Zion National Park

Visited: Nov 2015

Nearby city: St. George, UT

"All this is the music of waters"

John Wesley Powell, U.S. Army Major and explorer

Zion National Park is the crown jewel not only of Utah's "Famous Five" but of the entire National Park System. The hallmark of the Park is Zion Canyon, a particularly dramatic canyon formed by the North Fork of the Virgin River stretching from the Temple of Sinawava south to the resort town of Springdale, your home base for exploring the Park. Other regions of the Park are the high plateau accessed by the Kolob Terrace Road and Kolob Canyons, accessed by Interstate 15. 

People have been living in the Virgin River Valley for over 8,000 years. First the Fremont Culture, then the Virgin Anasazi and the Paiute and Ute Indians. Mormon farmers began settling the area in 1847. In 1858, Isaac Behunin settled in the canyon and named it Zion, the Hebrew word for "Jerusalem" or the promised land. In 1872, John Wesley Powell came through the region on an exploration expedition for the U.S. Army. He named the area Mukuntuweap, the Paiute word for "straight canyon" or "straight-up land." The area attracted some visitors, namely an artist named Frederick S. Dellenbaugh. His paintings of Zion Canyon gained attention for the area when they were displayed at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. Pres. William Howard Taft designated the area as Mukuntuweap National Monument in 1909. In 1917, a road was completed to the Grotto in the canyon and in 1930, the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway was completed, dramatically increasing visitation and tourism to the area. The park was renamed to Zion (NPS Director Horace Albright determined that Mukuntuweap was too hard to pronounce and a new name was needed to promote the Park) and designated as a National Park in 1919.

Zion was the 5th most visited Park in 2016, at 4,295,127 visitors. Unlike other heavily visited Parks, like Great Smoky Mountains, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, etc. Zion is a relatively much smaller area than those. This makes for a very crowded park. To help alleviate the crowds, the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is only accessible by a Shuttle Bus for most of the year (late April/early May - early November). Parking at the Visitor's Center can also be burdensome, so during the busiest times of year there is also a shuttle bus through the town of Springdale to help you get from your hotel to the Park. Thankfully, Tara and I did not have to experience the gigantic crowds. We visited in early November. The week we visited was the last week the Shuttle Bus was operating for the year, and I would recommend visiting the park in either Oct/Nov or Mar/Apr/May to avoid the crowds. But expect it to be busy, especially on the weekends. Try to arrange your vacation so that do Zion in the middle of the week.

Zion is home to two of the most iconic, adventurous hikes in the entire NPS (1) Angels Landing and (2) The Narrows. Tara and I only tackled the Narrows on our visit. Angel's Landing is (in)famous for being rather death-defying. We're both kind of afraid of heights but we plan on hiking Angel's Landing next time we visit. The Kolob Canyons area of the park was unfortunately closed when we visited, so we also want to explore there next time. Be sure to devote at least a couple of days to soak up the scenery of Zion Canyon. Hop on the shuttle bus at the visitor center, the first stop will be the Zion Human History Museum (which is worth a visit). You'll also get an impressive view of the mountains, notably the Altar of Sacrifice.

Altar of Sacrifice in the direct center, with blood-like rock dripping from the top of the plateau

Then the bus will stop at the junction with the Zion Mt. Carmel Highway (private vehicles must continue down this road during the busy season). The next stop is the Court of the Patriarchs, three massive peaks named after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob from the Bible.

The next stop is Zion Lodge (only option for inside the Park lodging) which is also the trailhead for the Emerald Pools. This was our first hike early in the morning. You can do the 1.2 mile hike to the Lower Pool or add another 1.3 miles to visit the Middle and Upper Pools. Hiking in the early morning, as the sun lifted the curtains of shadows on the incredibly steep canyon falls, was an incredible experience.

early morning is always a good time to spot wildlife

lower Emerald Pool, the middle pool is on top of this cliff

Upper Emerald Pool is at the base of this cliff

Once you've had your fill at the Emerald Pools you can hike back to the Zion Lodge, or take a spur trail to get to the next Bus Stop, the Grotto. This is also the trailhead for Angel's Landing, a 5.4 mile round trip hike. The last half a mile or so is the treacherous climb up the spine of a mountain (there are chains to assist your climb) to Angel's Landing, which provides an excellent view of the Valley.

The next bus stop is Weeping Rock. You can take the short 0.2 hike to the Weeping Rock. This is the trailhead for the 4 mile long (one way) Observation Point Trail. We did this trail as our alternative to Angel's Landing. It's a little longer, but not as hair raising and ends with an arguably better view of the entire Zion Canyon, overlooking Angel's Landing. The trail wastes no time climbing up the sheer cliffs, high above Weeping Rock. Get ready for lots of switchbacks. Overall, this hike has about 2,000 feet of elevation change.

the top of Angels Landing is bathed in sunlight across the river, the rock formation below Angel's Landing is known as the Organ

After a number of switchbacks, you'll see the turnoff if you want to hike to Hidden Canyon. Stay straight and eventually the trail flattens out in scenic Echo Canyon.

At the end of Echo Canyon, you're about halfway there. The trail starts to climb again, lots of switchbacks before you're done. This hike wore us out, but it was worth it.

Once you get to the top, walk along the rim for about half a mile and then you get to your reward.

Angels Landing and the Organ in foreground, Great White Throne to the left

Back on the shuttle bus, the next stop is Big Bend. Not much here hiking wise, just views of the river and The Organ.

The last stop is known as the Temple of Sinawava. This natural amphitheater is scenic enough. But this is also the trailhead for the Riverside Walk (a pleasant mile long hike along the river) which ends at The Narrows, one of the highlights and a must-do if visiting Zion. You can hike through the river through the incredibly narrow and scenic canyon. No matter what, you will get wet, so be prepared for that. In November, the water is very cold so we rented proper equipment at an outfitter in Springdale. Make sure you have some kind of staff or walking stick. I found it easier to hike upstream rather than downstream. You can hike as far up the river as you would like, Orderville Canyon is the farthest you can hike upstream without a permit (about 1.5 miles or so from the start of The Narrows). First, the views along the Riverside Walk in Fall were incredible.

At the end of the Riverside Walk, the trail (which is the North Fork of the Virgin River) begins. This is wear we put our gear on (namely the shoes) they are not comfortable to wear outside of the river. We left our regular shoes at the trail end. I wouldn't worry, everyone else does it. Hiker's Honor Code.

Now enjoy the river trail. It was very exciting and fun. Each bend in the river brought a new adventure. It was awe-inspiring.

your first major landmark is Mystery Falls

This is an all-time classic hike, and one of the best hikes in our National Parks. Don't pass it up. The other part of Zion we explored was along the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway. Check out the easy, mile long Canyon Overlook Trail and stop by Checkerboard Mesa.

Zion is my favorite National Park. Unsurpassed beauty and adventurous hikes that are very accessible for couch potatoes/city slickers like me. 😊 We loved our time here and you will too. We can't wait to return and take on Angel's Landing! Entrance fee is $30 per vehicle. More info here: https://www.nps.gov/zion/index.htm