Saturday, March 22, 2014,Watchman Trail in Zion National Park, UT

We decided to hike the Watchman Trail starting a bit earlier while staying in Watchman Campground, Zion National Park, UT. It was difficult to see just where the Watchman Trail went from the Visitor's Center. The map didn't really help us either. It was also not at first clear how it got its name since the Watchman was not visible from most of the trail. 

Finally, a sign to let us know we were on the right trail.

The famous Watchman Peak is completely blocked by the intervening cliffs seen below. When I noticed someone standing on the cliffs, our destination was finally clear and we started to appreciate the trail's potential.

The trail, in fact, had some of the most beautiful vistas in the park. The camera's panorama mode was the only way to attempt to capture the grandeur.

An energetic group passed us on their way down. Their exuberance caught our ear as we neared the top of the trail. For the most part, however, there were very few other hikers and we heard only birds singing, water trickling down the canyon and breezes blowing through the trees.

Finally, at the top, it was clear why this was named the Watchman Trail. Beautiful views were in every direction, however, and we found ourselves spending more than an hour slowly covering the loop trail up on the overlooking cliffs.

As an added bonus, it was the first time the skies were filled with fluffy white clouds to lend a bit of drama to our pictures.

The trail contained a lot of picture-worthy subjects on a smaller scale as well. The texture of the lichen growing on the rocks, lizards and the ready to bloom prickly pear cacti all made interesting photos. 

At just under three miles and 368 feet of elevation gain, the Watchman may be our favorite trail in Zion. It was a good workout but never had any precarious drop-offs and wasn't so strenuous you needed time to recover. It will definitely require a return visit someday.