style="font-size:15px;"> At the eighth switchback, the signed trail to Hidden Canyon peels off to the right (0.6; 4850), and from here we have a fine view back down to the shady alcove of Weeping Rock. Turning right onto that unpaved trail, we begin switchbacking at a moderate grade amid pines and firs, directly beneath the sheer walls of Cable Mountain. Above this climb, a traverse leads us into a shady chasm supporting Douglas-fir, white fir, ponderosa pine, and velvet ash. Soon the trail exits the chasm via a low but slippery slickrock wall, where acrophobic hikers may be compelled to turn back.
Beyond that traverse, we curve into the mouth of Hidden Canyon, hanging 700 feet above the floor of Zion Canyon. Numerous potholes have been worn into the slickrock Navajo Sandstone floor of the canyon by abrasive runoff waters. These waterpockets are like those commonly encountered in the same rock unit in Capitol Reef National Park, and they may hold water after substantial rains.
Steps cut into the rock allow passage around some of the potholes, but soon we are forced into the narrow, sandy, rocky wash as giant cliffs close in on either side. The trail apparently ends where we dip into the wash (0.5; 5180) and some hikers may be content to go this far, but to others, this mysterious chasm beckons. Douglas-fir, white fir, and ponderosa pine thrive in this relatively cool, moist microclimate within the confines of the canyon. Great sheer cliffs soar heavenward on either side of the narrow, arrow-straight canyon. A number of small alcoves and other erosional features await those who hike the dry wash upstream, for another 0.5 mile or so. Rock climbing skills are necessary to reach the head of the canyon.
Hikers bound for Observation Point will continue on the steadily climbing trail beyond the Hidden Canyon trail junction, switchbacking several more times before curving around a slickrock shoulder and entering Echo Canyon. The trail traverses the south canyon wall above a very narrow slot gorge, but soon declines to the floor of the dry wash, which we follow upstream over slickrock and sand.
After climbing briefly out of the wash, our trail passes above a spectacular inner gorge, 25–30 feet below. This stint shortly leads us into the slot itself, a cool hallway beneath overhanging, red-tinted cliffs. The trail ahead stays north of the wash, meandering into and out of narrow side canyons until finally reaching a signed junction (1.3; 5580), where we part from Trip 13 hikers and bear left.
The Observation Point Trail, concrete-paved and carved into the steep north wall of Echo Canyon, wastes little time gaining elevation as it switchbacks steadily upon that 800-foot-high wall. The steeply sloping Navajo Sandstone slickrock is dotted with shrubs and trees that have gained footholds on narrow ledges wherever enough soil has collected to support them.
Compensating us for our labors are ever-expanding views into the deep canyons of Echo and Zion, above which rise steep cliffs and tree-rimmed plateaus. Don’t let the scenery distract you from the narrow catwalk of the trail, clinging to the face of plunging cliffs. We’ll be able to view the canyons in their full magnificence farther on from the comparative safety of Observation Point.
Above the switchbacks a moderately ascending traverse takes us into the realm of the red and tan rocks of the Temple Cap Formation. Not as massive as the Navajo Sandstone below, this formation is more broken and hence supports a thriving woodland of pinyon and juniper.
Soon the pavement ends and, having attained the brush-clad plateau, we meet the northeast-bound East Mesa Trail (1.5; 6500). Camping is allowed throughout the length of that trail (see Trip 15). Turning left, we proceed west across a brushy promontory of the plateau where greenleaf manzanita and Gambel oak are massed thickly along the trail.
Curving south, we soon reach the canyon rim at Observation Point (0.3; 6507), where a breathtaking panorama explodes upon the scene. Great cliffs, mostly of Navajo Sandstone, rise as much as 2500 feet from the wooded floor of Zion Canyon, streaked with red tapestries of iron minerals and dark patches of desert varnish, their faces fluted and etched by ages of falling rock and abrasive waters. These cliffs march southward in a parade of rugged crags to the canyon’s gaping mouth, framing the distant Vermilion Cliffs.
Outstanding landmarks dominating our view include the sentinel tower of Angels Landing and its eastern extension, The Organ, which together divert North Fork Virgin River. To the south are the Yosemite-like walls abutting Cable Mountain and The Great White Throne.
The alignment pattern of tributary canyons becomes apparent from our vantage point. Most of these canyons, of which Hidden Canyon is a prominent example, have been eroded along joints, or fractures, in the Navajo Sandstone, and trend northwest. Also obvious are the effects of downcutting in the Navajo. We can see by looking into the narrow depths of Hidden Canyon that downcutting proceeds at a much faster rate in this rock than does widening. These narrow depths are the result of millions of years of abrasive runoff waters cutting like a bandsaw deep into that rock layer.
In addition to the Navajo, three other sedimentary layers of rock are visible, beginning atop the plateaus where the reddish Temple Cap Formation forms small platforms and buttes. Below the tall Navajo cliffs are narrow red ledges of the Kayenta Formation, and finally the Springdale Sandstone ledge of the Moenave Formation crops out far below on the flanks of the lower canyon.
A green ribbon of trees accompanies the rushing waters of North Fork Virgin River all along the canyon floor. Following its course downstream, our gaze stretches past Zion Lodge toward the mouth of the canyon. The only other evidence of human influence upon the landscape is the red pavement of the Scenic Drive. Its traffic is, unfortunately, audible from our otherwise peaceful vantage point.
Return the way you came.
Trip 11
Riverside Walk, Orderville Canyon
Distance: 2.0 miles, round trip, to the trail’s end; 6.4 miles, round trip, to Orderville Canyon
Low/High elevations: 4418 ’/4490’; 4610’
Suited for: Walk to trail’s end; dayhike to Orderville Canyon.
Difficulty: Easy to end of trail; moderate to mouth of Orderville Canyon
Best season: Trail open all year, but may be snow-covered at times during winter. River hiking is best from May through September.
Map/Trailhead: 3/8
Hazards: Negligible along trail; deep wading beyond trail’s end over a slippery river bottom, and the possibility of flash floods and cold water. Check on river and weather conditions at the Park Visitor Center.
Introduction: Riverside Walk is Zion’s most heavily used trail, and with good reason. Seeping alcoves, luxurious hanging gardens, shady riparian woodlands, a nearly level trail (paved for wheelchair access), and an ever-narrowing and ever-deepening canyon draw visitors from the world over to hike beyond the trail’s end and into The Narrows, one of the classic canyon treks on the Colorado Plateau.
Slicing into the heart of the Markagunt Plateau, the North Fork Virgin River has carved a canyon 1000–2000 feet deep, and ranging in width from 200 yards at the Temple of Sinawava to barely 20 feet above Orderville Canyon.
To negotiate any part of The Narrows beyond the trail, hikers must be well prepared, and must not underestimate the hazards of wading through a knee-deep river in a narrow flash-flood-prone canyon (see Trip 15 for more information). Few trips in Zion are more rewarding, or potentially more dangerous, than wading the Virgin River through The Narrows on a hot, clear summer day. But forays into the canyon from the Temple of Sinawava are for day hiking
