Observation Point is the highest reasonable viewpoint in Zion Canyon — a sandstone bench at the rim looking down over Angels Landing from above, with the canyon laid out beneath you. The original trail from the canyon floor has been closed since a 2019 rockfall and the NPS has not reopened it. The current route in is from the back side, via the East Mesa Trail off UT-9 east of the park entrance.
What changed in 2019
A major rockfall on the East Rim Trail above Weeping Rock collapsed sections of the original Observation Point switchback approach. The rockfall closed the entire East Rim Trail and the Hidden Canyon Trail (which branched off the same approach). The NPS has assessed the slope as unstable and unsafe for a long-term reopening; the route remains closed indefinitely. The East Mesa approach exists as the legal alternative for reaching the same viewpoint.
Getting to the East Mesa trailhead
This is not a canyon-shuttle hike. You drive UT-9 east out of Springdale, past the Mt. Carmel Tunnel, into the Ponderosa Hills subdivision area, and follow a dirt road to the trailhead. The road requires no special vehicle in dry weather but can be muddy after rain. There's no NPS shuttle to this trailhead; you drive yourself, park, and walk in. The trailhead is technically inside the park but accessed entirely from outside the main canyon entrance. You still need a Zion entrance pass to use it.
What the walk is like
The East Mesa approach is a comfortable, mostly-flat 3.5-mile walk through ponderosa pine and pinyon-juniper forest on the rim of Zion Canyon. It crosses sandy benches and slickrock cap rock for most of the route. The approach is gentle compared to the canyon-floor original — about 700 feet of elevation change spread across the round trip. The trail dead-ends at the Observation Point overlook, which is the same viewpoint the original trail reached from below.
The view
Standing at Observation Point, Angels Landing is below you. The Virgin River corridor runs north-south at your feet. The Court of the Patriarchs, the Towers of the Virgin, and the lower canyon are all visible to the south. The Great White Throne dominates the canyon directly across from you. It's the view that justifies the trail — better than Angels Landing's, in many opinions, because you're seeing the canyon from above rather than from a fin in the middle of it.
Why locals do this one
The East Mesa approach delivers the Observation Point view without the chains of Angels Landing, without the permit lottery, and without the punishment of the original 2,100-foot canyon-floor climb. The trade-off is the drive — you have to leave the main park entrance, take UT-9 east, and find an unmarked-ish trailhead. Most casual visitors don't bother; most repeat visitors who learn the route do it once and prefer it to Angels Landing.
Seasonality
The trail is at higher elevation than the canyon floor (around 6,500 feet) and is a different climate from the canyon. Snow can hold on the upper sections through April. Summer is comfortable rather than oppressive. Fall is excellent. The trailhead's dirt road can be impassable in winter storms.
Where it fits
Observation Point via East Mesa is one of the most overlooked Zion experiences. Most first-time visitors don't know the original route closed. Many guidebooks still list the canyon-floor approach. The East Mesa route is the way locals and repeat visitors recommend now, particularly to people who've already done Angels Landing or who didn't draw a permit. It pairs naturally with a meal in Mt. Carmel or Orderville on the way back, and with the Belly of the Dragon hike further east on UT-9.