitor center and walked about a mile to the outfitter to get on the shuttle. The parking at the outfitter was $20/day, but the Zion Visitor Center has free overnight parking for those with backcountry permits. It can be hard to get a parking spot at the visitor center during the busy season, so make sure to get there early.
Because this is a national park, there is an entrance fee. You can either buy a seven-day pass to Zion, use the America The Beautiful Pass, or buy an annual pass to Zion. Whatever option you choose, you must bring the pass with you on the shuttle. When you take the shuttle to Lee Pass Trailhead you are leaving the park and re-entering. We got a firm scolding for leaving our pass in our car.
At the end of our hike, we took the free park shuttle from the Grotto Trailhead back to the visitor center and retrieved our car. We stayed one more night at the main park campground and split a group campsite with other backpackers we met on the trail. I would recommend spending some time driving the highway through East Zion after your hike; there are lots of pretty places to park and explore the washes.
When to Hike the Zion Traverse Trail
The best time of year to hike this route is spring and fall. Winter can be too cold with the possibility of snow and guarantee of below-freezing temperatures at night. On the opposite side, summer is too warm for such an exposed trail with limited/seasonal water sources.
In my opinion, the best times would be April, May, September, or October. We hiked this trail the last weekend of October and experienced highs in the 50s-60s and overnight lows in the 20s. Crowding is not a big issue as this hike is permitted and there are many people who choose to just do a single night in the backcountry and hike out-and-back. There were only two other people doing the full route when we were.
Zion Traverse Sample Itinerary
Day 1: 6.5 mi. Lee Pass Trailhead to Kolab Canyons site 10
Day 2: 12.6 mi. Kolab Canyons site 10 to Wildcat Canyon
Day 3: 13 mi. Wildcat Canyon to West Rim site 2
Day 4: 4.4 mi. West Rim site 2 to The Grotto
For a sample two-day itinerary, you would only camp at Wildcat Canyon.
Zion Traverse Terrain
The trail goes back and forth between forested areas and exposed desert areas, with the primary terrain being exposed desert. The trail is very well-maintained and well-marked. The only difficulty in losing the trail would be after a snowfall. Sections of the West Rim Trail can be very muddy depending on the time of year. The entirety of the trail is well-developed and all intersections are well marked. With the GPX downloaded and this map you are more than prepared.
Zion Traverse Logistics
WAG Bag Requirement: You are required to use a WAG Bag within national park boundaries. However, this can be avoided pretty easily. There are pit toilets at the Hop Valley Trailhead and at the base of Angels Landing. Also, after passing through Wildcat Canyon there is a section of trail where you leave national park boundaries, meaning you can dig a cathole here. You should carry a WAG Bag just in case regardless.
Zion Traverse Water: There are three reliable spring water sources available that are evenly spaced out. Some of the other springs are seasonal. When picking up your permit from the backcountry office they will have detailed information about the springs. In addition, many of the shuttle companies will drop off a water cache at Hop Valley Trailhead for an additional fee or you can cache water yourself before starting. It is important to get updated information on the cyanotoxin that has been found in many creeks throughout Zion; at the time of this writing all creek and river water has been deemed unfilterable in Zion and you should avoid submerging your head in it.
Know Before You Go
I would recommend securing permits before counting on doing this trail, unless you have the time and flexibility to go to the backcountry office with several different start dates. Also, because of the exposure on this trail, weather plays a factor. Completing this trail in the depth of summer heat or winter snow would not be recommended. The Zion NP area can see extremes in both directions. It’s important to realize that extreme and unpredicted weather can emerge in this topography: hail and thunderstorms, unexpected snow, and extreme heat and cold.
Resources
Permits
National Park Service
Map
Abby Fincel resides in Missouri and is always trying to maximize her PTO to get in one more trip out West. She’s infamous to her coworkers for working a full day, flying out after work, and hitting the trail the next morning. She fell fully in love with backpacking after hiking the JMT in 2021 and spends many of her days working as a dentist daydreaming about her next outdoor adventure. When not hiking, she can be found training for marathons. She just completed her 10th marathon, in addition to running the Boston Marathon. Running and backpacking both satisfy her outdoor itch and endorphin addiction.
