Day 69: A Day in Zion National Park

No sooner had Lisette opened her sleepy eyelids in the morning, when Michael frantically urged her to get up so that we could leave and drive in to Zion National Park. We cooked and scoffed down our oatmeal breakfast, but there seemed to be no signs that the Swiss family across from us were awake as we started to pack up.

As we were packing up, we saw our Swiss neighbors, who planned to drive in and have breakfast from within Zion. We were close behind them as we entered the park, with a queue of vehicles already forming quickly at the entrance.

We progressed past Checkerboard Mesa (second time passing, but still no signs of bighorn sheep), and ventured further into the Park, this time needing to make our way through the tunnel, with the Swiss family's RV in front of us. Unfortunately we were held up a bit as the ranger needed to check off our pass, which meant that the tunnel was almost pitch black as our eBikes were strapped to the front, obstructing our headlights. Fortunately, there was some natural light streaming from the intermittent gaps in the tunnel, which Michael took full advantage of as we strained somewhat to drive through. We finally got through to the other side, relieved and unscathed.

Zion is one of Utah's most well-trodden national parks, known for its monumental sandstone cliffs, slender slot canyons, magnificent arches, and gushing waterfalls. As we progressed , we could see why it is so popular -- we zigzagged down the road to see breathtaking views of the cliffs and rock formations, and vehicles were crammed along the few spots to stop and take photos.

Once we arrived at the parking lot, it was already full, so we had no option but to leave Zion and drive towards the adjacent town of Springdale. On Lion Boulevard, there's a parking lot (which costs $40 for the day), but we found spots to park alongside the curb, which cost $30.35 for the day. From here, we left the Swiss family who were enjoying breakfast (and Sheila who would stay in a cool RV for awhile), and walked toward the shuttle stop that would take us back into the park. We learned that it would only be less than a mile to walk in, so rather than waiting for a shuttle that would undoubtedly be packed (and potentially have to wait for longer), we trekked back to the entrance.

Well, it turned out that we'd be walking more than we'd anticipated! As soon as we got to the entrance, we saw that we needed to show our annual pass and ID to get in...but these were inconveniently left in the RV, as we'd shown this already to get into the park when we were in the vehicle! So we ended up having to walk back and come back...Lisette had her fitness watch on, and she'd achieved her movement goals for the day already before properly entering Zion!

Hiking, Wading and Swimming through The Narrows

Since Zion is so busy, shuttle buses are how everyone gets around to the major stops around the entire park. The main hiking attraction is the last stop, called The Narrows, so called because it's the narrowest part of Zion Canyon: in some places it's only 6-9 meters wide (20-30 feet), and can get up to 609 meters (2,000 feet) deep! What also makes this hike novel is that it is done mostly through a river, which runs across the canyon walls on either side. Because water levels and currents can fluctuate, there may be parts where the hike will be more of a swim! The hike is about 25 kilometers (16 miles) in total, which can be completed in one long day (multi-day hikes are not permitted), but most people are content to do part of the The Narrows.

Because of these conditions, there were many people that we saw renting grey dungarees, walking sticks, waterproof packs, and bright red waterproof shoes to help navigate the hike (although we also saw many people that attempted it in immaculate white tennis shoes, jeans... anything goes!). We wore our hiking shoes, wool socks (better to dry and not stink as much as cotton), shorts, and a shirt (Lisette wore her merino wool given the wet/dry and hot/cool conditions). We each had a backpack (although not waterproof), and split the hiking poles so that we had used one each.

The hike from the shuttle stop to the start of The Narrows is already absolutely stunning. Along the side, we saw the stream of water, flanked by soaring rocks. There's a paved path that runs along the right hand side in the cooler shade, but at one point it forked so that we could walk in the sun alongside the stream, which was lovely (minus the buzzing yellow jacket wasps that we had to avoid--Lisette has been bitten by one in the past, and she definitely wanted to escape a second experience).

When we arrived at The Narrows, there were a bunch of people by the shore, with some ready to tackle wading through the water, while others were content to stand at the forefront to take that "I was here" shot. As we literally took the plunge in, our legs were immediately shocked by the cold water, with the water seeping into our socks and shoes as we walked further. Our hiking poles also proved to be very handy, as the ground was filled with round rocks of different sizes and colors, but some were uneven and slippery.

We wandered in for about a mile, until we got to a narrower part of the hike and saw that the water was reaching up to some people's chests, and some of the kids were being pulled alongside their parents as they swam across! We decided to turn back as while we became accustomed to the cooler temperature cloistered in the canyon and of the water, we didn't have wet weather gear on, and our backpacks and their contents would also be completely saturated.

There was a sunny spot by the shore, next to some boulders, where we could sit, relax, and dry off our soaked socks and shoes. It was a lovely and relaxing spot where many people were already relishing the sunshine, or dipping their toes into the cool water. Here, we saw the Swiss family again, who were also happy to explore this area rather than trek through The Narrows (definitely more challenging with 3 young kids in tow). We were somewhat relieved to also not have Sheila with us, as there were quite a few emboldened squirrels scurrying around, eager to try and snatch people's lunches!

We hopped back on the shuttle and considered doing the short Grotto Trail, an easy 1.6 kilometer (1 mile hike), but decided to skip it so that we could finally have our late lunch, dry our still damp footwear, and return to Sheila. Fortunately we did, because once we got off the shuttle, we realized we were starving and still had about a mile to walk back anyway! We ordered some sandwiches at a market in Springdale, before leaving again through the tunnel (this time with ebikes inside the RV) to exit Zion.

This time, we made some pit stops along the road to take more photos of the incredible scenery, ahead of leaving the park. We had contemplated staying another day, but given how packed it was, we decided we'd move on and see if the next National Park on our journey--Bryce National Park--would be a bit more relaxed.

We scouted for a place to boondock for the night somewhere between Zion National Park and Bryce National Park, and found some spots on iOverlander alongside a stream, which we could see from the highway below. We missed the initial turn but turned right at the next junction, where we found a quiet spot to back into, but were accosted by two men who told us that we were actually on private property. It's a good reminder to find BLM land and iOverlander recommendations so we don't go off course! While we were redirected to BLM land, we drove on and found a place closer to our next destination, in a peaceful spot where we also saw other folks camped for the night.

Route Map