Zion National Park is certainly one of the best and my favorite park in Utah, though Bryce comes very close. I also think it is the best maintained and most visited park in the state. I first visited Zion in 2011, but have been a very frequent visitor to the park since. The park offers spectacular views of the high plateaus, some of the best hikes in the country and a truly serene environment.
Best Time to visit: May to June and Sept to Oct. Jul to Aug are too hot and crowded
Weather: 70s to 80s in May - Jun, 90+ in Jul - Aug, 80s in Sept - Oct
How about winter: Great for photo-ops, quiet settings, not great for hikes and camping
Where to stay: Zion Lodge is great and inside the Park, else neighboring town of Springdale ($$$$), Hurricane which is 17 mi away ($$$), St George which is 30 mi away ($$) or Cedar City which is 60 mi away ($$)
Things to do: Hiking, Rock Climbing, Canyoneering, Biking, Backpacking, Night Star Watching, Photography, Sight seeing, picnics
Attractions close by: Bryce National Park is 3 hrs away via US Hwy 89, Kanab is 1 hr away, Grand Canyon National Park North Rim is 3 hrs away, Page AZ & Glen Canyon National Recreational Area (Lake Powell) is 4 hrs away
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| Court of the Patriarchs |
River Walk is a 1.5 mile paved pathway from Temple of Sinawava to the entrance of Narrows and is wheelchair accessible. The shuttle takes your right to the Temple from where it is an easy hike. Hike takes you all along the Virgin river with towering plateaus in the background, making up for beautiful photo-ops. Easy access to the river is available. This hikes takes about 45 min with brisk walking and about 90 min with a relaxed walk.
The Narrows (MUST DO)
Top Down (16 mi) & Bottom Up (9 mi) hike options
Bottom Up takes 5-8 hrs subject to your speed
It can be done in two ways - Bottom-Up and Top-Down. Top-down (NPS permit needed) is a tougher hike that requires some technical skills for canyoneering. Bottom-Up, which we did is a much easier hike that starts from the River Walk and goes about 5 miles inside the canyon from where you need to turn back unless you have a permit. This is a moderately strenuous hike and is usually the most crowded hike (for the first 2 miles) in Summers. It is a family friendly hike and requires walking upstream in the Virgin River while entering the Canyon and downstream while coming back. The river is usually ankle to knee deep in dry conditions. Always check with the NPS office for weather conditions as flash floods do happen in here during which DO NOT hike the canyon as it can result in serious injury or even death. Water can get cold during spring / fall months and dry or wet suit and water boot rentals are available at NP entrance or in Springdale.
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Angels Landing (COULD DO) is an exciting, strenuous and heart-pumping hike that requires going up switch backs to a point after which you need to walk holding chains for reaching the trail summit. Its a 5 mile round trip hike with the first 4 miles round trip being a long, tiring but paved path while last 1 mile of round trip requires climbing on tough and narrow trail (chains are provided for assistance). This section is very thrilling and dangerous as well. The road is very narrow - about 4-5 ft at some places beyond which is 1000 ft vertical drop. The view from the top of the Angel's Landing can't be described in this blog. It has to be experienced. The entire Zion valley is visible from the top with the Observation Point couple of thousand feet above us while the view from Angels to the Watchman is nothing less than spectacular. The hike requires anywhere from 4 to 7 hours depending on your speed and endurance level.
The Subway (SHOULD DO), in my opinion, is the prize of Zion. You have to really earn it through the lottery system as only 80 people are allowed to visit this place every day. The NPS runs 3 month advanced and day-before type lotteries for this which hundreds apply and only a few get. I have returned back empty handed 3 times in a row for day before type of lottery but did receive the 3 month advance on the second attempt. All said an done, it is totally well worth the effort as the rewards are unmatched. Subway is a stunner that leaves you asking for more and highly satisfied at the same time. Similar to Narrows its a walk upstream in the Left Fork but through tougher terrain, no marked trail and a longer route. It also has Top-Down and Bottom-Up options with Bottom-Up being the easy route with just over 8 miles of round trip. The permits have to be picked up at the NP Visitor Center
in Springdale but the trail head is at a different location, about 12 miles away. Start the hike early as it will need 8 to 10 hours depending on your speed and group size. Always check for weather and flash flood alerts. Carry your food and I suggest carrying water filters to drink the stream water which reduces the carrying weight. Take ample sun screen, hats, sunglasses and camera with spare batteries. I recommend taking along torches and GPS (mobile based apps are fine too) in case you lose the daylight on return.
Observation Trail (COULD DO)
Yet another great hike that takes you right to the top most point in the Zion Canyon at an elevation of 6200 feet plus. It is a highly tiring trek especially on warm days as the hike is continuous uphill from the moment it starts. This hike needs 4-5 hours for completion so target finishing this in either the first half or the second so as to avoid the afternoon sun at least for one time. Wear right shoes as the climb down takes its toll on your knees. In the middle, the hike goes past a narrow mini-slot canyon and it is very beautiful with great photo-ops.
There are several other hikes in Zion which makes it one of the best National Parks in the country. Hidden Canyon (3-4 hrs, 4 mi round trip), Weeping Rock (30 min, 0.5 m round trip), Emerald Pools (1-2 hrs, 3 mi round trip) and many more.
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| The Narrows, Zion National Park Utah |
Top Down (16 mi) & Bottom Up (9 mi) hike options
Bottom Up takes 5-8 hrs subject to your speed
It can be done in two ways - Bottom-Up and Top-Down. Top-down (NPS permit needed) is a tougher hike that requires some technical skills for canyoneering. Bottom-Up, which we did is a much easier hike that starts from the River Walk and goes about 5 miles inside the canyon from where you need to turn back unless you have a permit. This is a moderately strenuous hike and is usually the most crowded hike (for the first 2 miles) in Summers. It is a family friendly hike and requires walking upstream in the Virgin River while entering the Canyon and downstream while coming back. The river is usually ankle to knee deep in dry conditions. Always check with the NPS office for weather conditions as flash floods do happen in here during which DO NOT hike the canyon as it can result in serious injury or even death. Water can get cold during spring / fall months and dry or wet suit and water boot rentals are available at NP entrance or in Springdale.
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| Angel's Landing, Zion National Park Utah |
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| The Subway, Zion National Park Utah |
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| The Subway, Zion National Park Utah |
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| Observation Trail, ZNP |
Yet another great hike that takes you right to the top most point in the Zion Canyon at an elevation of 6200 feet plus. It is a highly tiring trek especially on warm days as the hike is continuous uphill from the moment it starts. This hike needs 4-5 hours for completion so target finishing this in either the first half or the second so as to avoid the afternoon sun at least for one time. Wear right shoes as the climb down takes its toll on your knees. In the middle, the hike goes past a narrow mini-slot canyon and it is very beautiful with great photo-ops.
There are several other hikes in Zion which makes it one of the best National Parks in the country. Hidden Canyon (3-4 hrs, 4 mi round trip), Weeping Rock (30 min, 0.5 m round trip), Emerald Pools (1-2 hrs, 3 mi round trip) and many more.
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