Hike to Observation Point from Weeping Rock Trailhead

If you are going to Zion National Park for the day the entrance fee for a vehicle is $30 or you can choose to park outside the park and it is $15 per person to enter. Once you are inside the park Zion offers shuttle rides to different sites around the park, which are marked on the map attached. If you go during winter the shuttle does not always run. During the summer months the shuttles run as often as every 7 minutes and go from sunrise until sunset. This hike starts at the trailhead for Weeping Rock. You are able to ride one of the shuttles right to the trailhead. This is a challenging hike with 2100 feet of elevation gain starting around 4,400 feet and ending at 6,500 feet. The hike is 4 miles one way and you should plan for it to take between 4-5 hours to go out and come back. Once you arrive at the trailhead I would recommend to fill your water bottles and use the restroom as there are no other spots to on the trail. The start of the trail gives you some steep switchbacks. After 0.5 miles you are given the option to go over to Hidden Canyon or continue up the switchbacks towards Observation point. The trail will continue to have smaller elevation gains and losses for the next 1.5 - 2 miles with some beautiful scenery overlooking parts of the park. The steepest part of the trail comes near the end, about 3 miles in, where you will go up another set of switchbacks that can be very narrow. Once you reach the top of the switchbacks the last 0.5 miles of the trail are fairly flat and you will wrap around to the peak of Observation Point. There is plenty of space to sit down, relax, have some lunch, and enjoy the view. You will get a great overlook of Angels Landing and the rest of Zion. You will also get to experience some of the wildlife at Zion and watch the chipmunks run around. If you are looking for a challenging hike with less crowds this is a great choice. When I did this hike I saw around 10 people throughout the hike and there were around 15 people at the top of Observation Point whereas Angels Landing was seeing around 300 people that day. This hike is fine for anytime of the year. If you choose to go during the summer be sure to drink plenty of water as you will be exposed to the sun for most of the hike. If you go during the winter be careful to watch out for any ice.