Gooseberry Mesa

Gooseberry Mesa Trail Outside of Zion National Park

When I reflect back on 2022, truly the biggest thing that stands out to me is the copious amount of running I did. I ran more within that singular year than I ever had in my life up to that point, possibly even all my years combined. Back in 2019 I trained for a half marathon, I had done a couple of 5ks, and would occasionally even run as a warmup before my lifts. It was something I’d do for a bit, stop for a bit, then start up again, but nothing I ever took seriously. But that year I found myself living for the weekends so I could be out in the middle of nowhere chasing my 15th mile while sucking down a Gu pack, moving at a 12 minute-per-mile pace and loving it in a way I’d never loved anything before.

All of this is what led me to saying “yes” when a friend asked if I wanted to take a quick trip to Utah and do one of her bucket list runs along the Zion rim. We planned for 20 miles that would be filled with nothing but mountain views, technical terrain and lots of orange dirt. I would still consider this one of my biggest confidence boosting runs to date. I recognize that this may not be the case for everyone, but when you pace yourself properly and just allow yourself to soak in where you are and what surrounds you, it is much easier to keep going and take advantage of the endorphins.

Accessing the trail

Gooseberry Mesa has it’s own parking lot, it requires some back roads to get there, but on a Friday morning at 7:30 a.m. we were the only car in the parking lot. I think by the time we left around 3:30 p.m. there were 4 cars total.

At the parking lot there is a restroom, which I want to make a point to say that it was exceptionally clean for being an outhouse style restroom. They have a couple of signs reminding you to keep the toilet seat closed after use and the restroom door shut, and it seems most people abide by these requests! (Make sure you have your own hand sanitizer though). There is a map posted outside of the bathroom so you can plan ahead for the route you want to take. From the parking lot you will find the sign that indicates the split to go left for White Trailhead or right for Windmill Trailhead. Whichever way you choose it all ends up connecting to make a 11.4 miles loop.

The sign located right outside of the parking lot,

We decided to head out by way of the Windmill Trailhead, which took us through the loop counter clockwise. I ended up being very glad we approached the loop this way. About a mile in, after you pass the Windmill, you come upon a spectacular view of the North Rim-this really sets the tone for the run. We were extra hyped after this. When the trail comes to the rim you’ll turn left and there is a small path, (it’s a bit hidden and we almost missed it) this is what you’ll follow to continue on. It will take you around the rim for a little while longer but there is some nice shading in the wooded area.

To the left of the Zion Rim view to continue on the trail.

During our time on the trail we maybe saw four or five other people in total. I was actually a bit surprised that with the gorgeous views and Gooseberry being so close to Zion that there was such low traffic on a Friday morning, but I’m definitely not complaining. Gooseberry Mesa is primarily a biking trail, so the few people we did run into were mountain bikers, we were the only ones on foot. The trail is also super well mark, there are plenty of whites dots to follow as you make your way through. There are also clear markers to indicate when you are entering a new portion of the trail.

From Windmill, you’ll head into Bowls and Ledges, it will take you a matter of 5 seconds to figure out how this trail earned its name. We followed the markers exactly so we were taken on quite a journey, it was fun but definitely challenging. Again, considering the trail is primarily for mountain bikers it takes you up and down a lot of the bowl shaped rocks. You can choose to go around these if you would like to be extra kind to your knee and ankle joints. Also, from this point on there really isn’t any shading, so make sure you have protection via sunscreen, a hat, and maybe even a lightweight long sleeve shirt.

Bowls & Ledges

From here you’ll connect up to White Trailhead where you’ll come upon another parking lot with an outhouse style restroom. Going straight through the parking lot will take you the remaining mile to the Gooseberry trailhead, but turning right at the parking lot fence will lead you towards a trail that takes you to the South Rim. Since our goal was 20 miles this day, we ran back to the car to refill our water bladders and reload on snacks, then decided to head back to do our remaining miles through the South Rim. While on White Trail we had to avoid a few large holes that had filled with water from the recent rain. I’m guessing they were created by bikes or ATV’s, but just watch your step and be cautious since it can get a little muddy. Overall, this was a great trail to finish on due to it being pretty flat so I was able to pick up my pace at the end, which is always an amazing feeling.

I loved this trail, we got to experience a few different kinds of terrain and I was never not in awe of the scenery. It’s a great way to get the feel of a Zion trail without the crowds that typically come with being in a National Park. I will most definitely be revisiting and exploring the other trails that branch out from it. You really get to choose your own adventure while running Gooseberry Mesa and from my experience, none of the choices are disappointing.

Quick Glance

Distance: 11.4 miles

Elevation Gain: 725 ft

Level: Challenging

Time: 3-4 hours

Traffic: Moderate

What you’ll need: