A Busy Day in Zion

Last time we were in Zion National Park, it was drizzling with temps just above freezing. The clouds obscured the tops of the mountains and the waterfalls were fantastic – which made for awesome photos. This trip is about a month later in the year for warmer temps, leaves on the trees, and more access to the river – but no waterfalls. I really think that both scenarios had their advantages.

To start at the beginning of this series, visit The Spectacular Southwest.

Our Two-night Stay

Since we had a full day here on our last trip and aren’t really hikers, we decided one more full day in Zion would be enough. We entered the park yesterday on the eastern side and enjoyed the Checkerboard Mesa along with other fabulous views on the way in. Tomorrow we’ll have the drive to our next stay in Tropic, UT to stop by the western entrance and the scenic drive through the Kolob Canyon that we missed on our last visit. So today we’ll take advantage of the free shuttle again, but venture quite a ways further than last time when there were lots of trail closures because of slippery conditions and flash flood warnings.

We opted to hang our hats at the Driftwood Lodge, which was roomy and clean and offered vouchers for a discount on an excellent breakfast at Oscar’s Café. The best feature of this place was the awesome mountain views from the back patio, but its location right at Springdale Shuttle Stop 7 (of 9), will be the reason we’ll stay here again if we’re lucky enough to return. We were able to park our car and leave it for the duration of our stay.

Spring Break!

It hadn’t even dawned on us that yesterday was Easter and that spring break is usually scheduled somewhere around this time. The shuttle stops and the lines at the park entrance were insane, but with lots of folks in a hurry to get to the longer hikes and we weren’t, people dispersed pretty quickly.

Breakfast sounded fantastic and we caught the shuttle right at the Driftwood and disembarked a short walk from Oscar’s. Had we skipped breakfast and stayed on our bus, we could have made it all the way to the park in one fell swoop. From the shuttle two stops further up the route and closer to the park (and another hour later in the day), we waited for three buses (with standing room only) before there was room for us to board.

It turned out that getting to the park entrance was only part of the battle. We waited in another long line to show our National Park passes to get into the park, and then another to board a shuttle to take us further into the park. We decided to start at the furthest (Zion Canyon Stop #9) so we’d have plenty of time to make our way back just in case shuttles were still very busy when they were close to being done for the day. Missing the last one from the furthest stop would mean a nine-mile walk back to our hotel! Our last trip (although rainy and cold) sounded pretty good about now because there was no wait at any of the shuttle stops!

Zion Canyon Stop #9. Temple of Sinawava – Gateway to the Narrows

Lots of folks were headed to The Narrows via the Riverside Walk, which follows along the Virgin River. The river was pretty tame this trip compared to our last – when this walk was closed because of higher water and the threat of flash floods. We enjoyed our walk for a while, but after asking a few people how much farther it was, it sounded like a helluva hike. Of course, they must have been talking about the entire hike through the Narrows because I’ve since found out that it’s an easy one-mile walk to just the start of the Narrows.

You can choose how far you want to go after that – remembering you have to walk back the way you came. At some point depending on the depth of the water, you may end up walking IN the Virgin River when the trail is submerged, sometimes ankle or chest deep – and other times swimming. Along the way we saw lots of folks prepared for their own version of the walk – in wet suits, chest waders, tennis shoes, waterproof shoes, lots with walking sticks for balance, and with small kids in backpacks, front packs, and on shoulders.

Had I continued on, it would have offered gorgeous views and bragging rights for at least making it as far the Narrows (and not stopping just short), so I hope there will be a trip #3.

Here is a great video that shows part of the Bottom-up Hike. “Hiking in the Narrows upstream as far as Big Spring does not require a permit. Doing this hike allows you to see some of the most spectacular and narrowest parts of the canyon. You can hike in the river for an hour and have a great experience, or you can hike as far as Big Spring, a strenuous, ten-mile round trip, all-day adventure.”

If you’re interested in the 16-Mile Through-Hike from Chamberlain’s Ranch, “permits are required for this 16-mile through-hike of the Virgin River Narrows from Chamberlain’s Ranch to the Temple of Sinawava. Those who choose this option must arrange their own transportation to the Chamberlain’s Ranch trailhead.”

Zion Canyon Shuttle Stop #6. Weeping Rock

The last time we were here, we really understood how this shuttle stop got its name! The waterfalls were plentiful and it was raining pretty good. We weren’t able to walk down by the river, so this trip was a treat. With leaves on the trees and the river making its way through the absolutely fabulous peaks, it made for a great afternoon! Visit this post from our first trip to see raging waterfalls from this stop and also the other two, and the clouds hanging low over the mountains.

Zion Canyon Shuttle Stop #4. Court of the Patriarchs

Last trip I took the picture of the sign below from the overlook which we skipped this time because of the crowd. It mentions these majestic sandstone cliffs that are named for three towering figures of the Old Testament.

The second photo was also taken on our last trip and our shuttle driver commented how lucky we were to be here today. Even though the weather was dismal, the waterfalls were running at full force! A gentleman with a tripod set up at this spot said he had never seen “twins” at this location before!

This stop was absolutely fantastic! Last time we had to stay pretty much at the overlook since it was raining pretty good by the time we got here. This time the weather was perfect and we had the whole area pretty-much to ourselves. We walked along the river for a while till we made our way to a bridge over some rapids.

A Great End to a Great Day

We finished up the day with some dinner and a beer at the Zion Brewery where we talked about the beauty of the day and how different our two visits had been. We headed back to the Driftwood to pack for our next day’s drive and sat out on our patio for one more look at our amazing surroundings. We were sad to leave, but knew this was only the beginning of our stay in the gorgeous state of Utah!

Next up: xx

Happy trails,
Barb