Lava Point Overlook

Lava Point Overlook is a roadside viewpoint at 7,890 feet on Zion’s high plateau. Make the drive if you want a quieter, high-country change of pace and have time to spare; skip it if you’re after a close view straight into Zion Canyon. The viewpoints are only a few feet from the parking area, but the trip from the South Entrance takes about 1 hour 20 minutes each way.

The main viewpoint faces south over Wildcat Canyon and Great West Canyon, with the White Cliffs above North Creek and West Temple far off on the skyline. A smaller north-facing viewpoint looks toward old lava-rock cliffs. Picnic tables are scattered around the area, so this can be a quick view stop or a place to eat what you brought. For a photo, keep some forested ridge in the frame; it gives the distant cliffs scale.

Nearby Kolob Volcano is about 1.1 million years old, the oldest volcano in Zion. Four younger volcanic cones along Kolob Terrace Road erupted roughly 220,000 to 310,000 years ago. The overlook puts you in that volcanic high-country corridor, above the sandstone canyon landscape Zion is known for.

From Virgin, Kolob Terrace Road runs north about 25 miles to the signed Lava Point spur; the drive from Zion Canyon’s South Entrance is about 1 hour 20 minutes. The usual access season is May through September. Snow can close the roads from fall into spring, so check road conditions before making the trip. The last stretch is unpaved: it’s generally described as manageable for an ordinary car when dry, but visitors also report rough patches. There’s no food service listed at the overlook, so bring what you want for a picnic. Its listed facilities don’t include restrooms or drinking water; the pit toilets at the nearby campground are separate and may not be available when it’s closed.