How To: Zion National Park
I recently spent some days in the Zion area and picked up a few tips to make the most of your visit.
Travel
If you’re boon-docking, there’s a great spot of BLM land with a creek about 20 minutes from the park entrance. It’s north of Virgin, Utah off Kolab Terrace road along the North Creek. There are a few BLM campgrounds along this road but the coordinates to the one nearest the creek are 37.220607, -113.162332. Be wary of flash flooding especially during July if you park close to the creek. It tripled in size overnight during one of our stays. Also, a neat tip for when the park shows that the parking is full… there is a separate parking lot designated only for trailers and RVs right by the visitor center. So, if you are staying a camper, bring it with you into the park, once you go through the entrance, turn to your first right and the parking lot will be on your left. This saved us the money of having to pay for parking in town and the time of shuttling into the park. Plus, you have everything you need with you.
Transportation
For traveling around the park they offer a shuttle service which is timely and informative. It takes about 45 minutes to go from the visitor’s center all the way to shuttle stop #9, but there’s plenty along the way including a café and gift shop at Stop #5 with a large grassy area, perfect for lunch.
The Park
Unfortunately, due to major flooding, the famous Angles Landing Hike was closed indefinitely just days before we arrived. Still, we managed to find some great things to do. The Narrows was one of my favorite hikes. Hop on the shuttle to the 9th and last stop, here you will follow the trail a short way to the beginning of The Narrows. The great thing about The Narrows is that they go on forever, and you simply go as far as you want and then turn back. So, it could be a mile hike, or a 10-mile hike, depending on your abilities. However, I would recommend going at least as far as Wall Street. This is a section where the walls narrow and get higher. Wall Street is about 2 hours into the hike, so check the weather ahead of time because flash flooding occurs often here, and comes on without much warning. The Narrows hike is fairly easy, you walk up the river, so I would recommend Chaco’s or a water shoe. However, there are plenty of banks alongside the river to help you move along faster than in the water. The water itself is a nice cool temperature, and the walls provide shade for a large portion, so it’s not a hot hike and at times can even get a bit chilly. But if you visit Zion, you must make time for The Narrows. It offers a refreshing hike with spectacular sights.
Nearby Hiking
Within Zion is the famous Subway, which requires a 20-mile hike round trip and a wilderness permit. While it can be difficult to secure a permit, daily lotteries give out 20 a day and you can sometimes get one by asking the desk if anyone backed out on their permit last minute. If you have the chance to get a permit, I highly recommend this hike. Disclaimer: the hike is difficult, poorly marked, and long. However, the subway is a fantastic reward at the end. Just make sure you set aside an entire day to do the hike. It took us 9 hours total, including 1.5 of rest at the subway, and 7.5 of hiking. The Subway is found within Zion but can only be accessed with a permit. There are two routes: the top-down and the bottom-up. The top-down approach is a technical canyoneering route with multiple repelling sections. This is best done with an experienced guide the first time. The bottom-up route – also the way the top-down route exits – requires no equipment, but is instead a long hike. The rough “trail” requires some climbing and walking through the water as well as general route finding and directional skills. For more information check out my post called Hiking the Subway.
The Town
Springdale offers a nice break from hiking with souvenir shops, rock shops, restaurants and services such as guided tours and equipment rentals. A personal favorite is Mimi’s Café. They specialize in crepes of all flavors, and although can be a pricey dessert, is well earned after a long day hiking Zion.
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5 thoughts
Wow this is awesome. So proud of you. xxoo.
Luke