Explore Zion like never before with one of our Zion National Park guided canyoneering tours. Take advantage of this unique canyoneering opportunity to travel through Zion’s slot canyons like a pro. Are you a beginner looking to learn the ropes? Sign up for our rappelling class to get a better feel for the territory before jumping in! The term Canyoneering was virtually invented around the Zion National Park area. This region is filled with many slot canyons that have been carved by water and wind. These fluted natural masterpieces are marvelous places to explore. Slot canyons in and around Zion National Park, formed by the Virgin River and its tributaries.

Explore Zion like never before with one of our Zion National Park guided canyoneering tours. Take advantage of this unique canyoneering opportunity to travel through Zion’s slot canyons like a pro. Are you a beginner looking to learn the ropes? Sign up for our rappelling class to get a better feel for the territory before jumping in! With half and full-day tour options, as well as a climbing wall and combined rappelling and jeep tours, we have the perfect adventure options for all ages and skill levels. Book your Zion National Park canyoneering tour today!

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Map Of Slot Canyons In Zion National Park

Echo Canyon is one of the best and most easily accessible slot canyons of Zion National Park, joining the Virgin River a few miles south of the end of the park road at the Temple of Sinawava, just before the start of the Zion Narrows. The lower part of the canyon drops very sharply towards the main valley in a series of steep steps, narrow channels and circular potholes carved in the rock, but the drainage becomes temporarily wider and more level upstream.
After half a mile further up the canyon, the cliffs close in to form a dark and very deep slot just a few feet wide, with smooth red and grey rock walls rising high above a rocky, boulder-strewn floor usually containing many pools of murky water. The Observation Point Trail follows the main canyon far above the slot, but about half of the narrows can be explored fairly easily from below; to see the whole length requires rappelling, starting from the top.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Topographic Map of Echo Canyon

Location

Echo Canyon is reached from a junction off the well-used trail to Hidden Canyon and Observation Point, which starts from the Weeping Rock parking area 2 miles before the end of the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. For most of the year this is now only reachable by the free park shuttle.

Permit

No permit is required to explore the lower part of the canyon, just a standard $30 Zion National Park entry fee (in 2020), but one is required if descending the whole length as this involves rappelling.

Zion National Park Map

Photographs

18 views of Echo Canyon.

Route Description

From the parking area, the trail ascends steeply up the side of Zion Canyon for about one mile then divides; the left (north) branch to Observation Point joins Echo Canyon above the steep lower end, and follows it at water level for a short distance, before eventually climbing to the top of the cliffs and meeting other cross-country trails, while the other branch heads towards Hidden Canyon. The path runs alongside the canyon floor for about half a mile, through a section that is flattish and still relatively wide, but then the rocky walls around the watercourse close in abruptly. The route begins to ascend steadily, towards the higher section of the canyon which is wide and open, with trees and bushes although the narrow crack is still visible to one side, and looks rather dark and dangerous when viewed from directly above.






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