Emerald Pools Trails

The Emerald Pools are Zion's classic family hike, a set of short, connected trails that climb from the canyon floor to three tiers of pools fed by seeps and seasonal waterfalls spilling off the cliffs of Lady Mountain and Heaps Canyon. The trailhead sits across the road from Zion Lodge at shuttle stop 5, where a footbridge crosses the Virgin River. The Lower Emerald Pool Trail is the gentlest, a short climb to an alcove where thin falls drift over a dripping, fern-hung overhang. The Middle Emerald Pools Trail, about 2.2 miles round trip with a steep initial climb of a little over 300 feet, reaches broad sandstone shelves above the lower falls, where the pools spread out under the cliffs. From there, a short, rockier and steeper spur climbs to Upper Emerald Pool, the largest, set in a natural amphitheater beneath a wall that rises hundreds of feet. The Kayenta Trail connects the Middle Pools with the Grotto, shuttle stop 6, so you can make a loop: shuttle to the Grotto, walk the Kayenta Trail with its views across the canyon, visit the pools, and descend to Zion Lodge for lunch. The waterfalls are ephemeral — strongest after rain or in spring snowmelt, sometimes reduced to a trickle in a dry autumn — and the colour of the pools comes from algae, so expect green rather than tropical turquoise. Swimming and wading are not allowed: the pools are fragile and an essential water source for wildlife. Pets are not permitted. The trails can be icy in winter, and wet sandstone under the falls is slippery year-round.

What makes the Emerald Pools special is the combination of accessibility and drama. Within half an hour of leaving the lodge lawn you are standing under cliffs that seem to hang overhead, in a microclimate of maidenhair ferns, hanging gardens and desert varnish streaking the rock. It is one of the best places in Zion to see how water shapes the canyon: seeps emerge where water percolating through the porous Navajo Sandstone meets an impermeable layer, creating the hanging gardens that make Zion so much greener than the desert around it. The trail has been repaired several times after rockfalls and flood damage over the years, which is a reminder that this is an active landscape; obey closures and stay on the trail.

To do it well, pick your version. With young children, walk the Lower Pool trail from the lodge and back, an hour at most. With more energy, take the shuttle to the Grotto and do the Kayenta Trail to the Middle and Upper Pools, then descend to the lodge — downhill most of the way, with the best views. In summer, start early or late to avoid the midday crowd and heat. In winter, the trails are quiet and the low sun lights the cliffs beautifully, but carry traction devices if there has been snow and avoid the slick rock under the falls. Photographers should look for reflections in the Middle Pools in calm conditions, and for the falls in spring.

The Emerald Pools pair perfectly with the rest of the canyon. Combine them with a morning on Angels Landing or Scout Lookout from the Grotto, or with The Narrows at the top of the canyon. Zion Lodge's Red Rock Grill and Castle Dome Café make a convenient lunch stop, and the big lawn in front of the lodge is a favorite place for families to rest in the shade of the cottonwoods. From late November to Christmas, when private cars can use the Scenic Drive, the lodge lot gives easy access, but it is small and fills on busy days.