Emerald Pools Trail is a short hiking trail in Zion National Park. It has a round trip distance of around 3 miles with little elevation gain. Thus it is very family friendly. The trail goes around the Lower Emerald Pool and Middle Emerald Pool. Then by hiking 0.5 miles more, you can reach the Upper Emerald Pool. The trail starts at Zion Lodge, which is the 5th stop of the Zion shuttle bus. Many people rest at Zion Lodge and then head over to Emerald Pools Trail.
We did this trail in the afternoon and it was scorching hot. It might have been a bad decision but we did carry enough water to keep ourselves hydrated. The start of the trail goes along the Virgin River and you could actually dip your feet in the river water. It was a blessing! Then the trail descends into a canyon wall where the Lower Emerald Pool is at.
Due to the low precipitation this year, there was barely any water dripping down from the top of the cliff. The pool of water was murky and at a very low level. However, as we walked around the pool, the breeze of the wind had never felt so good. It was a cold breeze and it was what we needed during this hot afternoon.
We then proceed and moved on to head to the Upper Emerald Pool. It was only 0.5 miles but it had never felt so difficult to hike this last 0.5 miles. The weather was extremely hot and we had to go between the narrow cliff wall and climb over some large rocks. We were pretty exhausted due to the heat.
As we finally made it to Upper Emerald Pool, the water level was very low at the pool. There was no water coming down from the top of the cliff either. It was about to get dry up. The good thing is that there was shade there and we could feel nice breeze around the pool.
In general, the trail was not as spectacular as other trails in Zion. People should only do this trail if there is extra time when visiting Zion National Park and make sure to carry enough water!
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