Rock Canyon / Barracks Overlook Trail

In Zion's remote southeast corner, the East Fork of the Virgin River has carved Parunuweap Canyon, a deep, little-visited gorge that predates the more famous Narrows in age and rivals it in scale. Rock Canyon is a tributary side drainage dropping into this stretch from the south, a lush, spring-fed slot with a petroglyph panel near its mouth that canyoneers and off-trail hikers pass on longer through-routes toward features known locally as the Barracks and Labyrinth Falls.

This is not a maintained, signed trail with a formal overlook. It is wilderness travel on primitive roads and cross-country terrain, mostly on BLM land within the Parunuweap Canyon Wilderness Study Area, with the route's exit into Zion National Park. Reaching the south rim access points requires a capable high-clearance vehicle on deep sand roads, and the lower canyon downstream of Labyrinth Falls is closed to public entry as a park Natural Research Area. Anyone considering this route should confirm current BLM and NPS wilderness access rules first; it is not a casual outing.