Zion National Park

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Zion National Park

April 16

Upon leaving Bryce Canyon around 11:30 a.m. we again found the road offering some great scenery.

We stopped briefly after an hour of driving at Red Canyon to check out some hoodoos along the side of the road partly because they were cool looking, but mostly because Em was sure she would find just the right rock formation to match the one on the can of one of the locally brewed IPA she discovered, High Desert Hazy IPA by Rooster’s Brewing Company.  Alas, the model for the can was not to be found. We did however discover that Red Canyon should be one of our destinations next time we’re in the neighborhood.

We got to Zion National Park at 2:00 p.m. The drive along the access road into Zion was a great introduction to the splendor we would be encountering the next two days.

E-bikes in Zion

The entrance into Zion from this route is in the town of Springdale.  There is um….oh…a lot of activity here. We got there at 3:30 p.m. Before getting to our site at Watchman Campground we stopped at Zion Peddler, the place we had reserved E-bikes in advance for the next day. Zion Peddler is about a 15-minute walk to our campground. We signed our waivers, got instructions, and tested out the bikes at this time so we could just pick up the bikes in the morning and get going. We highly recommend Zion Peddler. They were very nice, and very helpful with planning our day on the bikes. Of the many recommendations we have poured over when planning our trips, none were more right than the recommendations we saw to rent e-bikes in Zion! Definitely the way to go, especially during the season when most of the scenic drive is closed to cars.  The e-bikes provide much more flexibility and enjoyment than the crowded shuttle busses.

Zion Peddler staff recommended that due to rainy weather expected the next day that if we wanted to hike the very popular Narrows hike we should get there very early, and for safety reasons be out of the water-filled canyon no later than noon. We found this to be very disappointing since that is a hike which Emilie was very excited about.

In spite of that warning we inquired at an outdoor adventure shop next door about renting the water-proof hiking suits and boots for the Narrows hike. However, they too recommended not hiking the Narrows the next day unless done very early. So, we did not rent the gear and resigned ourselves to planning on just riding the e-bikes to the Narrows trailhead, and hiking to the Narrows but not hiking through the Narrows canyon.

Watchman Campground

After this we got in the car and proceeded to the Watchman Campground just up the road and just beyond the entry station to Zion. We had our tent set up by 4:30 p.m. Though busy, this is a very nice campground, with nice views. Scoring the site required equal amounts diligence and luck.

We oriented ourselves on foot with the very busy area, including finding the e-bike path to the scenic drive through the park, and we eventually found our way to the Brew Pub just outside the entrance to the park. We met some folks, chatted and ate dinner on the outside patio. Then we walked back to the campsite, lit a fire and called it a night.

April 17

The Narrows

After breakfast at the campsite we packed a backpack and walked the 15 minutes to Zion Peddler to pick up our e-bikes at around 9:15 a.m.

We biked the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive towards The Narrows, which is the at end of this scenic drive road, about a 40 minute e-bike ride. Of course we marveled at the canyon walls all around us as we biked…stopping a couple of times to take in the breathtaking scenery. The ability to do this is another advantage over riding the shuttle busses.

One short stop was at The Court of the Patriarchs which is officially shuttle stop #4 on the scenic drive.

Our plan was to visit the Narrows at the end of the scenic drive, get our feet wet, then stop for hikes and overlooks as we made our way back.  Arriving at the Riverside Walk trailhead at around 10:30 a.m. we parked the e-bikes.  It was busy here. Shuttles full of people were arriving and departing.  We grabbed our small day pack, locked the bikes, and proceeded down the paved Riverside Walk Trail, which ultimately leads to The Narrows.

After about 20 minutes we reached the end of the River Walk, and arrived at the Narrows trailhead. There were a lot of people here, many just meandering at the trailhead to get a glimpse of the famous water-filled slot canyon, and many hiking in the water.

Being caught up in the moment we decided we’d put on our wet shoes and hike as much of the miles long canyon as we could without getting our clothes too wet. We were very glad we made this decision. We each used one of Em’s walking poles for stability…which was necessary. The rocky bottom was a bit of a challenge for my feet, but Em had harder soles so she was definitely more comfortable. But it really wasn’t bad.  The unique adventure and astounding beauty around each bend more than compensated.

Fortunately it really wasn’t as crowded as we expected, likely due to the warnings being given to tourists about the weather and possible danger of flash flooding. Weather was good, though, and no issues. The water level didn’t get above our thighs for about 1/2 mile. Which is when we turned around.

Back at the shore, we dried our feet off, put our sneakers back on and headed back up the River Walk. As we made our way back around 12:15 p.m. it was much more crowded than earlier, so we are happy we made the bee-line here first. Along the way we stopped along the rocks by the river for a snack.

Back at the very busy parking area we used the restrooms and got back on the e-bikes. We made a couple of more stops along the scenic drive to marvel at the scenery.

Scout Lookout

At around 2:00 p.m. we got to the Grotto stop, a popular scenic drive stop that provides access to several hiking trails, including Angels Landing. We did not have a permit for Angels Landing but we did hike along the West Rim Trail to Scout Lookout, which is the jumping off point for Angels Landing. This 4-mile out and back hike is quite strenuous. Though a relatively easy, surefooted trail, it is a persistent ascent, with a lot of steep sections and switchbacks.

After crossing the Virgin River on a bridge near the trailhead, the trail follows the river for a bit. Then, it starts climbing…and climbing. The views of the canyon become incredible along the way, offering great photo opportunities.

Near the actual Scout Lookout, when you think you’re almost there and getting a break, there is a series of 21 switchbacks called Walter’s Wiggles that was pretty tough. All along the hike we needed to stop quite often to catch our breath. But that was ok because the views got more and more spectacular as we ascended. The following video is actually of us descending down through Walter’s Wiggles after reaching Scout Lookout.

At Scout Lookout we were treated to tremendous vistas, and also the beginning of Angels Landing. Honestly, I thought that the hike to this point was so hard I don’t think I could have done the additional 1/2 mile of Angels Landing even if I had a permit!

After recovering…I mean after relaxing and enjoying the views for about 15 minutes we headed down. The persistently downward hike was quite enjoyable, I must say!

The next stop on the e-bikes was just a few minutes down the road at the Zion Lodge. We just wanted to check out the lodge, but we were easily lured into their nice dining room for a very satisfying dinner. The e-bikes needed to be returned by 8:00 p.m. so we had plenty of time for an early dinner and respite from an active day.

After dinner and heading into the home stretch with the e-bikes it began to lightly rain on us. At the bike rental place it started raining harder, but at least the biking was done…good timing. We had our rain gear with us so we put it on and walked back to our tent. The evening at the campsite was nice and mostly dry, but it did rain overnight. We stayed dry in the tent though.

April 18

As it had rained overnight, and we were packing up to leave Zion, we had to hang up several items to dry before packing them. Being a hot and sunny morning, this fortunately didn’t take too much time. We ate breakfast at the campsite before packing up and heading out of the Watchman Campground. Checkout time is 11:00 am, and we left around 10:58!

Our destination was Las Vegas. After five straight nights in the tent we figured a nice bed and shower was in order…as well as doing laundry. Before leaving the borders of Zion we headed to the Kolob Canyons section of Zion National Park to do the Timber Creek Overlook trail.

On the way to Kolob Canyons we made a couple of pit stops brought to our attention by our Roadside America app. The first was a ghost town with well-maintained buildings and cemetery in Grafton, Utah. Well, Grafton is officially the ghost town, so it’s actually in the current town of Rockville. It’s a bit off the beaten path, but it is a draw. We expected to be the only people here, but there were several other cars here when we arrived, and others came as we were leaving. It was actually very cool, as the buildings are well preserved. But most interesting is this is where several scenes from the movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” were filmed.

From here we stopped at the Fort Zion kitschy gift shop in Virgin, Utah. A hokey stop, but fun, and an excuse to get some homemade ice cream, and to get my fortune told for a quarter.

Kolob Canyons is in the western side if Zion National Park, but it is really set apart from Zion “proper”. It could be its own destination as you would never know you were in Zion NP. The Kolob Canyons Visitors Center is about an hour drive from Zion’s Springdale Visitors Center, and it includes a stretch on Interstate 15. While on I15 the beautiful, clear day became a snow storm! It was snowing hard. At the Kolob Canyons Visitors Center the snow was blowing sideways. We went into the Visitors Center to check it out and speak to a ranger about our hike. There were lots of people in there taking shelter. The weather forecast was for clearing in the next 30 minutes…possibly…the rangers concurred.

So we got back into the car and drove the 15 minutes to the trailhead.  All along the drive we could see nothing but the road in front of us…and snow. We hung out in the car at the trailhead for about 20 minutes while watching our weather app.  It was difficult to predict when exactly the snow would stop so we just went for it. The Timber Creek Overlook trail is only a mile, and it ends with a canyon overlook.

The whole hike in was in the snow, and so of course on a muddy trail.

We could see nothing except the trail ahead of us and the immediate trees around us. We kept hoping for a clearing of the snow. About 20 minutes later we got to the overlook, which is the end of the trail. We were the only ones there.  We could just start to see beyond.

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The weather was slowly clearing for us until finally about 10 minutes later the blue sky and sun took over and we were treated to some great views. The slow reveal made it that much more dramatic. We had no idea that all of this was around us as we hiked. A nice treat.

As we soaked it in, other hikers began showing up. We descended after a bit, did our best to clean up our muddy hiking shoes, and at about 3:30 p.m. began our ride to Las Vegas for the next two nights.

Next: Death Valley National Park