It’s been a month since my last post and a lot has changed during that time! Chandler and I moved to a new country, started new jobs, and we couldn’t be happier. We’ve received such a warm welcome from our community here in Dakar, Senegal. We’re still processing all of the changes, but that’s fine, because I still have half our summer road trip to catch you up on!
We knew when we left Bryce Canyon that the “chill” part of our road trip was over. We figured we’d have big crowds in Zion, the Grand Canyon, Sequoia, Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Rocky Mountain. But we were also hoping for a change in weather. We’d encountered numerous heat domes and were hoping the cool temps in Bryce would follow us on the rest of our journey.
We were wrong.
We’d considered stopping at the man-made Sand Caves in Kanab on our way to Zion, but by mid-day, the temps were already in the mid-90s. Regardless, our route took us right past the caves and as we passed, we could see others (either more adventurous or foolhardy than ourselves), out in the blazing sun, with no protection, scrabbling up the side of the cliff. We passed the caves themselves and felt secure in our decision.
But that meant we would be getting into Springdale before our check-in time, so we decided to stop at Kolob Canyons to save us a long drive back to them on a different day – the canyons are 40 miles north of Zion Canyon. We weren’t thrilled about the heat, but this time we didn’t have to worry. While it was plenty sunny (for most of this trip our hikes took place early in the morning or later in the evening), the temperatures had become more moderate, once again thanks to elevation.
Because of the distance, Kolob Canyons doesn’t see nearly as many visitors as Zion Canyon itself, making it an interesting starting point in the park. Of the dozens of people with us, I assume most had extended time in Zion (we had four days) or had been to the park before.
We had set aside more time for Zion than any other national park because there were so many hikes that I wanted to explore. The Timber Creek Overlook Trail ended up being a good starting point. The hike itself didn’t feel like anything special, but the lookout at the end was pretty spectacular.
After that we made our way to Under the Eaves Inn, our home away from home for the next three nights. Only a mile away from the southern entrance to the park, we’d seriously lucked out in scoring a room! We hadn’t booked this road trip very far in advance and had actually found the inn on Airbnb when we were rather desperately trying to find somewhere closer than La Verkin to stay (more than 20 miles away).
When we arrived, we discovered why our room had still been available – it was teeny tiny and barely fit all of our road trip gear (which easily fit in our Mini Cooper!). Additionally, the shower was located above the toilet – which felt very Peace Corps to us! That said, the owners were great and we were happy with the accommodations – we’d just suggest you try for a larger room : )
Less than an hour into our stay, the power went out. It was 4pm and we were back in the valley, which meant the temperatures were soaring and we had no AC. We called the owners and discovered there was a fire in Rockville, only four miles away. In fact, the owners were stuck on the other side of the fire because the road was shut down – and the only alternative route would take three hours to drive.
We’d just driven through Rockville and felt pretty grateful to have passed through before getting trapped by the fire ourselves, but we also worried about the fire spreading. It was hot and dry and we couldn’t get a lot of information about whether the fire had been contained. We alternated between reading and stressing about needing to move on from Springdale before getting to see the rest of Zion.
However, by 8pm, the fire was out and the power was back and we were able to sleep – all good things since we had to be up at 5am the next day.
Our 5am wake-up call had happened many times already on our trip, but this time it was to beat the heat and to try to get on one of the first buses in the park. Zion operates a shuttle service from approx May to December and during that time, private vehicles aren’t allowed on the scenic drive. Even though buses run every 15 minutes, the park recommends arriving 90 minutes before you want to be hiking – we hoped that arriving early would mean less wait time!
Time for some good news: It did! Up by 5am, in the park before 6am, and we made it on the second bus of the day (by the time we left the park mid-morning, the line would look like it went on forever – somewhat like an amusement park from hell).
Our first day on the scenic drive, we decided to ride the bus all the way to the final stop: the Temple of Sinawava. This is the stop you go to if you want to take the Riverside Walk, an easy one-mile stroll on pavement, to the start of the Narrows. The Narrows is one of Zion’s most popular hikes, but we didn’t feel like it was a good fit for us. This is the narrowest section of Zion Canyon and requires hikers to walk in the Virgin River. Chandler and I had walked through similar canyons (called wadis) in Jordan and always timed our visits for when they’d be dry – we have no desire to hike with sopping feet.
The Riverside Walk wasn’t very impressive for us, but we conceded it might have been because at that early in the morning, everything in the canyon was still in shadows. We hopped back on the bus and made our way to a previous stop, Canyon Junction. From there, the idea was to walk the Pa’rus Trail back to the Visitor’s Center. This trail was even easier than the Riverside Walk, but we felt the views were better.
That said, you’re in a valley between canyons, so the view doesn’t change dramatically as you walk along. Instead of walking all 3.5 miles, we decided hop on the bus at the Museum stop so that we could add one more hike to our day: Watchman Trail.
This would be our first moderate hike in Zion and we were ready for it! We hadn’t initially heard of this trail, but one of Chandler’s co-workers had recommended it and I’m so glad she did. It ended up being our second favorite hike during our time in Zion.
The trail climbs 368 ft (112 m) to a magnificent viewpoint of the Watchman, Temples and Towers, lower Zion Canyon, and the town of Springdale. Luckily, the trail was still in the shade as we hiked up it.
It was a little unclear when we’d finally reached the top because there’s plenty to explore up there, but honestly, I think this hike gives you the best views of Zion Canyon.
After that we pretty much raced back down because it was nearing 11am and the heat plus UV rays were getting higher than we appreciate!
We went back to our hotel, showered off, and proceeded to eat the spiciest Indian food we’ve ever encountered (Red Fort Cuisine of India) – Chandler loved it! We spent the rest of the afternoon reading, editing photos, and basking in the laziness of it all. The next morning included another 5am alarm.
This time, however, we made it on the first bus!
We were headed to Scout Lookout, a strenuous 3.6 mile trail that takes you to the base of Angels Landing. Once again, this was a Zion hit that wasn’t for us – in order to hike Angels Landing you need a permit, but it had just reopened that day because some of the chains on the hike had recently broken with hikers stuck along the knife-edge ridge. In fact, since 1930, the majority of deadly accidents have taken place on this section of trail – no thank you!
We were happy enough to turn around at Scout Lookout, which has similar views at a fraction of the cost.
Along the way back, we popped off the bus to see the Court of the Patriarchs – a faster stop than we had anticipated, that had us mostly waiting for the next bus to come around!
Our last hike of the day required driving out of Zion via the east entrance. Parking is so limited that Chandler actually dropped me off to do the hike solo. We had no cell reception, otherwise I would’ve let him know how easy it would be to join me. The hike is only a mile and leads to what I believe are hands down the best views in Zion. Chandler wasn’t devastated – he said he just would have seen more rocks and trees (a theme of our summer road trip!).
The only two parking lots are right outside the east entrance tunnel. People park all along the roads, but the park requests you not do that. Without them building larger parking lots, I’m not sure what other choice people have.
The start of the trail is a series of sandstone steps with a metal handrail leading hikers over rocky terrain above a dark slot canyon.
One of the fun things about this hike (and this side of the park in general) are all of the bighorn sheep in the area. I only saw the one below while I had my camera out, but we saw even more on our drive out of the park.
The beginning of the hike is the only part that offers any shade. The rest of the time you are exposed to the unrelenting sun.
That said, everything about this relatively easy hike is 100% worth it.
Canyon Overlook offers views of the Towers of the Virgin and I spent way longer than anticipated there. Honestly, I took a few photos and then mostly just stood around staring – it was that stunning. Because of the horrific parking, the trail wasn’t overly crowded and there was plenty of space for everyone to sit around, relax, and enjoy the view.
Abroad With Ashley 