Zion, Oh Zion
A Brief Look At Zion National Park
Pat Brennan | March 1, 2021
Arguably one of the most spectacular and enjoyable National Parks is Zion NP. On the first visit, almost everyone realizes they underestimated its beauty. Why? The park is very intimate. Its canyon walls are so close, access to spectacular hikes is quick and easy, and it has a beautiful river, the Virgin River, running through it. Whereas the Grand Canyon is something massive and beautiful to behold, you can almost reach out and grab Zion—and you might have to before it grabs you. Zion is the 4th most visited National Park.
My first visit to the park was during a military move from Florida to Alaska. Utah is on the way, so after visiting the Grand Canyon, I briefly visited Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks. I was blown away by Zion. It was late March on a cold, overcast day and you could drive through the park to the various trail head parking areas foregoing the summer buses. I visited the park again spending parts of 7 days in the park during the summers of 2015 and 2016 with my wife and three of my four children.
As I’ve mentioned before, the time of year you visit Zion will have a huge impact on your experience mainly due to crowds and weather conditions. The chart below gives you an idea on how crowded the park may throughout the year. During my visits in June, especially on a weekend, you could not obtain parking in the main visitor’s lot after about 0930 or 1000 AM. We found it best, at least for hiking purposes, to arrive very early in the morning, at around 6:30 AM, when it was much cooler, and you could hop on the shuttle buses without a wait. Later in the day the bus queues become quite long, and parking can only be obtained outside the park entrance. Temperatures in the 100s are not uncommon in the summer. Having enough water is essential.
Let’s talk about hiking. Most visitors will want to do at least some hiking in the park. There are many trail heads easily accessed by the shuttle bus. In my view, the trails fall into two categories: easier to moderate trails of which many are family friendly, and the more strenuous and famous trail hikes. A link to the Zion NP information Guide is provided below which contains a brief description of the most commonly used trails.
https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/upload/August-17-InfoSheet-1.pdf
For a relatively easy hikes to scenic areas I recommend the three Emerald Pool hikes (Lower, Middle and Upper), Weeping Rock, The Grotto Trail, and the Canyon Overlook trail.
For the more ambitious hiker, I found the Observation Point, the Narrows, and Angels Landing trails to be spectacular, each in their own way. Of these three, Observation Point was the most strenuous, the Narrows the most unique, and Angels Landing probably the most spectacular and interesting (steep drop-offs tend to hold your interest).
Observation Point via East Rim Trail is currently closed due to a major rockslide. Let’s hope they have it open for the summer because it ends with a spectacular view looking south down Zion Canyon with Angels Landing in the distance below. It’s 8 miles round trip with a 2,148 foot elevation change. The trail is steep in various areas but well maintained with several scenic views on the way up and the last mile fairly flat on top of the plateau. When you get to the end of the trail you are met with a spectacular view.
I brought 6 bottles of water for this hike believing that would be enough. On the way down, I ran out of water and was parched by the 95+ degree heat This is a strenuous hike, but the view at the end is worth every step. Here is the U. S. Geological Survey marker at the trail end.
The Narrows is a unique hike unlike any other you may have experienced. It begins with the Riverside Walk at the Temple of Sinawava. This is a paved, wheelchair access trail along the Virgin River entering the Narrows for about .4 miles then it becomes a sandy walk for another .7 miles. At the end of the Riverside Walk the remaining hike is in the river itself wading up through the canyon. You’ll need a good pair of sneakers, at a minimum, to make this hike, however, many people rent or buy special water shoes to make it easier and more enjoyable.
Because the Narrows are in fact so narrow, the area is highly vulnerable to flash floods. I would not embark on this hike with any threat of rain whatsoever. As you’ll see if you hike the Narrows, if caught in a flash flood inside its narrow canyon death may be a certainty. The picture below gives you an idea of what you’ll find in the Narrows. The water depth on this day in June was almost knee deep to an average sized adult. We made the hike on a Sunday afternoon and found it to be very busy but, as you can imagine, as you hiked deeper into the canyon the number of people rapidly dwindled.
You can hike in over 4 miles in making this a strenuous, challenging hike because of the somewhat difficult footing in the rock-strewn riverbed. All in all, a hike in the Narrows is one of the most memorable experiences you’ll have in Zion.
Angels Landing is probably the most famous of all the hikes in Zion and, at times, one of the most challenging. The high begins next to the Virgin River with a slow then a steeper climb up the west canyon wall. The trail is mostly paved, and stair stepped in the steeper sections with an area of switchbacks known at Walter’s Wiggles. About two thirds of the way up you reach an area known as Scout Lookout. There is a large, flat area there with a pit toilet and many places to sit, relax and enjoy the view. People rest and congregate here before they begin the final ascent to Angels Landing, a promontory that juts out into Zion Canyon. Before you make the decision to climb, you need to consider this warning:
And this sign:
To make this hike safely, I recommend hiking shoes or boots with a deep tread pattern. Footing and handholds determine your safety. Be patient, be careful, always maintain three points of contact and you’ll be fine. You’d be surprised the people that make this hike safely every year. Here is an example of the steep drop-offs you’ll encounter and the need to use the handrails whenever provided.
And when you get to the top of the Landing, here is the view. This picture was taken at approximately 8:00 AM.
Needless to say, the reward at the top is worth every step. Total round trip distance is 5.4 miles.
Zion NP actually has two sections, the main section discussed in this blog post and the Kolob Canyons section easily accessed off I-15, exit 40, about 32 miles north of St. George, UT. Kolob Canyons is beautiful also and not nearly as congested with visitors. I recommend a trip there as well. If you are limited on time, the scenic drive through the park is spectacular.
A few last words. For lodging during our visits, we rented a condo in St. George, UT, through VRBO. The June offseason rates made it very affordable and the drive to the park entrance was only 45 minutes. From St. George it’s easy to drive up to Bryce Canyon for the day, or head down to Las Vegas for a different kind of fun. St. George is a very pleasant town and makes a great base from which to explore the area.
Onward,
Pat Brennan
Pat Brennan is the founder of bucksandparks.com
Copyright PWB Enterprises, LLC 2021. All rights reserved.
