In my humble opinion Cable Mountain has one of the best views in Zion — definitely one of the most sheer drops one can peer over anyway. It also has an interesting bit of history as the site of the old cable works system which delivered timber from the top of the mesa to the canyon floor nearly 2000′ below. It’s worth the diversion from the East Rim Trail (and the Hayduke) if you have a bit of extra time to spend in Zion.
From the trail junction near Stave Spring it’s 2.9 miles out to the viewpoint off of the East Rim Trail (or even less if one opts for the Jughandle Arch route up.) The route has a small amount of elevation gain/loss, but it’s a fairly fast walk. There’s even the “Not Stave” spring water source along the way which tends to be better (and less crowded) than Stave Spring itself.
NOTE: the East Rim Trail is currently closed in lower Echo Canyon and thus one cannot to connect to Weeping Rock/Zion Canyon.
GALLERY: