How to Day Hike the West Rim Trail in Zion National Park

The West Rim Trail is a long distance hike through Zion National Park. Starting at Lava Point, the trail slowly descends into the heart of Zion, the views getting better the farther you go.

This is a beautiful hike, but it is long and requires some advance planning. With amazing views, very few hikers on the trail, and a chance to walk the length of Zion National Park, this hike rewards your efforts.

The West Rim Trail can be hiked as a long day hike or as a two day backpacking trip. We elected to do the day hike in the top-down direction, starting at Lava Point.

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West Rim Trail Hiking Stats

Distance: 16.2 miles point-to-point (from Lava Point to The Grotto)
Starting elevation: 7900 feet at Lava Point Campground
Ending elevation: 4474 feet at The Grotto bus stop
Overall descent: 3,156 feet
It is an overall 3,156 foot descent, with 1486 feet of climbing (mostly in the mid-portion of the hike)
Difficulty: Strenuous
Length of Time: 9 – 12 hours is average, although it can take up to 16 hours, depending on your pace
When to go: May through November. Snow can block the trail during the winter and spring months.

West Rim Trail Elevation Profile

Please note: If you read other blogs and information provided by the National Park Service website, you will see the distance for this hike ranging from 14.2 to 18.5 miles. We hike with a Garmin GPS and use the stats it outputs for these hiking posts. Reading other hiker’s reports, many people also report a length of 16.2 miles for this hike.

How to Use This Map: Click the tab in the top left hand corner of the map to view the layers (points of interest and the hiking route). You can click the check marks to hide or show layers. If you click the icons on the map, you can get more information about each point of interest.

If you click the star next to the title of the map, this map will be added to your Google Maps account. To view it on your phone or computer, open Google Maps, click the menu button, go to “Your Places,” click Maps, and you will see this map on your list.

How to Get to Lava Point

The trailhead is located near Lava Point Lookout, a 45-minute to one-hour drive from Springdale. The Zion Shuttle does not provide access to this point. Getting here requires a 34-mile drive from Springdale on Kolob Terrace Road, which travels along the western boundary of Zion National Park.

There are shuttle services that you can hire to drive you from Springdale to the trailhead. We used Zion Adventure Company. Yes, this sounds expensive, but it saves you the hassle of later trying to retrieve your car from Lava Point.

I strongly recommend booking your shuttle service at least several days in advance. There are a limited number of seats and they do sell out!

How to Hike the West Rim Trail

Step-By-Step Trail Guide

Tim and I did this hike at the very beginning of May. Temperatures were in the 90’s midday, but the morning started off cool, about 65 degrees. Almost the entire first half of this hike is at the higher elevations on Horse Pasture Plateau, which keeps temperatures pleasant, even on the hottest of days.

Getting to the Trailhead

Our day started early. At 6:30 am we were on our way to the trailhead in a van with seven more hikers. This is a much different experience than waiting in line with hundreds of other people for the Zion Shuttle!

At 7:30 am we arrived at the Lava Point Lookout.

Before starting the hike, it is worth taking in the view from Lava Point Lookout. This gives you an idea of how far you will be hiking. Just in front of you is the green plateau that makes up the first part of the hike. Beyond it is the canyon of Zion National Park, your final destination.

Lava Point Overlook

From the Lava Point Campground (and your last chance to use a bathroom for quite awhile), it is a one-mile hike on Barney’s Trail to get to the official West Rim Trail trailhead. Most of this section is on a wide, gravel road.

Barneys Trail

The West Rim trailhead is marked with small, black sign. Now the trail becomes a dirt, singletrack trail along the forested plateau. Almost immediately past the trailhead is the turnoff for Wildcat Canyon Trail. Make sure you stay to the left, staying on the West Rim Trail.

On the Plateau

This first, forested section lasts quite awhile (about six to seven miles). It’s a cool, somewhat shady trail with a slight overall decline. This part of the trail is easy to hike and scenic views are few and far between (those come later!!), so this is a good place to hike with a fast pace.

Plateau on the West Rim Trail

Occasionally, there is a teaser view out to the west, spaced at just the right intervals to keep this part of the hike interesting.

Hiking Utah

The nice, overall downhill ends at Potato Hollow. From here, it is two short climbs spaced out over the next two miles. After enjoying the downhill for so long, it seemed like a bit of a slog to get up these hills, even though they are not very difficult. But it’s worth it. From here, the views also begin to change. Now you can see more of the stunning canyons, but the best is still to come.

At the top of the second climb, the trail splits. Stay to the right to remain on the West Rim Trail, with the best views from Horse Pasture Plateau. If you go left, the Telephone Canyon Trail offers more forested trails with less spectacular views. Both of these trails meet up again.

Utah Hiking

Tim Hiking

Julies View

Best Part of the West Rim Trail

The trails meet up at Cabin Spring. And this is where the nonstop, spectacular views of the West Rim Trail start. This is why you are hiking this trail, to be able to see this.

Cabin Spring Viewpoint

Tim Rivenbark

The temperature also changes…it is much noticeably warmer and it will continue to get hotter as you descend down into the canyon.

And descend you do. From Cabin Spring, it’s a rapid descent down to almost the canyon floor.

Julie Hiking

Canyon in Zion

Now, the trail winds through the canyon, climbing and descending around these rocky formations. This is the most beautiful part of the hike and when we did this hike there were just a handful of people out here.

West Rim Trail Hike

Soon, Angels Landing will come into view. If you still have energy left in your legs, you have the option of adding a climb up Angels Landing to this hike. It’s icing on the cake after a spectacular hike through Zion.

Angels Landing

We did not add on Angels Landing to this hike, although we considered it. Tim and I hiked Angels Landing the day before, early in the morning with very few people on the trail. Even though Angels Landing is a blast and we’d love to do it again sometime, neither of us felt like joining the crowds on the trail, especially in the midday heat.

From Scout Lookout, it’s just 2.5 miles downhill to The Grotto. It’s one massive descent from here, on Walter’s Wiggles, through Refrigerator Canyon, and down to the valley floor.

Walters Wiggles

Hiking in Zion

Last part of the trail

About Our Experience

Tim and I hiked the West Rim Trail very fast, covering the 16 miles in just 6.5 hours, including time for stops. We enjoyed this hike and even though it was a great experience I did not like it as much as I thought I would.

It’s a long hike, but that’s why we wanted to do it. There is a certain feeling of accomplishment to doing a long day hike. But the first half of the hike, the monotonous trail on top of the plateau, was a bit on the boring side. It was worth it for the views we had later, but if we did this hike again, there are some things we may do differently.

An Alternative to the West Rim Trail

If you like the idea of hiking the West Rim Trail, but a 16 mile point-to-point hike from Lava Point doesn’t sound like something you would want to do, there is an alternative. You can hike just a portion of the West Rim Trail, incorporating Angels Landing into your plans.

Here’s how I would do it. First thing in the morning, I’d hike the West Rim Trail from The Grotto and then hike up Angels Landing. Morning is the best time to avoid the crowds on Angels Landing. Then, from Scout Lookout, I would continue on the West Rim Trail towards Cabin Spring. This section of Zion is spectacular and few people seem to walk back this way. You could go as far as you like or hike all of the way up to Cabin Spring for the best viewpoint.

This would still be a very long day hike, but what an awesome day it would be. The thrilling climb up Angels Landing followed by the spectacular but seldom visited canyons in Zion. Plus, you would not have to arrange and pay for the shuttle service to Lava Point and you could eliminate the monotonous hike on the plateau.

By doing it this way, what you are missing is the point-to-point hike through Zion and the feeling like you are out on your own, hiking through the wilderness of Zion National Park that few others get to see.

Why You Should Hike the West Rim Trail

If you like the idea of a long distance hike, this one is perfect. If you like to feel like you are out in the wilderness, away from the groups of tourists on the more popular trails, the West Rim Trail is a great pick. If you want the accomplishment of hiking down the west side of Zion National Park, there’s no hike better than the West Rim Trail.

Backpacking the West Rim Trail

If you are considering the two-day backpacking trip, you will need to obtain permits in advance. See the National Park website for details.

Where We Stayed

We have been to Zion National Park twice and both times we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Springdale, one of the best Holiday Inn properties we have seen. It is located along the Springdale Shuttle route, so you can get around town and into Zion National Park without a car.

If you have any questions about hiking the West Rim Trail, let us know in the comment section below.

More Information About Utah & the National Parks

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST ITINERARY: On the ultimate road trip through the American Southwest, visit the Grand Canyon, Utah’s Mighty 5, and several awesome state parks. Get the full details in our American Southwest Itinerary.

BRYCE CANYON:Learn how to plan your visit in our Bryce Canyon Travel Guide. We also have information on how to spend One Day in Bryce Canyon and how to hike the Queen’s Garden and Navajo Loop Trails.

GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE: In Grand Staircase-Escalante, drive Cottonwood Canyon Road, hike Willis Creek, and hike through Peek-A-Boo and Spooky Gulches.

NATIONAL PARKS: In our Guide to the US National Parks, get the full list of national parks with important travel planning information, such as things to do in the parks and sample itineraries.

MORE GREAT HIKES IN THE NATIONAL PARKS: From hikes to the tallest peaks to beautiful coast trails, read our Guide to the Best Day Hikes in the US National Parks. If you prefer to keep your hikes short and sweet, read our guide to the Best Short Hikes in the National Parks.

Read all of our articles about Utah in our Utah Travel Guide and the United States in our USA Travel Guide.

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