Zion National Park

Park #2 of 9! This park is the #8 most visited park so I bet a lot of you reading this have some of the same pictures I do! I must admit driving around between Nevada and Utah I forgot about the time change. I was driving in from Great Basin and forgot two critical things. One – the time difference, and two that the sun sets earlier in a canyon. I still was determined to get a quick hike in before heading back though so I hopped on the shuttle and I managed to snap a picture even I still can’t believe I got. What you cannot see in this picture is the hundreds of people set up here with their cameras trying to capture this moment! I took this picture out the window of the moving bus on a bridge. I couldn’t have gotten a better picture if I had been trying.

I wanted to hike to the Upper Emerald pools, but it got dark fast and I didn’t have my head lamp. So I settled for the lower pools (more of a trickle at this time of year).

The temperature here was a refreshing change from the 20F temps I saw in Great Basin! I slept like a rock. It couldn’t have been any colder than 50 F overnight here. The next morning I decided to hike the Narrows. Now I know all of you Zion people out there are mad I didn’t hike Angels Landing – but I am terrified of heights!  I have no regrets – because Zion has definitely been earmarked for another visit!

The Narrows was nothing like any hike I’ve ever done. I brought my old tennis shoes and changed just before we got into the water. The water was a bit cold I must admit, but not terrible! I was one of the first people to get started on this hike which was nice because there were no crowds.

For those of you who’ve never heard of this hike – its actually mostly in the water. Depending on the time of year the water depth ranges from ankle deep to waist deep in some places. In October when I was there, the water never came above mid-thigh on me. As long as you don’t fall in (which isn’t uncommon) you can stay mostly dry. I hiked about 4 miles out and 4 miles back. As you hike further and further in it started to get more and more narrow. Some people do a thru hike that is about 16 miles! Below is one of my favorite pictures from the hike, once the sun finally made it into this tiny canyon! The second one is another favorite – and lends credit to the nickname Utah’s subway!

I was pretty exhausted after this hike. Luckily coming back I was walking with the river current. I explored the rest of the canyon and did a few short hikes but nothing too long!

I was nervous that the shuttle system here was going to ruin the experience – but honestly it was too convenient for me to care! I just left my car in the parking lot and hopped on the shuttle to go everywhere. October is also the shoulder season so the crowds weren’t bad! I got back to my car and started my drive to Bryce Canyon!