The East Temple

The East Temple is a 7,709-foot Navajo sandstone summit rising above the confluence of Pine Creek and the North Fork Virgin River, just northeast of Zion's park headquarters. John Wesley Powell named it during his 1872 survey of the canyon. Most visitors don't climb it — reaching the true summit is a technical climb first completed in 1937 — but the East Temple Saddle route gets hikers to the base of the peak for close-up views of Upper East Canyon. It's an unmarked, off-trail extension of the Canyon Overlook Trail: about 1,100 feet of elevation gain over loose rock and slickrock washes, with Class 2–3 scrambling and real exposure in places. There's no cairned path for long stretches, so route-finding experience matters. Most hikers treat it as a 3-to-5-hour loop back through Upper Pine Creek. This is backcountry travel, not a maintained trail — go prepared to navigate on your own.