Emerald Pools

Difficulty: Easy to Strenuous (Upper only)

Elevation Gain/Loss: 80-360 feet / 24-110 meters gain

Average Hiking Time: 1 to 2 hours round trip (when combining Upper and Lower)

Distance: up to 2 miles / 3.2 km

Trailhead Location: Start at Zion Lodge via Lower Emerald Pools or Grotto Trailhead via Kayenta Trail

Optimal Time to Hike: Year round. Best in the early morning or after 3pm in summer

Experience: The Emerald Pools is a beginner hike where you can experience one of Zion’s greatest gifts: water. The Lower Emerald Pools is the easiest to access, providing incredible views of sandstone walls and spring flow surfacing 800-1000 year old water. This 1.2 mile round trip hike is great for families with small children as well as non-hikers. The Middle Emerald Pools Trail is closed indefinitely due to significant trail damage caused by a landslide. The Upper Emerald Pool is the result of water seeps coming out of the Kayenta sandstone layer. Living up to its name, this emerald pool is not for swimming, but for viewing the massive sandstone walls above you and the rare seasonal storm runoff creating a 360 foot/ 110 meter waterfall exiting Heaps Canyon.