Weespxx

Before I forget, I wanted to write some tips for anyone else headed to Zion NP this summer!

1) We stayed at the Desert Pearl Inn --- amazing! It wasn't cheap ($250 per night) but the room was incredibly spacious for the 4 of us, our balcony was very large, the pool was nice and being able to walk to the park in 10 minutes was worth its weight in gold!

2) We ate at MeMe's which was good. All my men got burgers and I got the Cilantro / Romaine salad, which was refreshing. Trevor was our waiter and he was delightful.

3) also ate at Kings Landing and it was more than good - it was fabulous! Again, the guys got burgers and they all swore they were the best burgers in their lives. I got the organic heirloom tomato salad and then the charred octopus ... oh my gosh!!! Fantastic. Service was really good and the back patio was lovely.

4) Springdale was cute but we didn't do any real shopping and we also walked everywhere so didnt take the shuttle but it seemed quite nice.

5) The Narrows -- let's start there! GET THE 6 AM SHUTTLE! I have never seen crowds like those in Zion and it absolutely takes away from the feeling of being with nature when you're surrounded by hundreds of others! So, take the 6 am shuttle, wear those funny looking boots and socks and take your walking stick. The shuttle was FULL of people going to Angel's Landing (70% of our shuttle) and those of us going to the Narrows. It takes roughly 40 minutes to get to the shuttle stop and then the walk to the river is a mile lone. Being absolutely paranoid of flash floods and a wee bit claustrophobic, I was nervous. I'm also a 50 yr old woman going with two crazy teenage boys and my DH. Our shuttle was filled with people who, more or less, knew what they were doing ... or so it seemed. It took us a bit more than 3 hours to go up into the canyon, past Wall Street and almost to the end (or what we designated as the end), where you need to swim. Walking upstream is really hard - you cant prepare for the fact that you are navigating through murky water with a mostly rocky bottom, a current you are walking against, and literal boulders the size of bowling balls that trip you up. Also, there was no sun the entire way there (although it flirts with the upper edges of the canyon) and only about halfway back did we really start getting sunshine. It is really hard to explain what this canyon is like --- the walls are way above you, the colors in the rock walls are incredible, at every turn you are surprised by how gorgeous the canyon is. Maybe fighting the river makes it more so .

So take / wear long sleeves too. Going back is much faster and easier -- you are going downstream. When we got halfway back down the river, the crowds were unreal - they were coming in swarms. Many people without walking sticks, with sandals and obviously not prepared at all for the potential challenges of this river trip. It reminded me of a ride at Disney, to be honest.

When we finished, the storm clouds were all around and I was thankful, once again, that we went up early. We were in the river at 7 and out by 1 and only rested for about 20 minutes to eat during that time. That said, I wasnt winded at all and feel like I could go at it again today.

6) The Watchman -- we also headed out at 6 am to do the Watchman Hike, which isnt hard but which was practically empty at that hour! What a lovely hike. It's a Moderate hike and has some climbing and really nice views. We saw some deer resting and others munching. We saw a small snake and some really interesting flowers but most of all, we got to look around at the gorgeous canyon!

7) Canyon Overlook Trail Hike and Zion-Mt.Carmel Tunnel. After we hikes the Watchman and saw the insanity at the shuttle stop at 9:30 am, we decided to hike the Canyon Overlook Trail. Holy Cow is it a challenge to even get there! We took the park exit that would take us to Bryce (past the Visitor Center and to the right). Immediately after the turn-off that the shuttle takes to the left, you go straight and then start climbing and doing switchbacks. There were so many tourists parked along the road to take pictures that we really had to pay attention! At the top of the hill, we learned of a tunnel that was constructed in 1930 that is 1.1 mile long and has no lighting inside and which only lets 1 lane of traffic through at a time. We went through that and fought for a parking spot on the other side and then I bowed out and the men climbed. The trail isnt long and some would say it's easy but there are drop-offs and at one point a bridge that hangs in the air. They said the views are gorgeous but it is also a really busy trail ...as they all seem to be.

All in all, we loved Zion ... only wish it were less busy.

StantonHyde

The Park service is actually looking at restricting the number of visitors to Zion because it is so crowded that it diminishes the experience for visitors. It's not like other parks where everybody can spread out. You were very smart to do the 6 am shuttle. Unfortunately, Utah's tourist campaign touting the Big 5 Parks has been "overly successful".

byronelaine

We are headed there the first week of Oct. Hoping the crowds won't be as bad but the weather may be cool. I am going out and buying a hiking stick after reading this....I'm in my 60's. TKS.

byronelaine

We are headed there the first week of Oct. Hoping the crowds won't be as bad but the weather may be cool. I am going out and buying a hiking stick after reading this....I'm in my 60's. TKS.

xcountry

"Our shuttle was filled with people who, more or less, knew what they were doing ... or so it seemed."

Love that line. It's always fun trying to figure out who looks like they know what they're doing but don't. Or my favourite, the people who look like they've never been outside, but are absolute pros.

kareyon

Our Narrows experience was a lot like yours, Weespxx (and we loved the Desert Pearl too). I thought about that pre-dawn trek to the river "trailhead" when the subject of headlamps came up on the lounge forum last week. We were there at this (mid-September) time of year and we stumbled around in the dark for a bit after getting off the early shuttle. Definitely second the stick and booties. We also had a really intense downpour, with hail, blow up just after we finished. I would have been really nervous if we'd still been in the canyon. Great experience, though-- our first two times in the park we were not able to do it, so we were very happy that the third time was the charm.

emalloy

Thanks for the report. It sounds like a great experience for your kids.

Weespxx

Thanks for the comments. The crowds were outrageous ,,, Utah was definitely succesful marketing itself!