There are three Emerald pools at different elevations, and so the best thing about this trail is that if you're tired after the first pool (the lower pool) you can turn around and feel pretty accomplished. I think a lot of people do this since the lower pool is definitely the busiest. There's also a neat little waterfall cascading into the pool, so my personal opinion is that it's the prettiest pool. The middle pool actually goes up to the sandstone shelf that creates the waterfall to the lower pool. It's pretty neat, although I didn't dare go near the edge as the rocks can be slippery, and I wasn't about to risk anything. The trail here is a little steeper than the trail to the lower pool. The upper pool is at the base of the grotto with sweeping cliffs. It does have some steps and a lot of sand. The sand can sap your energy, and I saw a few people needing to rest and gather their strength. The grotto was a bit flooded when I went, and so you might have to step on some rocks to avoid getting your shoes wet. I saw a bunch of ground squirrels frolicking around here. Overall, gorgeous and unique trail to hike in Zion! read more

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I visited Emerald Pools at Zion National Park right before the 4th of July, and it was a really nice stop to add to the trip. I only did the easier route to the Lower Emerald Pool, and that was enough for me that day since I did other trails like the Riverside walk. You can get there from the Zion Lodge shuttle stop, which is stop #5, so it's pretty easy to work into your day if you're already taking the shuttle through the park. The trail to the lower pool was scenic without feeling too difficult. You still get those beautiful Zion views along the way, and once you get closer to the pool area, the canyon walls and water make it feel really peaceful. The lower emerald pools is about .6 miles, 1.2 round trip. There are also Middle and Upper Emerald Pools if you want to keep going, but I kept it simple with the lower pool this time. I went right before 4th of July so the park was definitely busy, I'd recommend bringing water, wearing comfortable shoes and giving yourself extra time for the shuttle and crowds. I'm glad I did Emerald Pools. The Lower Pool was a pretty, easy hike and a great option if you want something scenic in Zion without committing to a harder trail. read more

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I enjoyed this hike overall! It does NOT beat Angel's landing or the watchman trail, and I'm sure it does beat the narrows either if you really go out into the river... but that said, it's a moderate hike with some really nice views along the way! The pools themselves are pretty anticlimactic if you ask me. The farthest pool is definitely the coolest of them all though, I do like the drama of the little pool (it's like a glorified pond really) with the HUGE cliff face behind it. The day I came up the skies were crystal clear so it was lovely and warm at the end! The small and middle pools are pretty unexciting imo haha, but I like the little waterfalls created by the runoff and the signs that teach you about the landscapes along the way are nice :) read more

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Today we hiked all 3 levels of Zion's Emerald Pools trails - lower, middle & upper. Super easy to access & navigate with sufficient signage, the trails are well manicured & safe, despite a few challenging spots. We love Zion! read more

The hike was enjoyable, offering different landscapes at various turns. All three pools begin from the same trail called Kayenta. About 2 miles in, you will come across the Lower Pool first. If you continue for another 0.2 miles, you will reach the Middle Pool. From there, it takes an additional 0.8 miles to reach the Upper Pool, but the effort is totally worth it! Plan to spend about 2 hours for the round trip hike. read more

Emerald Pools - Hiking Near Me - Zion National Park, Utah

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Definitely one of the easier hikes at Zion. When I came here the bridge between Zion lodge and emerald pools was closed so I had to take the shuttle to The Grotto and hike from there. This is a slightly longer (a little over a mile each way) and a bit more difficult hike than the one from Zion Lodge, but still very doable for seniors and children. The water level was extremely low when I came here so there was not much of a lake to see unfortunately. Nonetheless, the hike had some beautiful views and takes you through the canyon. It splits at the end and you can go down for the lower pool, or straight for the middle and upper pools. read more

Emerald Pools is a truly beautiful hike, on the easier side, but with some seriously impressive sights! Emerald Pools is also definitely a misnomer though, at least during the time of year I came here (end of March) as there was nothing "emerald" around! Still loved it tons and because it had been snowing all morning - basically only stopping once we got to Zion - we definitely busted out our traction devices about halfway through the hike as the melting snow was making things slushy and a bit slippery. We turned around at the Lower Falls, which already gives you a great view of the falls and the trail continues on BEHIND the falls and onwards to the Upper Falls area. We didn't hike to the Upper, which I don't think shows you any new falls, just a different vantage point so no regrets there over missing it! Overall, about 1.5 miles out and back and by the time we were hiking back, the sun was starting to peek through so it was like an entirely different set of views on the way back - so lovely and highly recommend for all skill levels! read more

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It's one of the fun hikes in Zion. Quiet easy, perfect for family and photoshoots. We went to both lower pools and the higher one. It was so peaceful, and fun. Highly recommend it. read more

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Another trail at Zion! So this one has the same starting point as angels landing (which you need a permit for) but this one you go left and angels landing you go right. The trail was semi hard with lots of climbing but not too too intense, but not flat either. The only thing I didn't love is that the waterfalls and pools were dried up. I'm guessing there needs to have been more rain before to see them but we didn't really see much. The photo I added is just a puddle on the trail. I was slightly disappointed In the no waterfall part, so it wasn't my favorite trail, it was a bit underwhelming but the nature was still nice and we saw lots of deer! read more

Emerald Pools - Hiking Near Me - Zion National Park, Utah

A decent length hike if you do all 3 pools. I don't know if it was just the time of year we visited (October) but we were let down by the "pools". The upper and middle were dirty buggy water with little to nothing moving. The lower pool was cool as it still had a water fall you could walk under. There was some good visuals along the hike up in but the pools themselves were a let down. read more

An amazing moderate level ranked hike. There are three tiers of the pool to visit. It would probably be best to go early since it is very popular and the trail gets pretty crowded later in the day. read more

Emerald Pools - Hiking Near Me - Zion National Park, Utah

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Relatively easy little hike. The canyon's colors are so saturated and red that they don't look real. In the middle of summer there wasn't much water to see but it was still beautiful. I hope to go back again in the winter when it's not 100+ deg out. The shuttle system was pretty easy to navigate and very convenient. Lines get long very fast so definitely wake up early or go in the evening when most people have already returned from their hikes. read more

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All of my many many trips to Zion, and I'm embarrassed to admit that I had never done the hike to Emerald Pools until last month. It's hard to explain why. Oh, it was closed on one trip, and then it was always the wrong shuttle stop, or I dunno, I guess I don't really have a great excuse. On my trip last month, however, I was able to carve out the time and make the hike. Emerald Pools is most commonly accessed from the Zion Lodge shuttle stop, but we actually came at it from The Grotto on what is officially called the Kayenta Trail. Doing so means that you'll have some excellent down-canyon views that you might not otherwise see, but it does take a little bit longer and the hike is largely through exposed hillside. Because the pools themselves nestle right into the upper neck of a canyon, you get some shade from the steep walls, but approaching from The Grotto means you'll need to be more conscious of the weather. We ambled along until reaching a fork at a massive boulder. This is where the shortest trail from the Zion Lodge trailhead comes in to meet you. We continued upward to what we thought was the upper pool, but it turns out it was just a middle pool (?) and there's another fork that takes you up to a trail that will deliver you upwards to the dead end top of the canyon and the big upper pool. The lower pool is more tricky. If you're on the upper pool spur, you'll need to go back to that boulder and take the lower trail. We turned west at the end of the fork, and though we were just above the pool, that upper trail hugs the ridgeline, gradually drops you back down to the Virgin River where you'll backtrack a bit to the bridge and then go to the Lodge. This upper trail parallels the lower trail and though you think you could hop from one to the other, you need to realize that you're separated by a hundred feet-maybe two--of unpassable sheer dropoff. Some maps don't even show this upper trail, and the ones that do draw the upper and lower very close together, though they're on entirely different elevations. I would have liked to have seen the lower pool, but the bonus about taking that upper trail that overshoots the bridge and takes you back to the river and then the Lodge, is that there was hardly a soul on the trail. It was spring break while I was there and things were packed, so on that upper spur especially, foot traffic would be one way for a while and you'd have to wait for passing hikers. But on that last upper bit, we had it mostly to ourselves. The pools are lovely little oases. The present of water coming off of the cliffs to form pools and little falls is something of a revelation that blows your mind. With steep cliffs and shade and running water, this trail delivers some real gems. read more

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-For Lower Emerald Pool trail- Accessibility: this trail is normally labeled as wheelchair accessible but right now (December 18, 2021) IT IS NOT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE OR ACCESSIBLE AT ALL. THE ENTIRE TRAIL IS COVERED IN ICE. Experience: well, the entire trail is covered in ice right now so it was SLIPPERY and what normally takes 30 minutes or less for someone to hike, took me 3 hours. A person in a wheelchair could absolutely not go on this trail right now because of the ice, or anyone that is scared of falling. I had a lot of fun on the trail going super super slow with my girlfriend, but tons of people fell right in front of us, and one young man almost slid off a (short) cliff...it was scary. Anyway, try this trail in Spring or Summer. read more

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One of the more scenic and easy hikes at Zion National Park provides so many photo ops and just a peaceful hikes. You can hike to lower emerald pools or upper. The hike to the lower pools is .6 miles and even a beginner with no experience can manage it. We took a ton of photos. This and Riverside Walk are two hikes everyone should do. read more

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Good easy trail for novice hikers. Good for kids. The waterfall part at the end moved slow, but really nice view. I was concerned it would be completely dry, but i read something at the park that said it always has at least a little flow. read more

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TRAILHEAD With its trailhead located directly across from Zion Lodge - off of Scenic Drive in Zion National Park (NP) - my partner and I chose to hike middle to upper to lower Emerald Pools Trails on a cold, drizzly December afternoon after a lite lunch and recoup/dry out session in our lodge room following an earlier hike. BE-DRIZZLED VIEWS Unsure of how rewarding the hike would be, we felt assured pretty quickly into our steep ascent up Middle Emerald pools trial - with beautifully be-drizzled mountain views to our right, our left, in front, oh yea...and behind! SQUISHY SQUISHY Thankful to have refreshed ourselves to find the needed energy for this hike, we climbed, climbed, climbed and squished, squished, squelched though sludgy portions of Middle Emerald Pools trail. STEEP AND FUN While Middle and Upper trails were quite steep, the hike was still fun - gaining new perspective at every turn and with every bit of elevation gained. We hardly noticed the work we were putting in over the excitement of seeing what was next! SOCIAL DISTANCE A major perk of our dreary, first-time, December hike of this trail was that the "yucky" weather and sloppy trail conditions seemed to have deterred a number of people giving us soooo much social distance from other hikers it was alarmingly delightful...especially in a park as popular as Zion! CARPE DIEM We sucked the goodness out of every moment to the point that we finished the final quarter mile of trail in the dark (always smart to have a headlamp along;))! I'm thankful to have a partner who shares a carpe diem philosophy - never knowing when an opportunity could be our last and trying to make the most of each adventure! read more

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The pools did not impress us. This was our least favorite of the three holes we made in Zion National Park: 1. Watchman 2. Narrows Riverside Walk 3. Emerald Pools The trail is split between lower, upper and mid trails. We hiked the lower trail which takes you to the base of the water fall at the emerald pool. You can walk behind the waterfall, which is super fun, but it wasn't picturesque scenery as compared to most of Zion National Park (this the 3 star rating). The lower trail is moderately challenging with many tripping hazards, but not difficult if you are just a little bit in shape. The lower trail ends at the waterfall and then you can start climbing up the upper trail. However the upper trail is much more difficult. The park claims there are more injuries on the upper Emerald pool trail than any other trail in the park, including the Angels Landing trail where people walk along a steep, narrow ridge holding a chain for survival. We saw a sign for the mid trail and don't know much about it. There is a fork in the trail early on where the mid-Emerald Pools trail goes off in opposite direction than lower and upper. My guess is that it provides a view of the water fall from a distance, but don't know for sure. read more

A beautiful set of trails with varying intensity and steepness that are well worth the views! Lower Pool: Prepare to get sprinkled by a mini waterfall! Some areas are wetter that others, but luckily there are some guard rails in the lower pool area should you lose your balance. Middle and Upper Pools: Definitely a trek to reach them. There is little signage to get to the Upper Pool from the lower and Middle Pools but just follow the people and hope they know where they're going! The trail here has much less shade so wear sunblock and bring water! read more

After several years of being closed for repairs, the trail to the upper pools is open again. The massive sandstone embankments along damaged portions of the trail (built in the '30s by the CCC) have been replaced with logs. While serviceable, they certainly won't last for another 90 years... We were in Zion for a socially distanced pandemic holiday. We kept our masks on and tried to stay 6 to 10 feet from others. On this trail, that was hard to do! The trail is only 4 feet wide, and passing hikers were a mixed lot. Most hikers would pull up their masks in passing, but many others didn't even have masks! The park, as always was gorgeous but it was packed considering that we were there in late October. read more

What a beautiful hike! It was definitely more of a strenuous hike than The Narrows at Zion National Park but the kids loved going around the bends and not being sure what is around the corner whether a slot canyon, some stairs or shaded woods. Our 4 year old made it like a champ with lots of lollipop breaks. We decided to only do the middle Emerald Pools due to the kiddos needing to go to the bathroom pretty badly but we all agreed afterwards, that it was really cool to see a waterfall in nature and also get splashed on it as we hike behind it! Look closely in our pictures and you can see the waterfall - and when you bend over the railing you can actually get splashed and cooled down a bit! It's so awesome and one we would definitely do again! read more

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First Timer Review (COVID times): we arrived to the park a little late & boarded the shuttle around 3:50pm. This is stop #5. According to several blogs, it takes 1 hour round trip just with the Lower Emerald Pool but honestly, we were able to do the LOWER & MIDDLE (& back to the shuttle) with a little over an hour timeframe. Hiking Difficulty: 3/5 - it was a nice stroll to the Lower Emerald Pool & was not difficult at all. 15 minutes & we got there. Since it was all shade, we didn't really need any breaks. After our pictures, we decided to walk to the middle pool - that is an extra 0.4 miles but that part was what made it a little difficult. It was an even stairs up so definitely had deeper breathing & a little burn in the thighs. Luckily it wasn't too long. Views: definitely breathtaking views all around especially the colors & pool reflection from the middle pool. Because of the timing & pretty easy effort, I would say that this was worth it. Easy to squeeze it. OVERALL: if you have the time, I would say do it. But don't go out of your way or sacrifice The Narrows or Angel's Landing to do this, unless you want something easy or have little children with you. read more

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If you're unable to complete Angels Landing then this is a great alternative for a midafternoon hike. The Upper Emerald Hike is the better of the two and a great place to stop for a picnic read more

Emerald Pools - From the base of upper emerald - Hiking Near Me - Zion National Park, Utah

This is a fun little hike from shuttle stop 6 which is also where you head up to Angel's Landing. Once you cross the bridge from the shuttle stop it will tell you it is about one mile. That one mile is mostly an incline. There are three pools to see: a lower, middle and upper. The middle pool was almost a blink and miss it with all the people around it. The upper pool is worth the extra distance to get to. It had a light waterfall when we were there. It was a very crowded hike though which for me takes away a little bit but I think if you go early in the morning you can avoid that. read more

We hiked Emerald Pools right after completing 80% of Angels Landing in the morning and after a light lunch at the Zion Lodge. The trail to the three Emerald Pools is right across the Zion Lodge, and its maybe about a total of 3 miles round trip. The hike is not difficult, but there are a few sections in the upper pools where the rocky steps are uneven and require careful stepping. My right knee had some soreness after this hike, but likely that's due to Angels Landing from the morning. The first 0.6 miles leads to the Lower Emerald Pools, which I think are the most beautiful. You hike alongside cliffs and see and feel some short drizzle of falling water. Refreshing for being in a dessert! They have chains here not because its steep, but because the ground can get slippery! As you climb higher its becomes more of an exercise but I think the scenery diminishes a bit. The Middle Pools just has a tiny little stream of water flowing down. The final Upper Pools looks like just a small stagnant lake surrounded by mountains. I wasn't a big fan of having to navigate all those rocky steps to get here but did it anyways to claim finishing at least one "moderate" trail at Zion! read more

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Only Lower Emerald Pools is accessible now. Last year's storm damage closed off Upper and Middle. So along with several other trails closed indefinitely, this trail is even more crowded and busier than usual. We decided to make this hike later in afternoon when the sun wasn't so high up. Easy paved trail, with stopping to take pix and selfies and video, took about a little over and hour. Just be cautious it's slippery when you get to where the water is falling. And thanks to Mother Nature there's not much of a "pool" anymore because of the huge boulders changing the landscape. Still amazing to see. read more

Emerald Pools - Hiking Near Me - Zion National Park, Utah

About 5 miles round trip - would be much more worth going during springtime to see all the spring runoff, but still beautiful nonetheless read more

Emerald Pools - Lower pools - Hiking Near Me - Zion National Park, Utah

Hike lower, middle, upper pools round trip is about 3 miles. Very very easy hike. Probably hike this on your first half day or leisurely on your last day. It's by no means strenuous. The pools were more of puddles for us. They should call it Emeralds Puddle. It's still summer like weather and the water level and waterfall wasn't big. Mostly dripping. The upper pool didn't have a waterfall and water levels were low. I bet you if you came here in the winter it'll have higher water levels. We weren't really impressed by the pools/puddles and supposedly "waterfall". It was cool but if you skip it, it's no biggie. The hike is nice, nice views at times and can get packed. It's a nice short hike for warm up for the harder ones. read more

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This small hike is clearly not the best in Zion National Park. If you are a bit short on time I would suggest to skip it. read more

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My husband and I enjoyed this hike in Zion National Park. This was our first hike in Zion. We were wanting to go to the Riverwalk at the Narrows first, but the road was closed after the Zion Lodge. This was a nice and easy hike. There are several different routes to take. We could have spent more time exploring here. Next time we will. read more

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One of the must do trails at Zion is Emerald Pools. There are actually 3 trails here - Lower, Middle and Upper Emerald Pools. You can choose to do one or all of them - we did all of them. The trail starts pretty flat but as you move to the Middle and Upper Emerald Pool trail it gets steeper. At some point, you'll also have to climb rocks here and there. Each trail has its own "pool". I recommend going during wetter season as you can see more water and waterfalls. The view while hiking is stunning like at almost every Zion trail. This trail is quite popular so it might get a bit crowded. It took us about 1 hour one way which wasn't bad since we stopped to take photos here and there. I rate this a fairly easy hike but its fun. read more

Emerald Pools - Hiking Near Me - Zion National Park, Utah

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Short 1 mile hike :) This path will take you to see the upper, middle and lower emerald pools. The trail is straightforward, signs are posted throughout, even I couldn't get lost if I wanted to. The water was a bit low when I went, but it was beautiful regardless. If you climb the rocks at the upper pool, you'll be able to see the emerald better You'll get an awesome preview of Zion, if you want to see it all, have to climb. read more

Emerald Pools - Hiking Near Me - Zion National Park, Utah

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Easy morning hike with the kiddos. Hike begins across the street from the Zion Lodge. Shuttle stop 5. There's a restroom stop here. You can do lower, middle or upper trails. The trail is fairly easy and straightforward. We went during thanksgiving so it wasn't a huge waterfall or big pool of water but the walk is still very beautiful with yellow fall leaves below. I would start with middle (best views) to upper (a short 0.3 mile hike) then lower (muddy). read more

There are three different hikes for this place, the small pool, medium and high pools but there weren't much of a pool considering it was dried up. However, we were able to see the misting of the falls from the hike. The pools were nonexistent, it was more like puddles and I was frustrated that we took all those steps up with two kids attached to us, to see puddles. I'm glad we spent the last day doing this because I would have been upset if I took this time to hike this in replacement of spending more time at the Narrows. read more

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Great and very doable hike for all ages. The waterfall was flowing pretty well because it's the rainy season. It can get muddy so be aware. The view from the hike is also beautiful, be camera ready. Many people are doing this hike so if you like hiking alone this wouldn't be a good choice. read more

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This is really an underrated trail in Zion. We did the lodge to upper pools to keyenta/grotto bus stop. It was amazing. The pools had water and the trail was beautiful. There was a waterfall. We saw deer. The way toward the grotto bus stop was above the river with great views. We took the trail early and it was uncrowded but you could feel the crowd building at the end. We saw two sunrises this day. One while getting to the bus. Another an hour later while on the trail the sun came over the canyon ridge. It was beautiful. read more

Emerald Pools consists of the upper, middle and lower pools. The trails to each are clearly marked. You can access the Emerald Pools from either the Zion Lodge or the Grotto bus stops. I chose to combine this hike after hiking Angel's Landing, which I thought was a decent combo. The hike is moderately strenuous, with some climbs over some rocks, but no majorly steep drop offs. I came in mid-April, and there was just not that much water in the pools or the waterfalls. I still thought it was pretty, but I think it would be even better after a rain or snow melt. This trail is less crowded so that was a bonus as well! read more

Emerald Pools - Hiking Near Me - Zion National Park, Utah

One of the many attractions at Zion. It's a quick short hike. The bottom pool is picturesque. Sad the stairs up were closed off when i visited. Don't be fooled, it's not an actual pool. Overall, it's must see while you're here! read more

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Zion continues to take me away... Exploring this park has become so much fun. I never realized how many extraordinary opportunities there are here and checking them out with my mom brings me great joy. I'm also realizing I do in fact have some outdoorsyness in me! Who knew?!?!? This trail is considered easy and I agree which was a nice change from attempting to take on Angels Landing on our last visit. I'm still recovering from that one! The road is paved and the scenery is spectacular at every turn. If this isn't the norm for you, you'll probably find yourself taking pics every few steps. Reaching the first pool you'll immediately start to feel a cool breeze and wow did that feel amazing! It was hot and the feeling of cool drizzles starting to reach you felt unbelievable! The trail is designed to step right under the little waterfall and I could have been there for hours. There are two more pools to see after the first one along with more waterfalls but we were pretty tired from the day of activities from the day before so we are already planning on going back to see the rest of them on the next trip. Being outside and getting your exercise on in nature has really become one of my favorite things to do and Zion continues to amaze me. The sites are breathtaking and one of my favorite things to see is how the colors of the canyon change throughout the day. read more

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So much harder to hike when it's over 100 degrees ! Although this is a short hike, about 3 miles round trip going through all three pools, it wasn't easy. As a pretty active hiker, the sun beaming against my skin made is so difficult. Scenery were to die for. It was really pretty. The water fall on the way the the pools were really nice. There are three pools. The lower, middle and upper. I was expecting a lot when I reached the upper pool but the scenic view was bland and boring. Really wish I didn't hike this trail and instead, hiked another. I highly recommend bringing a lot of water and snacks! Fruits and a sandwich make the perfect quick snack once reaching the end. Random but I really despise those who have the audacity to wash their feet and rinse off in the water!! It's nature and we hike to enjoy it but it's just disgusting when people start to go in the water. Please do everyone a favor and don't do that. read more