Zion National Park review: The most popular of the Utah Big 5 National Parks and our favorite national park!
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| Zion National Park, Utah |
Helen Keller: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
My wife and myself’s first introduction to Zion National Park began in the year 2017 when we visited the city of Las Vegas during April of that year. During that trip, we got a kick out of doing things other than just the usual activities in “Sin City”, like drinking, eating (too much), gambling, and/or watching live entertainment.
We got to experience natural wonders nearby like Mt. Charleston, Red Rock Canyon, and Valley of Fire all within our first three days. Because our trip would be 5 nights/6 days, we still had another full day to explore somewhere amazing.
To that end, we decided on visiting the always popular Zion National Park in southwest Utah. We had two good reasons why we chose this park that day: 1) it was under a 3 hour drive to Zion National Park from Las Vegas, and 2) we had always known of Zion from cable channels like the National Geographic and the Travel Channel.
Thanks to our beautiful black colored Mustang Convertible rental car, the drive to Zion National Park was absolutely amazing. We arrived in the town of Springdale, parked our car on the street, then took the park shuttle to the visitor center.
We, unfortunately, were ill-prepared for that trip, as we didn’t even bring sneakers for the occasion. We decided to grab lunch at the Zion Lodge, and to take the shuttle bus to do some very light sightseeing, thanks to limited time we had to spend that day.
While eating lunch at the Zion Lodge restaurant al fresco, accompanied by tasty local beers, we came to the same conclusion that Zion National Park is a true heaven on earth. The beautiful vibrantly colored red rocks were towering over us on both sides, while in the valleys below, the river meandered and the trees bloomed. If there ever is a heaven, we thought perhaps Zion would be that place…
We left Zion National Park for our hotel in Las Vegas that day, achingly longing to see more of the heaven on earth. We promised ourselves we would definitely come back one of these days…One of these days finally came in January 2023, during our cross country road trip going from North Carolina to California!
On the morning of January 6th, we left our hotel near Bryce Canyon National Park for Zion National Park. The drive to Zion National Park took about 2 hours. The weather had been clear when we left our hotel, but by the time we arrived at Zion, the weather had turned cloudy and rainy.
After making our way through the entrance station to the park, we turned right for the visitor center. We remembered the visitor center fairly well, albeit with much less people this time around due it being the off-season. Despite the gloomy and less than ideal weather conditions, we were happy to be back at the park.
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| Zion National Park Visitor Center |
We checked in with a park ranger (as usual) to get recommendations on hikes to do, as well as to get other park information, like the weather, flash flood warnings, and shuttle bus schedules. We found out shuttle buses weren’t running during the off season, and we learned a little about the dangers of flash flooding when hiking the famous “Narrows” section.
We went outside then headed straight for the first hike at Zion, the Emerald Pools. Coming out of the visitor center, we turned right to go deeper into the park. We turned left 5 minutes later and remembered the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, which immediately felt familiar. We were finally back at Zion!
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| Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, Zion National Park |
Near Shuttle Bus Stop #5 (Zion Lodge), we parked our car at the Emerald Pools Trailhead right across from the Zion Lodge. The parking lot was almost full, but we found a spot to park. After parking our car, we started our first hike at Zion!
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| Start of the Emerald Pools trail, Zion National Park |
Just looking around the area near the Zion Lodge brought back so many wonderful memories. We vividly remembered the beautiful rock walls surrounding the canyons. We half crossed the bridge, then stopped for a minute to take in the river views from the bridge.
The Virgin River was running fast enough under the bridge thanks to the constantly falling rain the last couple of days. The view, though, really was beautiful…
We crossed the bridge, then decided to take a right turn, as that’s where most people went. When in doubt, stick to the one that’s more popular. The trail started out nice and even, with a slight elevation gain.
About 10 minutes into our hike, we ran into a pair of deers eating vegetation. They weren’t easily scared off by humans, so we stuck around to observe them doing lunch. That was awesome!
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| Two deers during their lunch! |
While we stopped to observe the deers, we got the magnificent views of Zion. The trees hadn’t bloomed, so we had an unobtrusive view of the impressive landscape surrounding us on all sides. We could never get enough of the red rocks, the river, and the canyons. Just incredible…
The hike up to the Lower Emerald Pools took another 10 minutes or so. Waterfall gushed everywhere, coming down fast and furious. Rain certainly helped pool all that water down the falls. What a view thanks to the rain.
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| Lower Emerald Pools, Zion National Park |
We walked underneath the waterfalls to continue our hike, then stopped to feel the waterfall. It was a constantly moving, roaring, and loud beast when heard from below. The hike was already worth it!
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| Underneath the waterfall |
The trail had gotten muddy and incredibly messy, but we carried on, eager to experience more of the Emerald Pools. There was a fork in the road past the waterfalls, so we tried the Middle Emerald Pools. The views changed, for better, as we climbed higher on our way over to the Middle Emerald Pools.
We had gotten not more than another 5 minutes on the way to the Middle Emerald Pools trail, when we saw people turning around, as the trail had been blocked due to fallen rocks. We decided to do that as well, then headed towards the Upper Emerald Pools instead.
My wife and I have some familiarity with the Upper Emerald Pools trail as we had used treadmills that feature famous hiking trail courses displayed on treadmills’ screen, including this one. We got a kick out of hiking the exact same trail featured there.
In person, the trail was much more difficult, with moderate but noticeable elevation gains all the way up to the top of the trail. Along the way, we encountered a small stream, about 5 feet across, that was gushing water. Many hikers had stopped dead in their tracks, unsure of what to do.
We saw some hikers decided to cross anyway, using a dead branch and several rocks as makeshift bridge. We got a bit wet, but we had made it across.
From there, it was another 5 minutes of hiking to reach the Upper Emerald Pools. The views were amazing! We took some time catching our breaths and to take in the sights. What a sight at that…
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| On our way to the Upper Emerald Pools! |
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| Upper Emerald Pools, Zion National Park |
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| View from Upper Emerald Pools trail, Zion National Park |
We headed back down the same trail as it was getting close to our hotel check in time. We got back in our car, then drove about 15 minutes to the town of Springdale, to our hotel, Holiday Inn.
Checking in was great, with extremely friendly staff (and manager) who welcomed us with practically open arms. It was a big difference from our experience at the Red Sands Hotel near Capitol Reef National Park.
We got our keys, then opened the door to our room, on the second floor. Room was clean, with modern furnishings. We even liked the Dove brand shampoo/lotion provided.
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| View from our room |
The following morning, we helped ourselves to the excellent complimentary hot breakfast with eggs, sausages, bagels, and make-your-own pancakes. We ate a hearty meal for the upcoming day, full of hikes and adventures!
We headed back to Zion National Park after getting ready. Our next destination: the Narrows.
The famous Narrows section is the narrowest section of Zion Canyon. The gorge is famous for its 1,000 foot tall rock walls and the Virgin River, which is sometimes around 20-30 feet wide. It is one of the most popular areas in Zion National Park.
By the time we arrived at the parking lot for the Narrows, the parking spots were filling us fast. We found one near the entrance to the lot, parked, then walked towards the trailhead.
We looked around, mesmerized by the sheer size and the height of the rock walls. The place was absolutely stunning and magical. We felt incredibly small standing next to the gigantic rock walls, and we strained our necks looking up towards the top of the rocks.
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| View from the Narrows, Zion National Park |
We started to hike towards the Narrows, with the Virgin River to our left. Views never let up. It seemed like every turn we made, the views got more impressive.
We were in awe of the place. Just looking at the rocks gave me chills, and renewed my love for nature. Zion is that special place that everyone should experience first hand…
We continued hiking until we got to the end of the trail, where we had two options: 1) continue hiking up the river, therefore, getting your feet and legs wet, or 2) head back the same way. We decided to head back as we weren’t prepared for hiking into the river.
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| End of the trail, the Narrows |
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| Near the parking lot, the Narrows |
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| Virgin River near the Narrows |
We headed back, but because of the increase in foot traffic along the trail, we decided to walk along the river bank. It was actually more fun to walk along there, even if it took a bit longer to get back. We certainly didn’t mind, as we had plenty of time to explore. It is one of the best perks of early retirement. We can take our time if we choose to…
When we got back to the parking lot via the long, circuitous way, we met a family with a cute little Chihuahua, picnicking. We found out the dog was 16 years old! Wow. We chatted for awhile then headed out to our next destination: Weeping Rock.
Weeping Rock is the shortest trail (.4 mile) at Zion National Park, and it features a lush hanging gardens that are formed from constantly flowing water from the canyons above. We found plenty of parking spots at the trailhead, parked, then headed up the trail.
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| Weeping Rock, Zion National Park |
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| View from Weeping Rock, Zion National Park |
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| Dripping water from Weeping Rock |
We left for our hotel afterwards looking for some rest and relaxation. Once again, we took full advantage of having time on our hands after early retirement. We no longer needed to fill our day completely with activities, but rather chose to take things easy, and to explore at a leisurely pace!
On our third day at Zion, we chose to do these following hikes: 1) Middle Emerald Pools trail, 2) Kayenta trail, and 3) Grotto trail. We would be combining the three trails as they interconnect seamlessly.
We again parked at the same parking lot we had used on our first day for Lower/Upper Emerald Pools trailhead, then proceeded to cross the same bridge. This time, we chose to turn left rather than right, to try our hands at the Middle Emerald Pools trail.
The Middle Emerald Pools trail was much more difficult to hike vs the Lower Emerald Pools trail, thanks to mostly unpaved, and at times muddy surfaces. The trail also ascended immediately, and we were huffing and puffing quickly.
The quick ascent did make for a beautiful view right off the bat. The always majestic Zion canyons and the rock walls never get old…
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| Middle Emerald Pools trail, Zion National Park |
We walked gingerly over some questionable and very muddy spots at times, making sure not to slip or trip. The drop below was easily over 200 feet and at times, there were barely 3-4 foot wide trails with sheer drops to the valley below. Yikes!
We eventually made it to the top of the Middle Emerald Pools trail then stopped to enjoy the views for a minute. One great thing about Zion is that no matter which trail you take, the fantastic views are ubiquitous. The presence of high domes, impressive 1,000 foot tall rock walls, snow capped mountains, and beautiful canyons makes everything so special and beautiful.
Bottom line: There is no bad trail, nor a bad walk at Zion…
We continued past the Middle Emerald Pools, then picked up Kayenta trail. The sun briefly showed up just as we got on the trail, making everything looks so much more beautiful.
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| Kayenta trail, Zion National Park |
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| View from Kayenta trail |
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| The sun finally! |
We really enjoyed hiking the Kayenta trail, as the trail was less muddy compared to the Middle Emerald Pools trail, and the trail slowly descended to the canyons below. It’s much easier to walk down than up!
Along the hike on Kayenta trail, we took some photos which turned out to be one of our favorite vantage points at Zion. It was the quintessential shot of Zion in all its glory, with beautiful domes/rock walls on each side with the Virgin River cutting through the middle of the canyons below. Wow, what a sight…
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| Zion National Park view from the Kayenta trail |
We headed down to the canyons below, crossing the Virgin River, then got on the Grotto trail, our last trail we would hike. The Grotto trail hugs the river, and it is a short trail that connects to the Emerald Pools trailhead and to the Zion Lodge.
We looked around as we made our way back to the parking lot, bittersweet at the thought we would be leaving Zion the next day. We were sad to go, but also very excited we finally got to do more than just scratch the surface at Zion National Park. We promised ourselves that this was one national park we would come back and again…
In conclusion:
Zion had left an indelible mark on both of our psyches. We really thought we had experienced heaven on earth during our first visit. We were longing to see more of the park, and we were incredibly blessed that we got to do that this year.
Experiencing Zion by hiking added so much to our enjoyment of the park. Instead of us riding the shuttle bus then getting off to take some pictures, by hiking, we really got to experience the park the way it was meant to be experienced.
The scenery we witnessed during our hikes still remain with us after 3 months. We know we will always live with the memories of our trip to Zion, hiking all those trails and seeing all those incredible sights.
We can’t wait to go back. We’re not exactly sure when that may be, but we will go back. We absolutely love & miss Zion…
We thank you for reading and keep up with us on our continuing journey across the American West, going from North Carolina to California!
Jake
Wandering Money Pig
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