While this blog generally features articles about different hiking excursions, waterfalls and places to see in Northwest Arkansas, I thought readers might also enjoy some pictures from our hikes in Southern Utah last fall. Southern Utah was a bucket list destination for us and it was an amazing trip.
Four days from our trip were spent in Zion National Park. Zion has more than its share of epic hikes, but also has a few good short hikes that are good for families and and those that aren't able to make long hikes with high elevation changes and sheer cliffs. One of those hikes is the Emerald Pools area. Because of the short distance and the relative ease of the trail, it is a VERY popular trail, so just go in knowing there will be a lot of people around.
This hike is actually two hikes combined into one lower hike. The first 1/2 mile of the trail goes to the Lower Emerald Pools and the 2nd half mile to the Upper Emerald Pool. While the Upper Pool is a bit more challenging to get to, both are pretty accessible.
The hike starts off from the Zion Lodge and heads out across Zion Canyon Road and the Virgin River.
The trail turns right and heads along the Virgin River for awhile and then turns LEFT. The canyon and the River provide beautiful scenery along the way.
At .5 miles, a tall waterfall with a light flow comes into view. The trail continues into the bluff and turns right -- essentially the trail goes right into the bluff line that causes the waterfall and continues back behind (and under!) the waterfall. At .6 you are directly behind the falls and this is the Lower Emerald Pool area.
The trail continues around the corner and up the hill slightly -- looking back gives you some great views of the waterfall and the trail below it.
The trail then turns left and goes through a narrow opening between two large rocks and turns left again to the Middle and Upper Emerald Pools. After about .8 miles the trail arrives at the Middle Emerald Pool.
This area is the top of the waterfall you just walked under and has magnificent views of the valley below.
The trail continues for another .2 miles to the Upper Emerald Pool. From this part of the trail you get expansive views of the valley and a lot of amazing wildflowers growing along the rocky sides of the trail.
After another .2 miles, the trail arrives to the Upper Emerald Pool. The Upper Pool sits in a very large canyon and is very peaceful. It was definitely our favorite of the three pools.
From here, the only option is to turn around and come back the way you came. At the point where the trail turns back toward the Lower Emerald Pool you can alternately turn LEFT and take the Kenyenta Trail which travels 1 mile to The Grotto and catch the shuttle there. We went back via the Lower Emerald Pool Trail and back to Zion Lodge where we grabbed a beer at the lodge to end our first day in the park.
Trail Notes
Distance: 2.2 Miles round trip to visit all three pools. 1.2 miles round trip to the Lower Emerald Pool and waterfall only
Elevation Change: 200 feet to the Upper Pool. 69 to the Lower Pool
Footwear: Tennis Shoes will be fine for the Lower Pool, I would recommend trail shoes to get to the upper falls
Difficulty: Easy to the Lower Pool, Moderate to the Upper.
Kid Friendly: Yes
Star Rating: 3.5 of 5
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