Walter and I recently got back from a week long road trip out West. We flew into Vegas and then drove out to Utah with our first stop being Zion National Park. The main focus of our trip was the Grand Canyon, which you can read in my other posts A Journey to the Bottom of the Grand Canyon, What You Need to Know Before You Go and Our Trip to the Bottom of the Grand Canyon. We had a few nights before the Grand Canyon, so we spent four nights in Zion, three of those exploring Zion and the other one we spent at Bryce Canyon National park which is a fairly short drive. This was my second trip out to Zion National Park as well as the Grand Canyon, but we managed explore some new trails that have made my 3 trails you must do list.

The Trails

• Angels Landing: This trail is practically a no-brainer to put on the list. From huffing your way up Walter’s Wiggles (yes, that is actually the trail name), to the hair raising sheer drop offs, ending at the view that has made this hike so memorable, it is the one hike every able bodied hiker should take. *note those with a fear of heights may want to stop at Scout’s Landing but you will miss the best views. However, Observation Point will still get you the views
  • Difficulty: Strenuous
  • Distance: 5.4 miles round trip
  • Approx. time: 4 hrs

• The Narrows: On my first trip out, I could not get enough of the Narrows. I just loved wandering all day through the cool water. On the second trip, I still enjoyed the hike but it seemed much less exciting. A bonus to the Narrows is that you get to take the River Walk Trail to get there and that trail is quite beautiful and accessible for those who are not able to enjoy some of the other hikes.
  • Difficulty: Strenuous
  • Distance: 14 miles round trip
  • Approx. Time: 8 hrs

• Observation Point: This trail is the longest of my top three but I feel the views from the top are by far the most beautiful of any trail. From the top of Observation Point, you can see down the whole valley including Angels Landing. The trail itself is not overly exciting as it winds in and around the hills; however, there was a really cool mini slot canyon and a few peeks of views that kept the hike from seeming as long and it truly is.
  • Difficulty: Strenuous
  • Distance: 8 miles round trip
  • Approx. Time: 6hrs

Those are my three favorite trails in Zion National Park. Depending on you hiking speed you could add a few of the shorter trails before/after Angels Landing or The Narrows or like Walter and I did, we enjoyed a nice shower in town and cooked ourselves a feast over the campfire.

Lodging

There are two main campgrounds near the South Entrance you can stay in Watchman Campground, and South Campground. Both campgrounds can be reserved online at www.recreation.gov. Watchman can be reserved months in advance while South Campground must be reserved 2 weeks in advance. On my first trip I stayed in Watchman and the second trip we stayed in South Campground. Watchman is nice because you can book it well in advance, there are sites with power options, and it is very close to the Visitor Center. The Visitor Center is where you can pick up the shuttle to take you to all the trails in the valley. The shuttles are free and a prerecorded message about the park is very informative. Personally though, I liked South Campground much better really for one reason, the campsites. In Watchman, the campsites were practically on top of each other, so the first night, all I heard about was how some girl forgot to shave her legs and was forced to listen to the terrible sound of a dry razor scraping skin. In South Campground, our site was right next to the river and a fair distance from any other tent. It felt like we could talk at dinner and nobody would be overhearing us. Not every site was quite so separated though so I highly advise looking at the map before booking. Another site I find super helpful when booking campgrounds is campsitephotos.com I don’t know who made this site but I don’t know what I would do without it. It is my go to for ALL camping trips.  

Other trails:

• Sunset point: If you have time after one of the hikes and you have a car, then you must watch the sunset from Sunset Point. The hike is relatively short. It requires a car to get to the trail head and parking is very limited. When we reached the top we found the spot had more than enough for everyone to sit down and take in the changing colors. I highly advise you make time for this hike.
• Emerald pools: Honestly I have done it twice and wasn’t impressed either time; Walter felt like it was a waste of time. You do get to walk behind and under dripping water which is pretty cool, and there are sometimes pretty flowers blooming at the oasis. Walter and I both voted that this trail is not worth the hike.

That basically sums up our trip to Zion National Park. If you ever get the chance, I highly suggest you make time to stop and enjoy some of the trails. For those of you who like to cram a lot of adventure into a little time you can definitely hit my favorite trails in 2-2.5 days. We really only took 2.5 days with Angels Landing only being a half day hike that could have fit into another day if there had not been rain.