Zion National Park

The last stop on our Utah roadtrip was Zion National Park.  Most people come to the park from Las Vegas, in the west.  But I think the best way to get into the park is from the East Entrance, via the scenic Zion-Mount Carmel Highway (Utah Route 9).  This road winds past some of the prettiest red rock I've ever seen.

The road itself is a feat of engineering.  There are two tunnel sections that were blasted right through the mountains back in the 1920's.  The longer tunnel is 5600 feet long and has several cutout windows for ventilation and viewing (although you are not supposed to stop while driving through the tunnel).  As we approached this tunnel we were driving behind one of those huge tour buses, which proved to be interesting.  The tunnel is only 13 feet tall, so to get a tour bus through it they actually shut down traffic in one direction so that the bus can drive down the middle of the road.

View of a tunnel "window" from below

We hiked the Emerald Pools - Kayenta loop to get some nice views of the park from above.  The canyon gorge has been carved over millennia by the north fork of the Virgin River.

Zion Canyon and the Virgin River

Zion is known for great hikes and world-class rock climbing.  There are two premier hikes that seem to be in every guidebook: Angel's Landing and the Narrows.  We opted to hike the Narrows because the thought of clinging to a chain with 1000-foot drop offs on either side of the Angel's Landing trail did not appeal to us at all.  (Click here for a great overview and a picture of the Angel's Landing hike.)

The Narrows follows the path of the Virgin river through a sheer-walled slot canyon.  You can start at the top and do the whole 16-mile hike (which requires a permit), or you can start at the bottom, hike 3 or 4 miles in, then turn around and come back out (which is what we did, since there's no permit required).  The hike itself is mostly in the riverbed, so you will definitely get your feet wet.  It is a good idea to rent neoprene socks and water shoes from one of the outfitters in Springdale at the entrance to the park.  A sturdy hiking stick is essential for helping feel out depths and for keeping your balance when wading and while walking on river rocks.

This hike should never be done during heavy rain or when there is any chance of flash flooding.  Luckily for us, the weather was clear, the water wasn't too cold, and we were well-equipped.  This hike was one of the most enjoyable on our trip and we would highly recommend it!

We made sure to celebrate with a beer afterwards, of course.  The town of Springdale (just outside the park) has several great restaurants and even a brewery.

We had been disappointed to miss out on the stargazing in Bryce since it was too cloudy to see the stars at night.  Mother Nature made it up to us in Zion.  Even though we were staying in the lodge, all we had to do was walk across the road to get nice dark sky views of the Milky Way.

On our last day in the park, we did a 3-hour trail ride along the Sandbench Trail that passes through the Grove of the Patriarchs.  We were glad we waited until the last day to do the horseback ride because after three hours we were a little saddle sore.  It was definitely a great way to see that part of the park, although maybe next time I will opt for the one-hour ride!

Here's a video with our Zion highlights.  Enjoy!

Zion Highlights from Solsticecatamaran on Vimeo.