Where to hike with a dog near Zion NP: Eagle Crags Trail

The road to this trail was an adventure all its own, both one of the worst and one of the best I've ever driven to a hike. 
One of the worst because the last two miles is on a steep, narrow and deeply rutted dirt road that you can certainly tell would be impassable when wet. Then one of the best because as soon as we reached the end, a man hopped out of the only other vehicle parked at the trailhead with a huge grin on his face and thrust his arms into the air in a "V" for victory that proclaimed, "We made it!"

Even if you don't have your own cheerleader at the top like we did, I still think you'll feel the drive was worth it. Especially if your favorite hikes are in remote wilderness areas where your dog can be off-leash and there will be few other people. Even though we hiked this trail on a Saturday, other than the man parked at the trailhead, we didn't see another soul until the end of our hike. 

What we did see, however, were plenty of trees and cool rocks full of colorful lichen at our side, plus lots of cacti and flowers at our feet. And always in the distance, there were the towering rock faces of Zion National Park. Since dogs aren't allowed in most areas of Zion, we chose to do this hike on our way to the park to give the dog a chance to stretch her legs beforehand. Which turned out to be a very good decision, since our first visit to the park featured bumper-to-bumper traffic and no opportunity to park or pull over. (Luckily, on our second visit we found a parking space near the only dog-friendly trail in the park, which is another hike I highly recommend.)

Words to the wise:  
Since this trail is in the desert, I definitely recommend hiking it early to beat the heat. Also, bring plenty of water for you and your dog, because there was no human water available and we didn't find any creeks for the dog to drink from, either. But there are bathrooms at the parking lot.

As for leashes, this trail is on BLM land so your dog can be off-leash, but if your dog is not used to hiking among cacti and lives to hunt like ours, you might want to keep them on-leash until they learn to avoid cacti. Our dog stayed clear of the ones with long, pointy spears, but she did get a small clump of super thin spines in her leg that we could barely see and were very difficult to remove without also removing her fur. 

If You Go: The trail is located off Highway 9 near Springdale, and you cross a cool bridge over the Virgin River to reach the dirt road (Bridge Road/200 East) up to the trail. I found this trail and many other great ones in Southern Utah thanks to the book "Best Dog Hikes Utah by Nicole Tomlin."

You can also hike INSIDE Zion National Park on the Pa'rus Trail.

Where to hike with a dog in Zion NP: Pa'rus Trail

We never got out of the car on our first visit to Zion National Park, mostly because there was no place to park, but also we couldn't do much with the dog. The views were so spectacular, though, I honestly would have been content to just drive through this extremely crowded park.
But on our second visit, we found what felt like the last parking space on earth right next to the only dog-friendly trail, so I jumped at the chance to walk on the Pa'rus Trail. And I can't recommend it highly enough, with or without a dog.

You can start the trail near the South Campground, but we found a parking space at the Zion Human History Museum, so picked up the trail near there. As you look for the signs pointing you to the trail near the parking lot, keep an eye out for wildlife visiting the canal tucked between the main road (Highway 9) and the parking lot. In the short time we were there, I saw many deer, birds and squirrels drinking out of it.

A sign and path leads you down and under the road, and after you navigate the stairs and uneven pathways from the parking lot, the trail itself is flat and paved, so keep your eyes peeled for bicyclists. And maybe even Bigfoot! (Check out the video to see him and get just a taste of the trail, which has sweeping views of the rock cliffs soaring above you.)

For the most part on our visit we had the trail ourselves, and enjoying those outstanding views in near solitude felt like the second miracle of the day: finding a corner of this very popular park that wasn't teeming with people and vehicles. The first, of course, was finding a parking space!

If the views and relative solitude on this trail aren't enough to tempt you, it also features several bridges over the Virgin River, and many side paths you can use to reach the water. The trail is only 1.7 miles one-way, and mostly flat and accessible.