Zion National Park – a place where the roads are red, the mountains are massive, and the Angels will give you the most terrifying half mile of your life.
Date established: November 19, 1919
Date of visit: December 5-7, 2018
Day 1. Arrival. Leisure drive on Zion Canyon Scenic Dr.
I entered the park from the East entrance, Zion-Mount Carmel Highway. I was greeted with red road, and I had a feeling that this was going to be an incredible adventure. The views on this part of the park were just magnificent. After checking in at the Visitor Center, I took a leisure drive on the Zion Canyon Scenic Dr, stopping at every point of interest to take pictures, and just to stand in awe looking at the towering mountains.
Zion Canyon Scenic Dr is closed to private vehicles from Spring to Fall, open only to the park’s shuttle buses.
Had some time to do some of the easy trails before heading to Springdale for this visit’s accommodation.
Day 2. Observation Point hike. Watchman Trail hike in the afternoon.
An early start for this hike to Observation Point, an 8-mile out-and-back summit trail. It was a solitude hike going up the summit – not a single soul on the trail. Some parts of the trail were still covered with snow, making these sections slippery and treacherous. I wore my crampons on the icy sections on the way down. I was speechless when I reached the summit looking at the panoramic views of these giants in front of me.
Watchman Trail hike was done in the afternoon, just before sunset – a moderately rated hike with views of the Towers of the Virgin, the lower Zion Canyon, the Visitor Center, and the town of Springdale. You can take a slice of the juicy virginia ham along the trail, if you get hungry.
Day 3. Angels Landing hike.
Angels Landing… google it, you-tube it, and you will find it in one the most terrifying short hikes in the US. It’s just 2.5 miles to the summit. And the first 2 miles to the Scout Lookout is considerably ‘easy’. The views from this point are already amazing. This is where you will see the first of the heavy-duty chain links bolted to the trail. And after the first grab on these chains, the rest will be a test of courage. It just becomes steeper and scarier all the way up to the summit. Looking at pictures, and you-tube videos, you’d say – I can do that! Say it again, when you are physically there looking at the trail 🙂
Departure.
It was hard to leave Zion National Park. More trails to explore, Kolob Canyon, Wildcat Canyon, The Narrows, camping and the backcountry. I have to come back.
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