Zion Horseback Ride: Sunset Trail & Checkerboard Cliffs

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Free cancellation

1/23

Duration1h 30m

GroupUp to 8

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Watch Zion's Cliffs Burn Orange from the Back of a Horse

You arrive twenty minutes early to meet your horse and get sadded up, then ride for an hour through East Zion as the Checkerboard Cliffs turn orange and red in the sunset light. A certified guide leads a small group at a steady pace, stopping where the view is widest. You're back before dark, having seen the one thing that makes this time of day worth planning around.

1h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Sunset horseback ride at Zion

Arrive 20 minutes early
Meet your horse and saddle up
Wear warm clothes and closed shoes
Enjoy 1-hour trail ride
Watch sunset over Zion cliffs

The Experience

The sky is already turning when you arrive at the trailhead—that narrow window before the light goes soft and the Cliffs of Zion start to glow. You'll spend twenty minutes meeting your horse, checking the fit of the saddle, getting your hands around the reins. The guide walks you through the basics if you need it, keeps things moving because the sunset won't wait. Then you're off, one hour on the trail as the light shifts from gold to amber to that deep red-orange that only happens for maybe ten minutes before it's gone.

The Checkerboard formation rises up around you—those geometric striations in the rock face that look almost carved by hand. From the saddle, the scale of it hits different than from the ground. Your horse knows the trail; the guide reads the light and the pace, stops you where the view opens up widest. You're not fighting the animal or gripping the reins tight—it's more like you're both just moving through the landscape together, watching the day end. The air gets cooler as the sun drops. Bring layers; spring and fall especially, you'll want a wool or fleece top because the temperature swings fast once the sun's behind the ridge.

This is a one-hour ride, not a full day, which means it's built around one thing: catching that light. You arrive early, you meet your horse, you ride out, you watch the Cliffs change color, you come back. No long stretches of flat trail or loops through scrub. The guide is certified and knows where to position the group so everyone sees it. Horses are matched to riders; weight limit is 220 pounds, no exceptions, and no double riders. Closed-toe shoes, moderate fitness level—you're sitting on a horse for an hour, not hiking, but you need to be able to mount, stay balanced, and move with the animal.

What’s included

Your ride includes a certified guide, a horse matched to your weight and experience level, saddle and reins, and one hour on the trail through East Zion as the light changes. You'll arrive twenty minutes early to meet your horse and get saddled up before heading out to catch the sunset over the Checkerboard Cliffs.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by East Zion Adventures

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see Zion's Cliffs at their most dramatic moment without arranging your own horse, timing the light, or navigating the trail alone—the guide handles all three, which is what makes catching the sunset possible in a single hour.