Zion National Park
Zion National Park is probably one of the prettiest places that we have ever visited. It is by far, one of the top 5 National Parks, we have seen so far. It's the first of the 5 parks in Utah.
When we came into Zion from the south, on highway 89, and turned onto the Route 9 / Mount Carmel highway. I decided I wanted to drive so Jeff could take pictures and look for animals. I'm so glad I did. He was so excited by everything he saw and I know he would have missed something if he was trying to drive and look around.
This road connects the South and East entrances into the park. It's a fantastic scenic road that is totally breathtaking. It has a series of steep switchbacks and it passes through multiple tunnels. This huge tunnel system is over a mile long! I think this was the first time I've ever been in a tunnel with windows along the way. Be sure to check out the National Park website, to make sure your RV or trailer will be small enough to navigate the tight switchbacks. Be on the lookout for mountain goats and deer that like to also travel this road too.
When we were there in August, the schools had already started and it was during the weekday, so the roads were not very busy. It was rather lovely since the park was really peaceful. If you can go on a weekday, I would highly recommend it. We left on a Saturday, and this was the line of traffic getting into the park.
We stayed in the town of Springdale which is in the valley of Zion National Park. There are tons of hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, and even laundromats, in this quaint little town. We stayed at the Best Western Zion Park hotel and really enjoyed it. This hotel was clean, the staff was nice, and they had a huge breakfast bar buffet. It was just the thing we needed to start the busy day. Since there was a shuttle bus stop right in front of the hotel, it was a bonus perk.
The first hike that we decided to do was the Narrows. We had been told that it’s super helpful to rent neoprene socks and shoes for this hike since you will be hiking in water. We stopped into the Zion Outfitters, to rent and purchase these items. You can also rent tubes to float down the Virgin River here.
Once the shuttle drops you off at the visitor center, Zion Outfitters is a quick walk to get your gear. Just tell yourself that this is NOT a fashion show, and even though they are not the best-looking shoes, your feet will thank you when you're done. I’m so glad we did this! I would also recommend taking a wooden walking stick and a camelback for water. There is no way that you will be able to do this hike without these items. You will be walking on basketball size rocks, in water, for the entire hike. The actual Narrows section of the canyon is about 3-4 hours into the hike. We decided to turn around 4 miles into the 8-mile hike.
We never realized that we wore matching outfits too!! Classy
When we started off on this hike, we walked down a paved path to the beginning of the water. There were lots of kids and families playing in the water. There were also younger people that were starting the hike. Now, they weren’t prepared, some had on strapped sandals, and metal walking sticks, and some had nothing but their cell phones. They all looked cute. They only made it about 100 ft, before they had to turn around. You have to picture yourself walking on wet basketballs, in the knee to waist-deep water, with little to no gravel bars - for miles, for this hike.
Make sure you visit the National Parks website before you go too. This park requires you to apply for lottery tickets for certain hikes, and sometimes, you have to purchase tickets for the shuttles. You will have to ride the shuttles because no personal vehicles are allowed to drive inside the park.
Here is a checklist if you are going to hike the famous Narrows…
TAKE WATER at least 2 liters!
Bring nutritious snacks
Canyoneering boots
Neoprene socks
Wooden hiking stick
Day pack
Sunscreen
Non- cotton clothing
Poop bag
Trash bag - Remember, leave no trace!
Warm layer
Dry pants or drysuit (May-Sept)
So what is the Narrows hike? It is in a huge slot canyon and is so magnificent, it’s hard to explain. Because it’s in a slot canyon, you need to be aware at all times of the chance of flash flooding, especially in early spring or late autumn. Check the forecast and at the visitor center for chances of rain. People have died because of flash floods in this canyon here, don’t be another one!
In order to give you an idea of how huge the narrow walls are, if you look close, you can see me at the bottom of this picture.
This hike took the entire day. We were totally beat so we went back to crash at the hotel.
The next day, Jeff wanted to go to do Angels Landing. It’s the most dangerous hike in the US, people say. Since I don't care for heights, and I wasn’t in the best shape, we didn't go on it. To this day, he swears he is going to go back and do it one day.
We spent the next few days doing other hikes like the Emerald Pools, The Grotto, and more. You could easily spend a week or more here. We only spent 3 days and should have stayed longer.
The Emerald Pools Trail