Stop 1 on our Southwest U.S. vacation was Zion National Park. My desire to visit Zion National Park is all thanks to social media. Obviously, because we love the National Parks a trip here was inevitable. We just moved it up on our travel wish list after seeing gorgeous Instagram pics of the Virgin River with the Watchman in the background and reading about everyone’s awesome hikes.
Zion National Park is located in southwest Utah, just outside Springdale, Utah. The most frequented part of the park is the Main Canyon. The Main Canyon consists of the Scenic Drive with nine shuttle stops along the way.
Planning Phase
I started making lodging reservations about a year out from our trip. Snagging a room in the park lodges can be tough and requires advance planning. You can make reservations here. I knew we wanted to stay at the Zion Lodge. Not only is it such a beautiful and historic place to stay, it also means you’re already in the park before the general crowds start getting on the shuttle at the Visitor Center. During much of the year the Scenic Drive is only accessible by shuttle bus. That means the parking lot at the Visitor Center is sometimes full by 9:00 a.m.
Because I had been drooling over the gorgeous pics of Zion National Park on Instagram, I did a decent amount of research on good spots for sunrise and sunset photography. I also planned out meals to a certain extent. I knew that road construction and traffic was an issue in Springdale, the small town just outside the park’s entrance, so we made a point to only drive through there when we visited the Kolob Canyons portion of the park. Note, Kolob Canyons is currently closed to visitors for construction projects.
I also researched hikes which helped us maximize our time in the park. We knew the girls, especially Hannah, were too young to hike Angels Landing. To be honest, my fear of heights would keep me from doing that hike anyways.
Day 1
Our morning started at the La Quinta Inn & Suites in La Verkin, Utah. This was the warmest of the three days so we knew we wanted to get some hikes crossed off our list. We took advantage of the free breakfast at the hotel and then made our way over to the Wal-Mart in Hurricane, Utah. It was a quick drive over there, and it allowed us to stock up on some muffins and other easy breakfast foods. We also got enough food to pack lunches for a few days. We picked up a styrofoam cooler for the car so we could keep drinks and grape jelly cool. After a 30 minute drive we were at the entrance to the park.
Despite it being almost 11:00 a.m. we got lucky and found a parking spot at the Visitor Center. We made a quick stop for Junior Ranger books and to check out the gift shop. As expected the line to hop on the shuttle bus was really long. Since we were staying at the Zion Lodge we drove there next to park our car. We threw some snacks in our backpacks and got on the shuttle at the stop near the lodge. Now we could really start our day in the park.
Hiking
Pa’rus Trail
The Pa’rus Trail is a 3.5 mile round trip hike that connects Canyon Junction and the South Campground. It’s completely paved and wheelchair accessible. It’s less a hike and more like a leisurely walk. While it was nice to see the soaring canyon walls from this vantage point, I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re short on time. I’ve heard from others that it’s a great trail to do later in the day to unwind after those much harder trails. You could definitely shorten this and just take it one-way, which is what we chose to do.
Watchman Trail
After walking about 1.25 miles on the Pa’rus Trail we were at the South Campground and near the start of the Watchman Trail. This was one of my favorite hikes in the park. The Watchman is a 3.3 mile round trip hike with some moderate drop-offs. It ends at a viewpoint of the Towers of the Virgin, lower Zion Canyon, and Springdale. It was pretty windy that day so getting a nice picture of the five of us at the viewpoint was hard. Everyone was shielding dust from their eyes.
One of my favorite parts was seeing the trail we had just hiked from the viewpoint. The hikers looked like little ants thanks to a 368 foot elevation change. This hike is definitely family-friendly, but pay attention to the cliff edges. I would imagine it’s pretty unbearable in the summer heat so I’m glad we got to do this hike in the spring.
We took the shuttle back to the Lodge and ordered a large pizza at the Castle Dome Cafe. It was pretty chilly so we ate in the lobby of the Zion Lodge. We were also able to check-in and pick up our room keys while we were there.
Sunset Photography & Hitchhiking (yeah, you read that right)
So far it sounds like a pretty good day, right? Here’s where I expose the one part of Zion National Park I didn’t pay enough attention to….THE SHUTTLE BUS SCHEDULE! I mentioned earlier how I did my research on good photography locations. One of the most popular, if not the most popular, place for sunset pictures is the bridge near the Canyon Junction shuttle stop. It offers a spectacular view of the Virgin River with the Watchman in the background.
After settling in at the hotel we took the shuttle bus back to Canyon Junction to set up for pictures on the bridge. As the sun was setting the girls and I were getting colder and colder. By this time we had walked away from Kris to sit on some rocks in a safer location, away from the cars. Kris made a motion that I assumed meant he was almost done and we could start walking towards the shuttle bus stop. The girls and I made the short walk to the shuttle bus stop and made a huge mistake.
First, we assumed Kris was almost done taking pictures. Second, we didn’t pay any attention to what time the last bus of the day would be coming by. Turns out it was the one we didn’t get on because we were still waiting for Kris. I really wish the bus driver would have let me know that was the last bus, but he didn’t.
Soon after Kris showed up we realized we had missed the last bus. We were ill prepared to be walking at night, especially along the winding Scenic Drive from Canyon Junction to the Zion Lodge. I had my headlamp on, but I was getting concerned that we weren’t easy to see. I won’t lie, I wanted to scream at every shuttle bus coming in the opposite direction. Not a scream for help, but a scream for not letting me know I was going to be passing on the last shuttle bus that evening.
I’ve never hitchhiked. I get nervous riding in a taxi. Uber…forget about it. So when Kris suggested flagging down a ride I looked at him like he had three eyeballs! I kept walking. Soon though, I started worrying, worrying that walking along the Scenic Drive at night was way more dangerous than getting a ride from a stranger. So when the next car passed and stopped abruptly, I ran like Usain Bolt to see if he was offering a ride. Thankfully he was a nice guy who worked at the Lodge. Lesson learned, check the darn shuttle bus schedule!
What to Remember:
- Pay attention to the shuttle bus schedule. Learn from my mistake!
- The Zion Lodge makes for a great place to stay. Making reservations at least a year in advance is a must!
- Get to the park early in the day to secure a parking space.
- Spring is a great time to visit.
- Finally, pay attention to the shuttle bus schedule 🙂
Day 1 miles hiked:
4.55 miles, more if you count the shuttle bus fiasco.
Amazing…following your blog when I go out southwest