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Zion is Utahs first National Park established in 1919! Due to the parks popularity – about 4.4 million people visit the park every year – there have been some major changes to preserve this land: the institution of a shuttle system and a permit system for some of the more technical slot canyon trails. From about early April to late October the scenic drive in Zion is closed to private vehicles and visitors must ride the shuttles. I must say, even in late December parking around Zion fills up so fast, you have to be there first thing in the morning.
Accommodations: We stayed at a beautiful Airbnb in Toquerville. Toquerville is a little town about a half hour away from Zion, so it was a much cheaper option than hotels/Airbnb’s closer to the park. I highly recommend looking for accommodations outside of Zion if you don’t mind a little drive. It will save you a ton of money.
Food: For breakfast, our Airbnb provided fresh fruit, cereal and breakfast bars each morning, which was a wonderful added amenity. For lunch and dinner, we bought groceries at a local store in Toquerville. Our one splurge meal was after our biggest hiking day, when we hiked Angels Landing and Emerald Pools. We decided to get take out at Zion Canyon Brew Pub and give ours bodies a much needed break. This Brew Pub uses a ton of locally sourced ingredients, has a SERIOUSLY extensive beer list and is literally just outside of Zion. Very convenient.
Hike: Angels Landing
Distance: 4.1 mile out and back
Elevation: 1,617 ft
Rating: Hard
Tip: Use two hands and be prepared. This hike includes a multitude of steep switch backs and a section where you must use chains bolted into the side of the canyon. Equally exhilarating and terrifying! The last .4 miles is what the trail is famous for and it was at this point that Brad and I decided to turn back.
On this morning, there were so many families on this trail with little children running around. This is NOT a safe trail for this kind of behavior. After watching one too many children slip dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, we decided for our sanity, to call it a day. There are so many hikes in Zion that are family friendly so please do your research and find the best fit for you! Know when you can push yourself outside of your comfort zone and know when to call it quits. Call it intuition 🙂
Hike: Riverside Walk
Distance: 1.8 mile out and back
Elevation: 206 ft
Rating: Easy (this is the start of The Narrows hike)
Tip: Family friendly! It is absolutely a “walk” as the name of the hike says. You can stroll along the river to the beginning of the much harder hike, the Narrows, and watch people emerge from the river after finishing their 11+ mile trek.
Hike: Zion Canyon Overlook Trail
Distance: 1 mile out and back
Elevation: 213 ft
Rating: Easy
Tip: I feel like a broken record sometime, but GO EARLY! This trail was packed when we went so it was hard to enjoy the amazing views at the end with the crazy amount of people around. Luckily, we did find a spot up the trail that was secluded enough for us to sit back, relax, and appreciate the view in front of us!
Hike: The Emerald Pools
Lower Emerald Pools: .6 mile hike one-way with a 69 ft uphill climb
Middle Emerald Pools: 1 mile hike one-way with a 150 ft uphill climb
Upper Emerald Pools: 1.5 mile hike one-way with a 350 ft uphill climb
Rating: Easy/Moderate
Tips: Lower Emerald Pools is a very easy, very short hike suitable for families and still offers wonderful views. If you are planning on doing the trio, about a 3 mile round trip hike, START EARLY. Because the start of this hike is very family friendly, it gets very busy, very fast.
What we would have done differently: HIKED THE NARROWS! Seriously, not hiking the Narrows is my only regret from our trip. With that being said, we were in no way prepared to do this hike: it was the end of December so we would’ve had to rent gear with the water being so cold. But, the way I see it, we have the best excuse in the entire world to go back now! This adventure WILL get a repeat performance so keep your eyes out 🙂
Yours,
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