Canyon Overlook

At the fenced endpoint, the view opens across Pine Creek Canyon and lower Zion Canyon to the Towers of the Virgin. Red and cream slickrock, sheer walls and Route 9's switchbacks below make the scale easy to read. Include some of those bends in a photo; they show how the road threads through the canyon. Stay on the established path and behind the fence.

The half-mile route starts with sandstone stairs and a handrail, then crosses rocky, uneven ground above a dark slot canyon. A narrow wooden bridge and exposed ledges make it more demanding than the distance suggests. Near the end, the path opens onto red and cream slickrock at the viewpoint. Much of the cliff edge is fenced, but not every exposed section is; take your time if the drops catch your attention.

The trail was once called Great Arch Trail, but the Great Arch sits above the route and isn't visible from it. The walk is about the canyon view and rock scenery, so don't choose it expecting a close look at the arch.

The Zion–Mount Carmel Highway opened in 1930 as a link between Zion, Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon. Its 1.1-mile tunnel was cut through the sandstone above Pine Creek Canyon. Windows blasted into the galleries gave travelers views and helped with ventilation and debris removal. The highway and tunnel are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The cliffs display layers of sandstone that began as sediment in an ancient basin. Later uplift gave streams the force to carve deep canyons through the rock. From the overlook, you can see the layered cliffs and the canyon cut through them in one sweep.

The National Park Service suggests watching the nearby cliffs for desert bighorn sheep. They were reintroduced to Zion and may be easier to spot if you pause and scan the ledges instead of looking only toward the main view.